Retirement Concerns
Senior F raud: Helping You P rotect Yourself By Bridget Fitzpatrick
The statistics are alarming in fact, may be underreported! According to experts on fraudulent scams targeting seniors, more than one in ten older Americans will be victims of financial theft each year to the tune of more than $2.9 billion. Yet shockingly, it is estimated by the Senate Special Commission on Aging that only one in 24 cases is reported. Why so?
6 Spring 2022 LOVE LIVING HERETM
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any seniors either realize they’ve
been misled too late, and most unsuspecting victims do not know where to turn for help. Knowledge is prevention in this case; the more organized and vigilant you are to potential fraud, the safer you will be.
THE #1 RULE: “Never provide a stranger with personal information such as your address – and especially your Social Security number,” Lewes Senior Center’s executive director Dennis Nealen recently explained to a center member who came to the center for help after receiving a phone call from a stranger who claimed to be from Medicare and was confirming her address, phone number and SS# (he alarmingly already had it, but fortunately, she refused to confirm anything). She was advised of course to immediately contact Medicare as well as the IRS.
