The number 3rd and 4th Frauds used against seniors

The more you know about frauds and scams, the less chance you have of becoming a victim. Technology is playing a bigger part in fraud schemes, but many seniors do not have the latest technology but we do use email.

The number three fraud used against seniors is email fraud.

In the first variation, a senior will receive an email that mimics trusted business and government agencies, asking for personal information.  In the second variation called Spearphishing, an email appears to be from business or person you know as the email starts with “Hi (your name)” instead of “Dear sir/madam.” The email will ask for information or it will have an attachment which it wants you to open. If you open the attachment your computer will be infected with spyware or malware. (These are computer programs that can search for and send personal information to the fraudster.)

To protect yourself from giving away personal information, remember that no genuine financial company will ask you to provide sensitive information online (or by phone). Be smart, verify any requests from a friend to send passwords or other personal information. Also, when you get a notice to update your software, do it.

Fraudsters will also go onto your social media accounts to get information, so keep secrets secret – limit what information you put on social media. It is a good idea to change passwords often; avoid using variations of just one. Avoid these common passwords that are used by seniors both for their PIN and computer passwords:

· Birthdates

· 1234

· Phone numbers

· Addresses

· Social Insurance Number

· Your spouse’s or dog’s name!

A third variation of the email scam is a Travel Scam. These can also be done by Telephone, but as they are more commonly attempted through email now than telephone, I am putting this fraud here. The fraud works as follows:

 A senior gets an email or a telephone call claiming that they have won a free vacation and they don’t remember entering any contest!

Or the senior went to a fair or an exhibition and completed a prize form. A few days later they receive a phone call or an email stating they have won and all they have to do is give some credit card or personal information or cash to hold the prize.

To protect yourself from these frauds, do not let anyone pressure you into an immediate agreement. In BC, if you have signed up for a travel club or holiday certificate, you have 7 days to cancel. Check your location, there may be similar laws in place to protect yourself.

Here are a few tips to protect yourself from email and other frauds.

Hover your cursor over any link you are asked to click on before you click; then look at the URL to confirm that it is a legitimate address

e.g. You get an e-mail from your municipal government office but when you hover over click here, what you see in the bottom left screen is http://smithjones.ca/securemessage.html

What you should see is https://nameof municipality.ca/

If the address does not look ok to you DO NOT CLICK – unless you are 100% sure the address is legitimate. I recommend that you delete the e-mail immediately. 

If you buy online make sure you are sending credit card information to a secure site. This is one way to make sure the site is secure:

On the page where you enter your credit card information, the URL in your browser's address bar should begin with “https://” not HTTP://.  Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is the secure version of HTTP, the protocol over which data is sent between your browser and the website that you are connected to. The 'S' at the end of HTTPS stands for 'Secure'. It means all communications between your browser and the website are encrypted.

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The fourth largest fraud used against seniors is the Sweepstakes and Fake Lotteries Scams

The senior receives an email or a telephone call that tells the senior that they are a WINNER!!!! – all they have to do is:

• Pay a shipping fee and taxes

• Buy something

• Give your credit card number

• Attend a presentation

Generally, the prize is of little value; it is worth less than you pay to get it on your own, or it never arrives.

To protect yourself from this fraud, do not buy lottery tickets through telephone solicitation. Remember, if the win is legitimate, you do not have to purchase something nor must you pay to get the prize or winnings.