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From AI deepfakes to fake captcha<\/a> \u201cI am not a robot\u201d boxes, fraudsters have become pretty advanced. However, older Americans are still falling for the well-known, tried-and-true scams we\u2019ve heard about for years: robocalls, computer support scams, and calls claiming they\u2019ve won a sweepstakes or lottery (1).<\/p>\n An 85-year-old woman from Coconut Creek, Fla. recently fell victim to this last scam: believing she had won millions of dollars, but she had to send money to others first.<\/p>\n Must Read <\/p>\n \u201cWe got a couple of calls today from your son and your daughter,\u201d a policeman said to the woman, as captured on body camera footage. \u201cYou\u2019re supposedly going to give money to somebody today?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNo, I\u2019m supposed to get money today,\u201d she responded (2), according to reporting from NBC 6 South Florida.<\/p>\n The police found that the woman had already sent $3,500 to people in different states and was planning to meet someone in person to give them more cash. But she believed she would ultimately win $7 million and a car (2).<\/p>\n Police, the FBI, and financial institutions have been warning older Americans about these types of scams for years. So, why do people keep falling for them?<\/p>\n Why seniors are common targets for scammers <\/p>\n Sure, there are common reasons we think of seniors as being more likely to be defrauded: they might struggle to understand newer technology, or they\u2019re a more trusting generation (3), according to the National Cybersecurity Alliance. But plenty of other factors drive scammers to target older Americans.<\/p>\n \u201cPolice are saying that this is called the \u2018lonely scam\u2019 because they target the elderly … who may be alone and be more vulnerable and want to talk to anybody on the phone, before they convince them to give up their money,\u201d NBC 6 News reporter Lena Salzbank (2) said (2).<\/p>\n Loneliness is indeed a typical reason fraudsters target elderly people, and not just because the victims are eager to talk with anyone who calls. Isolation often means they don\u2019t have an immediate support network available to help them identify a scam (1), according to Psychology Today.<\/p>\n Fraudsters also assume that older Americans have had time to accumulate wealth through retirement accounts and savings. They try to get cash from those who have money to spare, often playing the long game to receive small amounts incrementally over time (3).<\/p>\n Story continues <\/p>\n Read More: BlackRock warns buying and holding the S&P 500 isn\u2019t enough for retirement anymore \u2014 here’s why<\/a><\/p>\n Cognitive decline plays a major role <\/p>\n There\u2019s another reason scammers target the elderly population, and it could be a main culprit for why seniors keep falling for these scams: cognitive decline.<\/p>\n Many older people take medicine that affects their mental capabilities and judgment. Antiseizure medication (4), sleeping pills (5), and painkillers (6) have been tied to memory loss and cognitive issues.<\/p>\n Some seniors have also suffered from strokes, brain injuries, cognitive impairment, or dementia. Family members may have warned them about scams, but that won\u2019t be helpful if they can\u2019t recall those conversations. Or, they might forget that they have already talked to and given money to a fraudster who regularly calls them (1).<\/p>\n How to help your aging loved ones avoid scams <\/p>\n You can use several strategies to help your aging parents or grandparents spot scams before they lose money. The first step is to talk with them before anything happens. Tell them about common schemes. Advise them not to pick up the phone if they don\u2019t recognize the number and to not give out any personal information to someone they don\u2019t know (7), Duke Credit Union advises.<\/p>\n Offer to act as their support system. If they\u2019re suspicious that an email or phone call seems fishy, let them know they can call you for a second opinion (8).<\/p>\n But what about the seniors in your life who are suffering from cognitive decline? How can you help them if they won\u2019t even remember these conversations, or if they don\u2019t realize they\u2019re being defrauded once they\u2019re in the middle of a situation?<\/p>\n If you\u2019re up to the task, consider taking on the role of monitoring their financial activity. You could sign up for automatic notifications when they withdraw money from their bank account, and ask for electronic bank and credit card statements so you can review their transactions (9), the Social Security Administration suggests.<\/p>\n Unless you have a joint account, your loved one will need to contact their financial institution to grant you access to these updates. You could also act as their legal power of attorney to take over their finances. Seniors need to have the presence of mind to hand over these responsibilities, though. If they are beyond that point, you\u2019ll probably have to fight for legal guardianship (10), Elder Care Alliance says.<\/p>\n Everyone\u2019s situation is different. If you\u2019re at a loss for the best way to move forward, consult a financial advisor or other certified financial professional who can give you personalized advice for keeping your aging family members safe from scammers.<\/p>\n You May Also Like <\/p>\n Join 250,000+ readers and get Moneywise\u2019s best stories and exclusive interviews first \u2014 clear insights curated and delivered weekly. Subscribe now.<\/a><\/p>\n Article Sources <\/p>\n We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our ethics and guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n Psychology Today (1<\/a>); NBC Miami (2<\/a>); Stay Safe Online (3<\/a>); Epilepsy Foundation (4<\/a>); Cleveland Clinic (5<\/a>); Mayo Clinic News Network (6<\/a>); Duke Federal Credit Union (7<\/a>); Hebrew SeniorLife (8<\/a>); Social Security Administration (9<\/a>); Elder Care Alliance (10<\/a>)<\/p>\n This article originally appeared on Moneywise.com<\/a> under the title: Florida woman, 85, was caught on camera planning to pay thousands in ‘lonely’ scam. Police say warning signs were there<\/a><\/p>\n This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"chormail\/Envato\/sulit.photos\/Shutterstock From AI deepfakes to fake captcha \u201cI am not a robot\u201d boxes, fraudsters have become pretty advanced.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299212,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[125842,125841,89462,28,30,29,75490,38658,25152,125843],"class_list":["post-299211","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-computer-support","tag-everyday-americans","tag-financial-institutions","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-nbc-6-south-florida","tag-older-americans","tag-robert-kiyosaki","tag-social-security-administration"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299211","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=299211"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/299211\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=299211"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=299211"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=299211"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}