Issues

Stay Safe

Posted by Paige Richardson in category Legal Safety & Elder Abuse on December 02, 2011

Anyone can fall victim to a scam; however aging adults are often targeted because of good credit and scammers hope that frailty and memory loss will make an aging adult an easy victim. The following are basic rules to help you avoid being scammed:

• Protect your numbers. Never give your Social Security number, credit card or bank account number to a person who contacts you by phone or email.
• Don’t pay money up front to get a loan, collect a prize, or for debt settlement, credit repair or foreclosure help. It’s illegal to require such a payment. (And if someone says you’ve won a lottery or sweepstakes that you don’t recall entering, they’re trying to scam you!)
• Don’t deposit a check and then agree to wire money to someone. The check is phony, and the money you send will come out of your own account
• Be wary of door-to-door contractors and others offering home repair services.
• Avoid get-rich-quick schemes. Beware of offers that sound too good to be true, or promise huge rewards with little or no risk.

The NC Attorney General’s Office provides its downloadable Scams and Fraud booklet to help aging adults avoid scams.