Elderly Fraud |
Florida is a great place to retire. To help keep Florida’s seniors safe, we put together some tips on how to combat scammers who might target seniors for their fraudulent practices, schemes, and other scams.
Elder abuse scammers can be tough to catch because they are often known to the victim. Friends, family members, caregivers, and other acquaintances are actually more likely than strangers to scam the elders they know.
The following is a list of common scams that may impact older Floridians. Some of these scams affect a wide range of age groups but are particularly impactful to the elderly, as scammers work to deceive victims or leverage technology against them.The caller tells the victim not to call family, that they have either already been notified or the grandchild doesn’t want to get in trouble. In either situation, the grandparent is told that it is urgent and payment must be made now or very soon.
In some cases, they tell the victim that a lawyer, doctor, or police officer can explain the situation to them and gives them a number to call. This third party, whether the victim contacts the number or not, lends the appearance of authority to the person on the call. Victims are sometimes chosen at random, but oftentimes they are not. Victims are usually people who have been victimized before, whose personal information has been leaked somewhere, or whose social media is easily visible on the internet. The scammer may also call late at night, since the victim is more likely to act impulsively when they’ve just woken up and told of an emergency.
If you receive a call, take a step back and don’t panic. Assess the situation. Don’t give into requests to keep this a secret; hang up the phone and call a relative with access to the grandchild in question (their parents, guardian, a close friend, etc.) and inquire about their well-being. A hospital will not require payment upfront in emergencies, and if your grandchild is in jail, they aren’t going anywhere until they’re bailed out.
To help protect yourself, check the privacy settings on your social media to make sure you aren’t giving away too much information to just anyone on the internet. Ensure that only friends and family can see your posts and your family pictures.
Home Repair Scam
In this scam, scammers (usually working in teams of two or more) canvass neighborhoods with older residents, knocking on doors to inform the occupants that something in the home needs fixing. Usually, they are routine repairs such as a hole in the roof, a clogged pipe, or gutter work. The scammers demand payment up front and then say that after further inspecting the problem, it is more serious and will require more work (and more money). If they do any work to “repair” the problem, the work is usually low quality because the scammers are unlicensed. In a variation of this scam, one scammer works to distract the homeowner while another enters the home to steal money and valuables.
Most reputable home contractors will not approach you about repairs to your home. If someone shows up on your doorstep claiming to be a contractor who noticed that you have some work that needs to be done, thank them for the information and shut the door. If you think your home needs repairs, research a quality licensed contractor and have them come out for an inspection. Most will offer quotes for free and will be upfront about payment plans. Lastly, never let a contractor distract you while his companion disappears. Consider having a friend or family member present to help keep an eye out and to also make sure you aren’t being manipulated.
For more information on scams, see our section on Common Scams.
The Florida Department of Elder Affairs has a hotline to report elder abuse at 1(800) 96-ABUSE (1(800) 962-2873). (TTY 1 (800) 955-8771)
The Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF) Adult Protective Services has partnered with the Aging Network to protect disabled and elderly persons from abuse, neglect and exploitation. You can file a report online here.
The Florida Attorney General has announced a Senior Protection Team, whose focus is protecting Florida’s seniors from civil, criminal, and healthcare fraud. You can learn more about the team and report senior fraud here.