The 8th and 9th Frauds used against seniors

The 8th fraud used against seniors  are the Anti-aging Scams

Anti-ageing scams take many forms and the wording and specifics of the scams change all the time. If a product claims to reduce ageing, or make you feel or look younger, it is more likely a scam. The following is taken from an article, Some Notes on "Anti-Aging" Programs by Robert N. Butler, M.D.

Some individuals and organizations would have us believe that ageing is not inevitable and that "immortality is within our grasp." These same individuals believe that there exist well-validated biomarkers of ageing that can be used to design individualized "anti-ageing" programs. This approach is expensive and includes poorly validated interventions such as improving antioxidant status and replacing growth hormone (GH), testosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and melatonin.
Although growth hormone levels decline with age, it has not been proven that trying to maintain the levels that exist in young persons is beneficial. It is conceivable that age-related hormonal changes may serve as useful markers of physiological ageing. However, this has not been demonstrated experimentally for either humans or animals. Although hormone-replacement trials have yielded some positive results (at least in the short term), it is clear that negative side effects can also occur in the form of increased risk for cancer, cardiovascular disease, and behaviour changes.
It might even turn out that lower growth-hormone levels are an indicator of health. Research findings indicate that mice that overproduce growth hormones live only a short time, suggesting that growth-hormone deficiency itself does not cause accelerated ageing, but that the opposite may be true.

 Remember there is no way to reverse ageing no matter what you may read.

The #9 fraud used against seniors is the Cemetery, Funeral and Cremation Scams.

Scammers read obituaries and take advantage of the grieving survivor by claiming the deceased owes an outstanding debt and then extorts money to settle the false claim.

Disreputable funeral homes prey on the unfamiliarity of family members with the considerable costs of services by adding unnecessary charges to the bill.

To protect yourself from this fraud, remember that it’s hard to make rational business decisions in grief. If there is a calmer, more stoic family member who has good business sense, it may be best for this person to make the funeral arrangements.

The 7th fraud used against seniors.

The 7th fraud use against seniors is the Shady Contractor Fraud

This fraud is used to swindle both homeowners and renters. The first variation is a Home Repair Rip-off.  Fraudulent contractors may knock on the door and offer a special price because (they are working in the neighbourhood, they are new to the area, etc.). They may offer the senior a discount to use the home to advertise their product. A contractor may conduct a free inspection and then suggest you need MAJOR repairs (e.g. due to asbestos, radon, termites or structural flaw). The free inspection may be in order to plan a theft. The free inspection scam is also used at garages where a free inspection is offered for your vehicles and then it is discovered that you have major repairs which you pay for but they are not done.

In this home Repair Rip-off scheme, the contractors may, demand a large down payment for materials. They will be reluctant to give you a written contract, or they may take your deposit and never return to do the work.

In some cases, the contractor will start and then do only part of the work and then refuse to continue unless you pay more. If you are not careful in checking the contractor may do shoddy work or will tell you they are using high standard materials when in fact they are using inferior materials. Some contractors will complete the job but significantly overcharge for unforeseen expenses.

A second variation of this fraud is called the Public Utility Imposters.

The fraud works this way. Two people arrive at your door claiming to be from a public utility company inspection service.

One asks you to accompany her to the water-metre or electrical panel elsewhere in the house while the other one waits by the door or asks to use the washroom.

To protect yourself from this type of fraud always ask for ID and if no ID is produced call the police. If you talk to a contractor ask to see their business license and insurance coverage. Always ask for at least 3 to 4 references and check them. Check the name of the company and the name of the contractor with your local Better Business Bureau. If any work is going to be done on your house or apartment, always get the proposal in writing and compare with other companies and do not be pressured into signing anything.

If you are approached by someone claiming to be from a Public Utility company, to protect yourself, tell them you will arrange an appointment for another time; do not let them in. Immediately contact the utility company to check the legitimacy of the visit. If it was not legitimate, contact the police.

Frauds used against seniors 5 and 6

The fraud artists are merciless and without conscience. Victims of these cheaters are so embarrassed to admit they have been so gullible that they refuse to report what happened to them. The cheaters count on this. Don’t forget that you what happened to you probably has happened to lots of people. Sometimes the losses are so large that the victim has to adopt a different lifestyle. 

The number five used against seniors is the Counterfeit Prescription Drugs fraud.

Many seniors cannot afford some of the medications they are prescribed. To reduce costs, many will search the Internet to find cheaper drugs or more specialized medicines. Fraudsters set up fake online websites to cater to this need. Seniors pay for medications that do not work.

To protect yourself from this fraud, check out sites and be careful of fake sites where you pay for something and it never arrives. If you use online pharmacies, use only the ones that have a storefront as well. For example, Costco Pharmacy online (Canadian site).

The sixth fraud used against seniors is Charity Cheaters.

The fraud works as follows, callers claim to represent charities to help pay for disaster recovery or to provide aid for victims of a natural or man-made disaster. After a natural disaster, the fraudsters will create fake websites, go fundme pages and other online fake sites to get people to give money to help those affected by the disaster. Many seniors are very giving people and they want to help so they will respond to a request to help.

To protect yourself from this type of fraud, and you receive a phone call requesting money, ask that they send you the information by mail, not by email, and do not give credit card information. Also, ask if you will get an official donation receipt for tax credits.

Frauds used against seniors 3 and 4

The more you know about frauds and scams, the less chance you have of becoming a victim. Technology is playing a bigger part in fraud schemes, but many seniors do not have the latest technology but we do use email.

The number three fraud used against seniors is email fraud.

In the first variation, a senior will receive an email that mimics trusted business and government agencies, asking for personal information.  In the second variation called Spearphishing, an email appears to be from business or person you know as the email starts with “Hi (your name)” instead of “Dear sir/madam.” The email will ask for information or it will have an attachment which it wants you to open. If you open the attachment your computer will be infected with spyware or malware. (These are computer programs that can search for and send personal information to the fraudster.)

To protect yourself from giving away personal information, remember that no genuine financial company will ask you to provide sensitive information online (or by phone). Be smart, verify any requests from a friend to send passwords or other personal information. Also, when you get a notice to update your software, do it.

Fraudsters will also go onto your social media accounts to get information, so keep secrets secret – limit what information you put on social media. It is a good idea to change passwords often; avoid using variations of just one. Avoid these common passwords that are used by seniors both for their PIN and computer passwords:

·       Birthdates

·       1234

·       Phone numbers

·       Addresses

·       Social Insurance Number

·       Your spouse’s or dog’s name!

A third variation of the email scam is a Travel Scam. These can also be done by Telephone, but as they are more commonly attempted through email now than telephone, I am putting this fraud here. The fraud works as follows:

 A senior gets an email or a telephone call claiming that they have won a free vacation and they don’t remember entering any contest!

Or the senior went to a fair or an exhibition and completed a prize form. A few days later they receive a phone call or an email stating they have won and all they have to do is give some credit card or personal information or cash to hold the prize.

To protect yourself from these frauds, do not let anyone pressure you into an immediate agreement. In BC, if you have signed up for a travel club or holiday certificate, you have 7 days to cancel. Check your location, there may be similar laws in place to protect yourself.

Here are a few tips to protect yourself from email and other frauds.

Hover your cursor over any link you are asked to click on before you click; then look at the URL to confirm that it is a legitimate address

e.g. You get an e-mail from your municipal government office but when you hover over click here, what you see in the bottom left screen is http://smithjones.ca/securemessage.html

What you should see is https://nameof municipality.ca/

If the address does not look ok to you DO NOT CLICK – unless you are 100% sure the address is legitimate. I recommend that you delete the e-mail immediately. 

If you buy online make sure you are sending credit card information to a secure site. This is one way to make sure the site is secure:

On the page where you enter your credit card information, the URL in your browser's address bar should begin with “https://” not HTTP://.  Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. The 'S' at the end of HTTPS stands for 'Secure'. It means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted.

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The fourth largest fraud used against seniors is the Sweepstakes and Fake Lotteries Scams

The senior receives an email or a telephone call that tells the senior that they are a WINNER!!!! – all they have to do is:

• Pay a shipping fee and taxes

• Buy something

• Give your credit card number

• Attend a presentation

Generally, the prize is of little value; it is worth less than you pay to get it on your own, or it never arrives.

To protect yourself from this fraud, do not buy lottery tickets through telephone solicitation. Remember, if the win is legitimate, you do not have to purchase something nor must you pay to get the prize or winnings.