During the holidays, beware of scams targeting seniors.

It’s the holidays and you’re filled with goodwill, warmth, love and a desire to help others. The most wonderful characteristics but unfortunately, they make you a target for scammers. Although The Press & Dakotan (from Yankton, SD) isn’t exactly close to us here in Georgia, the newspaper offers some fantastic information about scammers and how seniors can avoid being scammed.

They also highlight some of the most popular scams that you need to be aware of so check it out and share it with your friends and family. Knowledge is the best protection.

(From The Press & Dakotan) For most of us, the holidays are full of giving, getting and goodwill. But some bad actors use the holidays to take advantage of people’s generous spirits and frequently target older members of our communities more vulnerable to scammers and con artists. Billions of dollars are estimated to be lost by senior adults each year to scammers, according to the National Council on Aging.

Federal, state and local officials across the country have alerted consumers, particularly older people, to be aware of several holiday fraud schemes. If purchasing gifts over a phone or laptop, make sure it’s on a secure network, use a credit card and keep receipts. If purchasing gift cards at a store, take one directly from the counter, not off the rack.

When expecting a lot of packages over the holidays, shippers will often provide updates on the status of an order. Knowing this, scammers send phishing emails pretending to be from companies like FedEx and UPS to lure a person to phony webpages in order to share personal information. Look closely at delivery notifications and email updates before clicking on links or input information. UPS and FedEx won’t ask for personal information via email.

Packages that stack up outside on the porch are also tempting. Consider tracking packages so you’ll know when they’ve arrived. Setting up a different delivery address with a neighbor who is home during the day or your workplace to ensure packages are delivered safely should be considered. If traveling for the holidays, have any mail held at the post office.

Senior citizens have trust in many federal government agencies and scammers know this. Various fraud watch networks are inundated with calls this time of year about scams involving someone impersonating an IRS agent, Medicare official, Social Security Administration officer, or other government worker.  

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