I hear many news stories about scams and how people are victimized by unknown callers and email messages purporting to be legitimate charities, businesses, or other organizations that are out to steal from honest people. The scams include phone calls telling us that we failed to pay a parking ticket and if we don’t pay a fine immediately, police will arrest us; emails fishing for information; and social media posts seeking contributions to fake charities or organizations. I receive weekly emails that appear to be from people I know, only to notice upon closer inspection that the email address associated with the name is fake.
When I started working with our law firm, I received an email that looked like it was from my boss letting me know he was running late and asking me if I was in the office. I responded that I was in the office and received a response asking me to buy some gift cards for a client. Things started to seem fishy, and sure enough, when I decided to text my boss on his cell phone, I discovered that he did not send me any email. I scrutinized the original email and noticed that the email address was incorrect, even though it contained my boss’s name and appeared to be coming from him. It’s in those types of moments – when we’re not on our full guard, worried as a new employee that our new boss is asking us for something – that the scammers get us. They wait and hope for that one person who slips up and isn’t paying close enough attention to realize they are being scammed. They send thousands of emails fishing for that one response that might lead to a vulnerable person of whom they can take advantage.
We often only think about protecting ourselves and our children from the exploits of social media and scammers; however, we may forget that our parents, grandparents and elders are even more at risk of being scammed. As I saw with my father as he aged, he became slower and not as savvy in evaluating everyday interactions. I was also recently reminded of scams against the elderly when I learned that a friend’s older parent sent $1500 to a person she thought needed her help after developing a “relationship” with them on social media.
After my friend’s family learned about the cash withdraw that was mailed to a “person” who purported to be from the Netherlands, they started investigating and discovered the complete scam with doctored photos, fake names, fake stories, and all the other tell-tail signs of elder fraud.
My friend also learned that these unscrupulous people made other attempts to take more money. If not for the timing of their discovery, the situation could have been much worse. They caught the behavior before more damage was done, but they now have a constant fear of their loved one being taken advantage of and falling prey to scams.
As our loved ones get older, children become caretakers, having to watch out for the very ones who always kept them safe. The roles change, and caretakers need to be vigilant in protecting not only themselves from these scams, but also in protecting parents and other elders from falling for these scams.
It is important to not only have conversations about the dangers of social media and scammers with children, but to also have clear communications with our older loved ones about the real dangers of social media and to make sure they understand the risks of on-line communications.
While we may not want to curtail our elders’ independence (nor do they want us interfering in their lives), it is important to keep tabs on what they are doing, with whom they communicate, and what social media sites they use and frequent. Sometimes it may even be necessary to become a financial power of attorney to assist with banking, bill-paying, and monitoring accounts and communications.
Depending on the capacity of your loved one, it might also be necessary to consider becoming their legal guardian to prevent them from making poor decisions if they do not have the mental capacity to protect themselves.
But a good start is as simple as keeping updated on what’s going on in our loved one’s life, talking about their social media, gathering information about what websites they are on and with whom they communicate. A simple conversation about the latest scams and about being aware of the risks of social media may be all it takes to avoid a scammer taking advantage of our loved one.
Scams can have consequences that extend beyond financial losses, and understanding your legal rights is an important part of protecting yourself and your loved ones. In Pennsylvania, various state and federal laws may apply to fraud, identity theft, financial exploitation, and deceptive business practices. Make sure to take steps to safeguard personal information and financial assets. By staying informed and recognizing warning signs early, you can help protect the people you love from becoming victims of fraud.
It’s hard enough to avoid these scammers in our own lives and even more important to make sure our elders understand the risks of electronic communications in our ever-changing technological world. Be careful out there. While social media may have its benefits, there are a lot of bad people waiting to take advantage of the naiveté of good people with good hearts.
The Law Firm of Mark A. Sereni, PLLC
The Law Firm of Mark A. Sereni, PLLC is a full-service law firm in Media, Delaware County, Pennsylvania. We strive to help people, businesses and institutions throughout Southeastern Pennsylvania solve legal problems – and even prevent legal problems before they occur. To learn more about the full range of our specific practice areas, please visit www.markaserenilaw.com or contact Scott C. Gottel, Esquire at 610-565-5700 or at sgottel@markaserenilaw.com.
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