By Pascal Forget
Scammers love to target seniors, and talking with your parents about the problem just might help them avoid becoming the next victims. Here are five questions you can use to start the conversation—and some sound advice.
Have you received any strange calls or texts lately?
Scammers still use old-fashioned landlines as well as texts to contact their victims. You might get a call from someone posing as a bank representative or even a family member (as in the grandparent scam) or a text regarding an overdraft in your account or an urgent notice to pay delivery fees. Some texts ask that you click on a link to get a tax or insurance refund.
What to do
• Do not confirm your credit-card information or enter your PIN for anyone. Financial institutions or businesses never ask people to confirm this information.
• Beware of any messages that ask you to respond urgently. A legitimate institution will contact you through your account or with an official letter.
• Connect to your bank directly with a computer or tablet: if you receive a suspicious email, don’t click on any links.
• Register for Canada’s National Do Not Call List to stop getting telemarketing calls. It’s free. This doesn’t eliminate all calls: businesses you already deal with can keep contacting you. If you no longer want telemarketing calls, just tell them to stop phoning you.
Have you heard about the latest scam?
Scammers are constantly evolving. They have all kinds of creative ways to separate us from our money. The stories of actual scams are often more riveting than a detective novel. Ask yourself: “Could I have been scammed?”
What to do
• Visit the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre website to learn about recent alerts on the latest trends in online and other scams.
• Be on the lookout for new scams that are happening in your area: local media regularly report on scams being perpetrated. You’ll be better prepared to recognize and prevent them.
Is there a new love on the horizon?
Romance scams are still out there. Although apps like Tinder and Facebook Dating are legitimate, watch out for fake profiles. Men are usually contacted by “young women” who live abroad. Women tend to be contacted by retired men. The ploy is always the same: the person shares your interests, writes to you often, and wants to meet you. But an impediment arises (such as an illness, money issues, or a lost wallet) that could be dealt with if you send money. Unfortunately, you’ll never meet the person and you’ll never see your money again.
What to do
• Beware of love at first sight.
• Meet in person as soon as possible, in a safe public place.
• Don’t send money or gifts to your new online flame!
How are your finances?
Thieves dazzle potential victims by offering investments that promise to yield more than the average or schemes involving cryptocurrency that they say will really pay off. As a sign of good faith, some of them may even deposit cheques in your account—those cheques will bounce. The idea is to encourage you to trust them enough to give them your savings, which will vanish.
What to do
• Be suspicious if you get a call from someone who claims to be a financial adviser or banking representative. It’s unfortunately very easy to pose as a professional on the Internet and on the phone.
• Check your account balance regularly to spot unusual transactions.
• If you’re not sure, go to your branch and speak to a teller.
• Ignore all requests for payment with a gift card.
Do you get a lot of spam?
In addition to messages from legitimate businesses, you may also receive tempting offers that are actually scams.
What to do
• Mark junk messages as spam in your email app. The app should block similar emails in future.
Prevent Identity Theft
To avoid having a scammer steal your identity, you can contact the two largest credit bureaus, Equifax Canada (1-800-465-7166) and TransUnion (1-800-663-9980), and ask how to add a fraud alert to your file. Creditors should then contact you directly before opening a new account in your name. Fees may apply.
Do your parents suspect that they’re the victims of a scam?
Immediately contact:
- the police;
- their bank (use the phone number on the back of their debit or credit card);
- the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
