Wednesday, March 6, 2019

How To Avoid Elder Fraud

By Diane Anderson


Frauds have been common in different areas and have gone unreported for quite a long time as well. Caregivers and family members to the affected seniors stand in the first line of defense against such instances. They have a role in protecting their seniors to ensure that they enjoy their financial freedom. Here are a few practical measures on how to avoid elder fraud that one should take note.

Acquaint with different aspects that relate to the frauds. It is hard to deal with something which you are not familiar with. Therefore, you need to learn different kinds of scams to be aware of them in case they fall to your elder. Common activities that might affect the seniors include a real estate scam, a health scam, insurance scam, and lottery fraud.

Make sure that you check in regularly. It is the mandate of a relative or a close friend to check the financial situation of the senior regularly. You need to discuss any financial transaction, emails, and bills before they act upon them. That consideration will give insight into whether the situation is quite normal or whether it raises red flags which you should take concern about.

Consider how you can recognize an elder scam. Most seniors fail to talk about their scam situation and end up suffering in silence. It is best that you look for various measures you can acknowledge if they are in a fraudulent case despite their silence. The best way to recognize this is by their change of behavior especially when it comes to financial matters. These include a delay in payment of bills, change in banking habits and unusual signatures.

Assume their role in financial responsibility. Elders can end up failing to consider their economic positions as they grow old. Their relatives should assume these roles by taking vital documents related to the roles that they have. Some of these documents include the attorney agreement, HIPAA release forms, their wills, and the healthcare proxy.

Verify everything with a trusted expert. The senior should have a trusted individual that one should consult before sharing vital financial information with a stranger. The person might be an attorney or a close individual who is trustworthy. Some seniors might be against such a decision, but it is always necessary to remind them that you intend to protect them rather than control their actions.

Remove their details from public platforms. Most scammers get information about seniors from public avenues. You should consider removing the details of your elder from these platforms to reduce the possibility of a scam. You should help the senior sign for a National Do Not Call which prevent telemarketers from reaching out to their addresses.

Keep updated over information related to senior scams. There are ever-changing trends in the senior scamming. In that case, one has to be careful with this aspect and should look for reliable sources of information to rely on. You can get information online and through government agencies that deal with such a situation. You should also have a helpline that you can use to contact necessary authorities in case you suspect such situations.




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