Our elderly parents, grandparents, are the most vulnerable targets for scammers. So who, if not us, should take care of the well-being of our loved ones? The previous generation is not like us. They are trusting, open, and can’t keep up with modern technology. No matter how much we warn and explain to our loved ones to be attentive and cautious, it never works.
Because scammers are subtle psychologists who break absolutely all schemes. So what to do and how to protect parents, grandparents from dishonest people? The best and most effective way is to identify critical points and close them off. AdmiGram.com will teach you what needs to be done so that our loved ones never become victims of fraud.
How scammers deceive your elderly parents
How to prevent SMS fraud?
— Your bank card has been blocked… You’ve been mistakenly transferred money… You’ve won…
How many times have we received such messages, it’s countless. They are all aimed at getting the victim to transfer their money to scammers or disclose their payment card details. Even two-factor authentication won’t work against these masters of their craft.
What to do: Be sure to register (link) your relatives’ card to your phone (or a separate SIM card), enable two-factor authentication, and link it to your own or a new number. Now we can control where and to whom our loved ones want to send money.
How to prevent nighttime call scams?
— Mom, I’m in trouble, I need money!… We’re from the police, your son…
When you’re woken up at 2 a.m. with phrases like these, and your phone shows “Son” or “Daughter,” even the strongest-minded person will panic. Not to mention our parents, who will immediately be ready to transfer money to scammers. None of the parents will think that our phone was simply stolen or lost.
What to do: Immediately block your number and warn your loved ones if you lost or had your phone stolen. As much as possible, limit elderly relatives from using cash in everyday life. Prohibit cash withdrawals on the card, leave only the option to pay with it.
How to prevent door-to-door call scams?
— Hello, we’re from the gas service… Today, we have a special offer for pensioners…
All you need to do to protect your elderly relatives from “apartment walkers” is to make it so that scammers wouldn’t even want to approach the doors of our loved ones.
What to do: Install a video surveillance system for your loved ones or at least its imitation. It works in 99.99% of cases.
How to prevent potential types of fraud?
Unfortunately, new types and schemes of fraud emerge every day. You can’t list them all. But 99.99% of them are built on obtaining the victim’s confidential information.
What to do: To deceive elderly people, scammers need to have access (remote or in person) to the bank card or identity documents. We’ve covered bank cards, and as for documents, it’s best to keep them with you. And most importantly, the more we communicate with our loved ones, the less likely they are to get into trouble.
