Scammers will stop at nothing to get what they want, and seniors and the disabled are common prey for scam artists. Here are few tips and helpful resources to prevent scams and fraud.

1. Avoiding Senior Scams

2. Scamming has become so prevalent in society that
popular talk show hosts Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Phil
have dedicated entire segments to the topic!
Scammers will stop at nothing to get what they want,
and seniors and the disabled are common prey for
scam artists.

3. According to a June 2010 survey by Investor
Protection Trust, more than 7.3 million senior
citizens-roughly 20 percent of Americans aged 65 or
older-have “been taken advantage of financially in
terms of an inappropriate investment, unreasonably
high fees for financial services, or outright fraud.”

4. According to a study done by the American
Association of Retired Persons (AARP), older people
are quicker to believe promises and slower to take
action to protect legal rights.

5. Here are a few scams which seniors are most
vulnerable to.
Medicare Scam
Telemarketing Scams
Health Care Fraud or Health Insurance Scams
Door-To-Door Scams
Charity Scams
Prizes & Sweepstakes Scams
Counterfeit Drug Scams
Funeral & Cemetery Scams
Reverse Mortgage Scams
Jury Duty Scam (verified by the FBI)

6. Reasons why Seniors are the target
• Older people are very generous in helping others
• 75% of the wealth in the U.S. is controlled by senior
citizens and so are financially more stable.
• Seniors are more polite and trusting and these traits
are exploited by scammers.
• Majority of the seniors live alone and hence are more
susceptible to fall victim to con artists.
• Senior fraud cases are rarely reported as they do not
know who and where to report to.

7. Few tips to prevent fraud
Never give away your money or personal
information such as credit card numbers, bank
account numbers, or Social Security numbers to
unknown persons.
Never allow anyone you don’t know into your home.
Check out unfamiliar companies with your local
consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau
or the National Fraud Information Center.

8. Talk to family and friends or call your lawyer,
accountant or banker and get their advice before you
make any large purchase or investment over the
phone with a stranger.
Educate Yourself - Arm yourself with one of the best
tools to combat scammer: knowledge.
Knowledge is power and one of the best ways to
making yourself and your loved ones less vulnerable
is learning about what's going on out there, being
aware of your surroundings and knowing how to
defend yourself.

9. Helpful Resources to Prevent Scams
Federal Trade Commission - www.ftc.gov - The Federal Trade
Commission, the nation's consumer protection agency, collects
complaints about companies, business practices, and identity
theft.
FBI - http://www.fbi.gov/scams-safety/fraud/seniors/seniors -
Provides tips on how you can protect you and your family from
fraud, with an emphasis on scams that target seniors.
The National Fraud Information Center - www.fraud.org - The
NFIC is a project of the National Consumers League and
provides tips for fighting frauds targeted at older consumers.

10. Better Business Bureau - www.bbb.org - The BBB’s mission is to
promote and foster the highest ethical relationship between
businesses and the public through voluntary self-regulation,
consumer and business education, and service excellence. You
can find your local office on the BBB’s Web site.
American Association of Retired Persons - www.aarp.org -
AARP provides seniors with information on financial planning,
using home equity, avoiding fraud, and consumer rights.

11. Have you or has someone you love been the victim of
scammers taking advantage of seniors?
The best thing we can do is come together and
promote awareness to better protect those who are
most vulnerable.

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