BBB Advises Seniors: Intruders Don’t Always Arrive on Foot! Family Members Urged to Help “Scam Proof” the Homes of Elderly Relatives

With the weather turning cooler, many seniors will spend more time at home, which is not always a safe haven. The BBB is urging families of seniors to safeguard their homes against scam artists.

Scam artists today are not looking for items to steal. They seek to obtain personal information (Social Security, bank account and credit card number) and money. And, unlike traditional burglars, scam artists are happy to find someone at home, particularly if that person is a senior citizen.

“Con artists consider seniors to be easy prey and choose their entryway accordingly: the telephone, the front door bell or the mailbox,” said Bill Moak, president of the Better Business Bureau of Mississippi, Inc.

Seniors can be vulnerable due to their trusting nature, their age and their living conditions. It is not unusual for seniors to trust strangers who are friendly, earnest and claim to have their best interests at heart or to be assisting the less fortunate.

The BBB recommends that family members, neighbors and friends of elderly citizens take a three-pronged approach – Check, Protect and Defend -- to help them from being defrauded.

• Insist that your elderly relative check with the BBB whenever they receive a phone call, a piece of mail, a flyer or a visit from an unknown person, business or charity. Urge them to call the BBB before they let anyone into their home, hand over any money or personal or financial information, sign any contract or donate any money.
• Teach them to protect their personal information. They should not carry their Social Security card in their wallet or purse. Warn them to never give out their mother’s maiden name, their Social Security number, bank account number or credit card number to an unknown individual, no matter how tempting the offer.
• Help defend against scam artist intruders. Put the senior’s phone number on the National Do Not Call registry (phone 1.888.382.1222) to reduce calls from telemarketers. Post a “No Solicitation” notice by their front door. Help them to sort through their incoming mail. Explain why they shouldn’t respond to certain advertisements and point out suspicious mailings. Watch TV with them to check their interest in infomercials. Discourage them from sending money in response to “too good to be true” offers.