By Laurie E. Ohall, Florida Board-certified Elder Law Attorney
As an elder law attorney, I often meet with individuals who are 65 and older. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, individuals 65 and older saw the fastest growth between 2010 and 2020. They are also the most targeted when it comes to exploitation, according to the FBI. A 2022 report by former FBI Director William Webster states that common scams include tech support scams, confidence and romance scams, investment scams and government impersonation scams. This is particularly true for ‘elder orphans,’ a term coined by Maria T. Carney, a gerontologist. These are people of advanced age who have no spouse, no children and no other family to care for them. I have noticed more and more of these elder orphans who come to my office needing estate planning.
Scams To Watch Out For
Confidence scams. These involve the scammer slowly building a relationship with the older individual and slowly gaining their trust. They then financially exploit the individual once they’ve gained their trust. Usually, this happens when they convince the person to make the scammer their agent under a durable power of attorney or when they even more outrageously bring the person to the bank to add them to their accounts. In most of these cases, the elder is single and either has no children, or their children live out of state and they rarely see their family.
Tech support scams. Exploiters will make unsolicited offers through phone calls, websites or texts to ‘fix a problem’ with your computer or software. The National Council on Aging reported that, in 2023, this topped the list of fraud among seniors over the age of 60. It is common to see a pop-up window saying the computer is infected with a virus and that you need to call tech support immediately, then the ‘tech support’ will ask for credit card information to fix the problem and sometimes even ask for personal information.
Government impersonation scams. These involve people posing as IRS agents, law enforcement or Social Security Administration employees trying to steal money or obtain personal information through phone calls, emails or social media; typically, they demand payment or threaten legal action.
Tips To Consider
Here are tips to consider if you suspect a scam:
The government does not call you and threaten you over the phone. If you owe money to the IRS, you will get a notice in the mail.
The IRS, Social Security, Medicare, etc., do not text or direct message you on social media. Again, if they have issues concerning you, they will put it in writing and send it to you via snail mail.
If you suspect someone is trying to scam you: hang up the phone, delete the message and ignore the text or direct message. Look up the agency (or business) yourself online and call them back from the information you find on their website. Government agencies will have an American flag in the top left corner and a message that says, “Official website of the United States government.”
These types of scams are way too common. If you suspect a scam, you can call the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) or alert the Federal Trade Commission online at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or by calling 877-FTC-HELP (877-382-4357).
