Helping Seniors Avoid Being a Victim of Scams
Senior citizens continue to be one of the biggest groups being targeted for scams. There are many ways scammers get what they want, which is not always just money. Many times, they are after your bank or credit card information, your Medicare numbers, or personal demographic information that will allow them to steal your identity. Sadly, we now live in a society that it’s safer to assume most things are scams and learn ways to protect yourself from them all. Scammers will use any tactic including placing signs all over your area with claims that are deceptive just to get your personal information.
Medicare fraud is a huge problem in this country. Seniors should treat their Medicare numbers like a credit card and not share it with anyone except your doctor’s office. For instance, you see a new sign in your neighborhood that is vague but offering some kind of medical services with a phone number to make contact. You call the number and are immediately pressured to give out your information like name, date of birth, address, phone number, medical issues, and insurance information for the purpose of them connecting you to a top physician in the area. Many times, they are just a service that was paid to try and gather patients for either a group of doctors or specific medical service but not associated with any hospital systems in your area. The best place to do research for a new doctor is always your insurance websites. Usually, you can access profiles about the dr where you can read about their training and specialties.
Medicare fraud is just one of many catfishing scams. Other scams where seniors are typically targeted are phone scams where they use AI generated voices that sound like a relative asking for money for rent or bail. Do not give out any money without first calling that relative to confirm, you could save yourself thousands of dollars with one simple step. Every time someone does a Google or Bing search; the first few hits are sponsored ads that may not be who they claim to be. You innocently click on the link thinking it’s Spectrum for tech support. The link takes you somewhere else and they remotely take control of your computer to fix the problem. They can now get into any personal files, credit card accounts or bank accounts, and social media profiles for identity theft. Given enough time a skilled scammer can devastate your entire life.
Learn how to defend yourself against scammers. Do not answer calls from unknown numbers, if someone wants to reach you, they will leave a message and a legitimate number for a call back. Do not click on links in emails or internet searches without knowing the true source. Simply hovering over their email address will show you they are not who they claim to be. If you do experience any breaches of security or actual theft, alert your bank immediately, cancel your credit cards, call the Medicare number on your card, and have the police make a report. Banks will usually return the lost money to you with a police report. Brevard County Economics Crime Division 321-633-8410.
Originally published in Merritt Island Now.