Unfortunately, now that it is tax refund time, there are scammers coming out of the woodwork. Each year, it seems like they have some new kind of ruse. However, there is one thing that seems to stay the same every year and that is they attack senior citizens’ bank accounts and identities. If you are caring for your elderly loved one, it would be a good idea to learn about how to prevent identity theft, and how companion care at home can help remind your senior to make safe choices on the internet and phone.
Medical Information
One of the things that you should keep an eye on for your elderly loved one is their medical information. Many medical documents have the last 4 of a person’s social security number, birthdate, address, and other personal information. If someone gets a hold of these documents, it would be much easier for them to steal your elderly loved one’s identity. The best way to help your elderly loved one prevent medical theft is to shred documents, especially medical ones, instead of throwing them into the trash. You or companion care at home providers could help your elderly loved one remember to shred these papers.
Taking Out of the Mailbox
Another way that scammers are stealing the identity of senior citizens is that they are taking mail out of the mailboxes. Usually, it is just a piece of mail at a time or they take from mailboxes that have a lot of mail in them. The best way to help your elderly loved one prevent identity theft in this regard is to determine when the mail usually comes at their house. Then, you or a home care provider can get the mail every day to reduce the chances that someone can steal it.
Grandchild Ruse
There is also a grandchild ruse that has been out for some time. Most of the time this comes in the form of a phone call. For instance, your elderly loved one might get a phone call from someone claiming to be their grandchild and ask for money to be sent in the mail or via an online payment platform. While this isn’t necessarily identity theft, they could get a lot of your elderly loved one’s money this way. It is very easy for scammers to pretend to be someone else in this day and age being that many relationships are posted on social media platforms. The best way to help your elderly loved one prevent this is to have them tell you or a companion care at home provider if someone asks for money over the phone. Then, one of you can contact this person to find out if it is truly their relative.
Conclusion
These are some of the situations in which a scammer could get a hold of your elderly loved one’s identity or money. Hopefully, from the tips noted in each of these sections, you can help your elderly loved one to protect their identity and their bank account.
Sources
https://oig.ssa.gov/congressional-testimony/2012-02-07-newsroom-congressional-testimony-identity-theft-and-americas-senior-citizens/
