SCAMS! They are everywhere we turn! Scammers use our mailboxes to our email inboxes to our phones with the unending unsolicited calls and even creepy, sometimes frightening texts from strange numbers. It’s not just those over-the-top stories of foreign royalty needing our help and rewarding us with riches. In this high-tech age of internet, email, mobile phones, fraudsters are using ever-more sophisticated methods to rip off their targets.
Scammers will not hesitate to use public information to lend a sense of legitimacy to their scams and ploys. They may drop names of family members or even suggest a loved one is sick or injured to create urgency and catch you off guard with anything to sound believable.
Seniors are often targeted because scammers believe them to be less tech-savvy and more gullible. However, it’s not just seniors, it’s getting more and more difficult for everyone to determine what is legitimate and what is a con.
We’re warned at every turn to beware, be vigilant, be informed. And it’s important to do just that. In a world that is more and more connected by technology, where information is increasingly accessible to hackers and scammers, we are all susceptible. How do we keep up?
Our April Senior Living Education Series seminar is titled Scams: Be On The Lookout for Senior Scams! Fraud has increased exponentially in recent years, and far too many older adults find themselves targets. This informational seminar is specifically designed to help us learn how to identify red flags, and to detect and avoid potential scams and swindles.
San Diego Deputy District Attorney, Scott Pirrello will discuss and guide us through common and emerging scam tactics and answer our questions. From creepy texts to “clickbait” to “catfishing,” learn how to recognize when you are being targeted and/or scammed. Bring a friend or two and let’s learn how to protect ourselves.
