The top financial scams targeting Seniors
According to the National Counsel on Aging, these are some of the top scams:
- Medicare/health insurance fraud, involving scam artists who pose as a Medicare representative in order to steal personal information.
- Counterfeit prescription drug schemes, in which scammers provide fake medicines.
- Funeral and cemetery schemes, where thieves troll obituaries to extort money from bereaved survivors or where funeral directors attempt to sell unnecessary and expensive services.
- Anti-aging treatments, that do nothing but enrich the scammer and actually be harmful to the Senior’s health.
- Telemarketing/phone scams, where scammers persuade Seniors to give to charities or for “accidents” that have happened to relatives.
- Internet fraud, using pop-up browsers to fool a Senior into downloading a fake virus program (for a fee) or downloading a real virus that can steal personal information.
- Grandchild schemes, in which a scammer poses as a grandchild in trouble or needing emergency financial assistance.
- Lottery scams, where a Senior is notified they have won a lottery that requires a payment to “unlock” it.