Protecting Your Senior From Fraud during the Holiday Season

Elderly Care in Broomall PA: Senior Fraud

Elderly Care in Broomall PA: Senior Fraud

The holiday season is a joyous time and you don’t want to think of anything potentially negative happening.
Unfortunately, this is not always how it turns out, and as a family caregiver, it is important to not only be aware that these risks do exist, but also to take steps to prevent them from impacting your senior. Elderly adults are more vulnerable to fraud and scams than younger people, which means your parent could become a victim of fraud that takes away the happiness of the season and can even negatively influence their lives for years to come.

 

Some ways you can protect your senior from fraud during the holiday season include:

-Never purchase “designer” or “luxury” goods from a street vendor or individual. Even if these products look real, they are likely knock-offs with the retail price tag.

-Put alerts on all credit and debit cards so your parent or you get an email or text alert any time the account is used to make a purchase. This allows you to closely monitor when accounts are used and quickly detect unauthorized purchases.

-Make sure your senior knows how to recognize an authentic, encrypted site. A common form of fraud involves criminals creating websites that look like they belong to a major retailer and collecting money from unwitting consumers. They may then use their financial information to empty accounts, get new credit cards, and perform other forms of fraud.

-Remind your parent their bank will never contact them and ask for their personal information. If they get a text message, email, or other communication asking for their account number, PIN, or their social security number, they should not reply to it and should immediately get in touch with their bank.

-Never use an ATM or input a PIN when there is someone standing close or using their cell phone near you.

-Never share any financial or personal information online, including through emails.

 

Being a family caregiver for an elderly adult can be one of the most meaningful roles you have in your life. This is a time for you to show your parent how much you love and value them, and to give back for all the care they gave you when you were growing up. This means you want to do the very best for your senior, and elderly care can help you do that.

An elderly home care services provider ensures your parent is able to live the life that is right for them. This means enjoying more independence, handling more of their own tasks, being able to stay more active, and concentrating more on their parent-child relationship with you rather than only thinking about their care needs when you are together.

 

If you or an aging loved-one are considering hiring Homecare in Haverford, PA, please contact the friendly staff at Suma Home Care. Call today: (484) 206-4544

 

Source
Cbsnews.com

 

Ibrahim & Mariama Suma-Keita