I believe that bringing awareness to the subject of scammers can never be overdone. A few of you have relayed to me recently about how you have been inundated with phone calls from individuals claiming to be contacting you from Medicare. While this happens more often during the Annual Enrollment Period, it is important to stay vigilant as this can happen any time during the year. Individuals are always looking for new ways to scam seniors.

One of the most common scams that is worth mentioning is the Grandparents Scam. In this scam, a con artist will target the senior citizen by phone, email or text posing as the grandchild. The scammer will sound stressed or frantic, making it seem as if they are in an emergency such as a car accident, just been arrested, or even robbed. The scammer will be convincing as they could have family-related information they obtained through social media. After they have emotionally manipulated you, they may ask you to wire them thousands of dollars to rescue them from the predicament. If you have a social media account, it is best to be preemptive and set your profile to private. This will make it harder for a stranger to access your online activity or photos. A scammer will plead with you to keep the emergency a secret so that you will not be able to verify the legitimacy of the crisis. If anyone calls claiming to be your distressed loved-one asking for money, immediately hang up and call said grandchild back or contact other family members to ensure their safety.

What can you do to mitigate these potentials scams? Stay tuned for Part 2.