Older adults tend to be the prime target of fraudsters as they are more polite and trusting. An estimated $3 billion are lost every year by older adults who fall victim to fraudulent activities. From lottery scams to romance scams, fraud schemes can come in a variety of forms. Furthermore, frauds schemes are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Fraudsters are able to target you from across the world with the aid of new technologies. That is why it is incredibly important to protect yourself from such frauds. Read on to learn some tips on how to avoid frauds that target older adults.
Too Good to Be True
One way to know if something is a fraud is if it is too good to be true. Promised a million dollars in exchange for your bank information and a small fee? A young and good-looking person is instantly in love with you? These situations should ring your alarm bells. They are in no way realistic and are most certainly scams.
End All Communication
Fraudsters can contact you through all forms of media like computers, phones, mail, and sometimes even television or radio. If you are contacted by someone that you do not recognize or is not in your contacts, stop all communication immediately.
Do A Search About The Scam
If you were contacted by a scammer, chances are that others also ran into these scammers. Go online and search the information that you have obtained about them like their email address, phone number, or name. You might be able to find information about these people and ascertain if they are actual businesses or scammers.
Resist The Pressure
One of the tactics that scammers use to convince people to follow their instructions is that they create a sense of urgency. This false sense of urgency makes it so that their victims are pressured to act quickly and agree to whatever the fraudsters have proposed. Do not be fooled by their pressure. Try to resist the urge and call a loved one to help you on the issue.
Do Not Give Your Information
Never give up any of your personal information to a stranger, even if they promise to give you money or gifts in return. Information such as your social security number, passwords, or bank information should never be given away.
Install Anti-Virus Software
Ensure that your computer is sufficiently protected. Have a tech-savvy loved one over to install and update all malware protection and security software. In addition, be wary of what you download online. Never open and download an email attachment sent to you by a stranger. They are possibly malware or virus that will be uploaded into your computer once downloaded. Anti-virus software should be able to protect you in most of these cases, but it’s best to not download anything suspicious in the first place.
Enable Pop-Up Blockers
Another way fraudsters are able to get malicious software into your computer is through browser pop-ups. Download and enable pop-up blockers so that you don’t accidentally click onto one of these pop-ups and download any viruses.
