Identity theft is a problem for everyone; however, senior citizens are particularly at risk. This is true because they tend to have built up more savings and are more likely to have good credit scores. Also, according to the FBI, senior citizens “were generally raised to be polite and trusting. Con artists exploit these traits, knowing that it is difficult or impossible for these individuals to say ‘no,’ or just hang up the telephone.” Another issue that makes senior citizens more vulnerable to identity theft is that they may not report the identity fraud since they are not sure who to report the crime to. They are also sometimes ashamed of what happened or afraid. For example, a senior who has been a victim of identity theft might believe that their family will see them as unable to take care of their own finances.
There are some types of fraud or scams that the National Council on Aging claims frequently target senior citizens, such as:
Phone Scams
Telemarketing calls are a common way for scammers to obtain personal information from seniors. The scammers may tell the senior citizen that they could get a prize if they are willing to give a good faith payment first. Another popular scam is to tell the senior that they have a relative that is in the hospital and that they need to wire or send some money to help the relative. Scammers will also sometimes act as fake charities and solicit donations….
