“Call meeee, on the line. Call me, call me, anytime. Call me.” (Blondie, 1980)
Used to be, everyone wanted a call from someone…because it was usually someone you actually wanted to talk to. Nowadays, almost everyone texts or messages through social media. The only phone calls I get are from my immediate family and…you guessed it, telemarketers.
If you haven’t already, be sure to register your phone number on the National Do Not Call Registry at www.DoNotCall.gov Not sure if your number is on it? Go to their website and fill out a three question form to find out. They will send you an email within one minute to let you know if your phone number is or is not on there. If it is not on there, put it on there. THEN, put your elderly parents’ numbers on there. Why? Well, let me tell you…
A concerning subject that has been in the news over the past couple of years are stories about scamming elderly people out of their life savings. Many times, these scammers are calling random numbers, hoping to find a person whom they can get money out of. Unfortunately, these crooks know all the right things to say to older people to scam them out of their money. Using intimidation tactics mainly, they are scaring little old ladies and men into giving them personal information about their bank accounts and finances. Using this info, the scammers swindle the unsuspecting elderly people out of hundreds and sometimes thousands of dollars. Many lose their life savings, with no recourse, as they “willingly” gave the scammers their money.
I have seen more in the past few weeks at various establishments about scammers. My local pharmacy has a warning on gift card purchases before they go through onscreen, “Did someone ask or force you to purchase this gift card?” My local bank has flyers displayed at every tellers’ station with the following: 1. Did you receive an unsolicited call, email, or text that resulted in this transaction?, 2. Have you been asked to withdraw money to purchase cryptocurrency?, 3. Have you been asked to withdraw money by someone you’ve never met?, 4. Have you been asked to deposit cash into a cryptocurrency ATM?, 5. Has anyone asked you to misrepresent the purpose of this transaction, and 6. Are you currently on a live call with anyone about this transaction? They tell you that if you answer “yes” to any of these questions, to let them at the bank know and they can help you.
What can YOU do to protect your family members? Here are a few ways:
- Put their number on the Do Not Call list at www.DoNotCall.gov.
- Limit WHO can call your loved ones’ iPhone. Here’s how…
- Put the Shield Seniors app on their phones: https://www.shieldseniors.com/
- Read up on how to spot a phone scam in this article from AARP here.
- Find out how the FBI can help you…they have a division on Elder Fraud.
If you know of other good resources on this subject, leave a comment.
That's So Fletch 
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