All too often, seniors fall victim to financial fraud. According to an article by the National Council on Aging, people age 60 and over lose billions of dollars each year. To keep from becoming a victim, seniors need to be hyper-vigilant. When it comes to fraud prevention, knowledge is power.
The article states that these are the top five financial scams targeting seniors:
The person-in-need and grandparent scam. Scammers pretend to be a grandchild in trouble, asking for money.
Financial services scam. Scammers pretend to be a bank, a mortgage company, or a debt collection agency, requesting personal information or money.
Tech support scams. Scammers pretend to be tech support to gain access to your computer.
Government impersonation scams. Scammers pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security Administration, or Medicare to gain access to personal information or payment.
Romance scams. Playing on people’s loneliness, scammers create fake social media profiles and use them to gain trust and steal money.
These are just a handful of the numerous scams circulating today. If you or a loved one has been targeted, contact the local police, your bank, and Adult Protective Services.
Council of Seniors Wants Retirees to Get the Benefits They Deserve
All of us at the Council of Seniors want to ensure all seniors get all the money they deserve — that means protecting them from scams and ensuring retirees receive their full Social Security benefits. We are working hard to get Congress to passThe SAVE Benefits Act. This crucial bill will put $581 back in seniors’ pockets to make up for Social Security cost-of-living adjustments that were far too low for years.
Please take a moment and sign our petition today to show your support.