Home Care Providers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, & Wasilla, AK Discuss How To Save Your Loved One From Con Artists
If you think your loved one may be a victim of con artists, follow these tips from home care providers in Anchorage, AK to help resolve the issue.
Many seniors today are victims of consumer fraud. Make sure your parent doesn’t get scammed by con artists by making them aware of the risk of elder financial abuse. Comfort Keepers home care providers of Anchorage, AK, recommend that your parent avoids engaging with strangers who call or come to the door selling something. Explain to your loved one they shouldn’t give out a credit card, banking, Social Security, Medicare or other personal information over the phone.
There are many kinds of scams today. One of them is health care fraud. Scam artists promise bogus services and ask seniors for their personal information in return. Then they use it to bill Medicare and put that money in their pocket.
Many seniors buy prescription drugs over the Internet because they are cheaper online. Make sure your parent doesn’t do that as they could purchase meds which can do them harm instead of making them better.
There are even funeral scams. Some disreputable funeral homes target families that are not familiar with the cost of services and add unnecessary charges to the bill.
Many older adults use various beauty products that are supposed to make them look younger. Con artists sell fake homeopathic remedies that have no effect.
Telemarketing scams are also very popular. Con artists use fake telemarketing calls to prey on seniors. Many seniors use computers to stay in touch with their families and friends. But if your parent is not too computer savvy they can get viruses that open information on their computer to scammers. Home care providers recommend regularly checking up on your parents' activity to make sure these issues don't escalate.
If by any chance your senior falls victim to fraud, make sure to immediately call their bank and cancel any debit or credit cards linked to the stolen account.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to reach out to our home care providers by calling (907) 334-3000.
