The holiday season tends to see an uptick in the number of scams, and unfortunately, scammers tend to target senior citizens. That means this holiday season, your older loved ones are likely at a higher risk than normal of falling victim to a scam designed to part them with their money.
Good scams play on our emotions. They involve sick children, disabled veterans, underprivileged individuals located in other countries. They are designed to make us emotional and let our guard down a little bit. During the holidays, it’s not uncommon to see scams that revolve around charities or religious organizations. This is the time of year where people are thinking about giving anyway, it makes sense that scammers would take advantage of this.
Scams work because the person behind the scam is able to build a level of trust with their targets. Seniors that are battling cognitive decline or dementia can be a bit more vulnerable than others in this regard. It places them in a risky situation. It’s important that your loved one does not have to navigate this kind of stuff alone. Family members, friends, or even professional caregivers can help keep loved ones safe to a degree.
Knowing what common scams look like is a good place to start if you’re hoping to help keep your loved ones safe from them. You can find more information about some of the common scams that are out there here and here.
Knowing what to do if you think a loved one is being taken advantage of is the next step. First and foremost, you should help your loved one to stop any ongoing contact with the scammer. You should then try to figure out what kind of information they have. If they have credit card or bank account information, you should help your loved one to freeze transactions with the appropriate financial institution. Next, you will want to contact the proper law enforcement authorities. Start with your local police department. Depending on the scam’s size and scope, you may even need to have a conversation with the FBI. This can be intimidating and if money has been lost, there’s no guarantee that you will get it back. But cooperating with law enforcement can be helpful and might help you to get the justice that your family deserves.
Having an older loved one can lead to some stressful experiences. This is true if you’re dealing with a scam, but this certainly isn’t the only thing that can be tough on families. Providing care to an older loved one is one of those stressful experiences.
We provide professional in-home care designed to help make life easier for your entire family. If you’re interested in learning more about how this can help protect the people that you love, please get in touch. One of our trained professionals can help answer your questions and get you connected to the care that can help the people you love live the high quality of life that they deserve.
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