By: Chase
By: Chase
According to the AARP Annual Technology Survey, 1116 was the year older adults adopted, upgraded and modernized in technological terms. They even spent a lot of money to ‘catch up’ and stay connected.
These numbers reveal not only an exponential increase in the use of smart devices, but also a greater vulnerability to scammers. For some, the use of technological devices is something more natural, however, for older adults it is still a learning opportunity that puts them at risk.
Scammers are every day more skilled and use the internet, as well as technological devices to take advantage of people. That’s why, as part of the library of free online resources they created together to help you improve your experience with your devices, Chase and the AARP Foundation share the steps you should take to prevent and report fraud.
Pay attention and follow these steps to avoid falling into the trap and stay safe on the Internet:
1. Identify the three most common types of scam . Fraud has many forms. Scammers try to mislead people in person, by phone, by text message, over the internet (including social media), and in any way that they can obtain personal information or money. Know the most common:
2. Protect yourself . You already have the first step to protect yourself. You are already familiar with the most common scams. Now you need to stay alert.
Second, know the red flags of a scam, such as an agency call or an unsolicited check in the mail.
Identifies the ways in which scammers contact their victims: by email, by phone, by text message and on websites.
Do not share personal or financial information over the phone or online with unsolicited contacts as this makes identity theft possible. Don’t share it with anyone who calls you out of nowhere, no matter who they claim to be. If you answer and someone asks for this information, hang up.
It is recommended to set alerts and notifications to monitor your accounts. Set up an alert so that a notification is sent to you every time a withdrawal is made from them. Alerts are tools to help you manage your accounts. Still, you should check your balances and banking activities regularly.
Use only trusted sites when you want to shop online. You will know that you are using the secure site of a store or business when you see an ‘s’ at the end of the URL, that is, https: // and then the name of the site.
3. Report the scam . If you have suspicions or have been a victim of financial fraud, it is important that you notify someone to prevent the situation from worsening. Also, if you are ever in imminent physical danger, immediately call 911. There are also online resources, government and non-profit entities that can help you report fraud or financial exploitation:
or AARP Anti-Fraud Network (877 – 908 – 3360 / aarp.org/money/scams-fraud)
or Office of Elder Protective Services in your city of the National Center on Elder Abuse (1 – 677 – 677 – 1116 / ncea .acl.gov )
o Adult Protective Services (1 – 800 – 677 – 1116 / eldercare.acl.gov )
or Office for Consumer Financial Protection (800 – 411 – 3360 / consumerfinance.gov/en/)
or Federal Trade Commission ( ftc.gov/es ; identity theft.gov/#/ / 877 – 438 – 4338)
o Senate Special Committee on Aging ( aging.senate.gov )
o The police department of your city
Likewise, the Office for Consumer Financial Protection (CFPB) has a free guide (available in Spanish) entitled Money Smart for older adults, which you can obtain on the site Internet consumerfinance.gov/es. This guide details common sense preventable scams, helps you avoid fraud, and suggests steps you and your caregiver can take to avoid becoming victims or targets of a scammer.
If you want to better educate yourself on how to protect yourself and how prepared you are to face fraud, take the virtual workshop on how to spot a scam or visit the free online resource library from Chase and the AARP Foundation, where you will find tools, workshops and free videos in Spanish, and English, to help you improve your experience with technology, internet and smart devices.