Friday, May 30

Scams and Technology

Crooks love to target seniors. It maybe that those who are older are perceived as having their finances more in line, and less mental aptitude for detecting scams. These scammers often disguise themselves as legitimate business people. Typically they pressure victims to make impulsive and expensive decisions. While some will show up on your front porch it's far more likely that they will target you through technology since it is much more cost effective. Generally, they do not engage in legitimate businesses practices which is fortunate because it makes it easier to spot a scam. Always exercise caution and remember the old but true saying; if something seems too good to be true, it is.

How do scammers operate?


Robocalls

Automated sales calls (excluding calls for charity or politics), when you have not given explicit permission to the business to call, are illegal, increasing the likelihood that any call of this nature is a scam. If you push buttons on these automated calls the swindler will know it's a live line and you're likely to receive more calls. Be aware that blocking these numbers is generally ineffective as they change numbers often. It is best just to hang up.

Email and the Internet

Emails

Emails are a great way for con-men (and women) to get your personal information either by tricking you into giving it to them or by inserting something called malware onto your computer through downloaded images or attached documents. When viewing emails from sources you don't know- or unusual emails from an account you do - you should never allow images, download documents, or click links. Additionally you shouldn't call any phone numbers given in the email.

Phishing emails are a common scam. These emails try to get you to enter your personal information by acting like a legitimate company. They can imitate your bank, a charity, a law firm or government agencies (they may falsify a logo or make one up). They may try to steer you to websites that look legitimate in order to get your account information. It is best never to go to business sites through links in an email, instead Google the website. Legitimate companies will generally not ask you to send private information via email as it is not secure.

Wi-Fi

Simply connecting to public Wi-Fi can be risky; anyone can set up a Wi-Fi hotspot so it's hard to ensure your safety. Malicious individuals will often set up hotspots with common names (e.g. linksys or Free Public WiFi) to take advantage of unaware individuals.
If you do use a public Wi-Fi, you should not enter any personal information such as passwords, or your credit card number. Be aware that this alone doesn't make you safe on public networks - if your computer has file-sharing turned on you could be given malware or have your sensitive documents accessed by other people on the network.




In general, when it comes to your personal information you can't be too careful! It's always wise to insist on doing more research before giving someone your personal information or establishing yourself with a new company. Look into reviews online, see what credentials they possess and the legitimacy of those credentials. Be very wary of companies that ask you to wire money, or use a re-loadable debit or gift card to pay them. Most legitimate companies won't ask you to do that.


You can read about some common scams here: Common Scams Targeted at Seniors