Seniors got fraud-savvy – they learned who they should and shouldn’t trust with their money.
Lackawanna County held several ‘Slam the Scam’ events across the county to teach seniors how to spot and take action against scams. Emily Stout and Amanda Norwalk spoke Thursday at Hillside Senior Community Center in Clarks Summit. They’re from the county’s Area Agency on Aging’s Protective Services Unit which works with families, banks, and law enforcement to stop crimes against seniors.
However, Stout said a lot of financial crimes start with those seniors trust most. She recommended against opening joint accounts with children or grandchildren – some family members will abuse that money.
“[They’re often used for] individuals with cognitive deficits. [And family members will say,] ‘Well, my mother told me I could use this money for Amazon, or for Uber or for…paying for private high school.’ We get that a lot,” said Stout.
She’s seen several cases where family members and caregivers drained a senior’s finances. Stout advised seniors to stay active in their communities so that people can connect them to organizations that can help.
“A lot of this stems from physical abuse, threats, intimidation, and neglect for [the care-dependent senior’s] basic needs. You don’t know what happens behind closed doors, just like the isolation” said Stout. “When somebody’s isolated, you don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors.”
Older adults need to find supportive friends and family who can help them if they face cognitive challenges. However, the pandemic limited seniors’ mobility. Stout said many are struggling to readjust to public spaces.
“Since COVID, it’s become worse. [We have seniors] that don’t have family, that choose not to leave [the house,] that sit there and can easily get scammed if they have the social media and have what’s called ‘romance scams’…. Because they’re one person – it happens,” said Stout.
Stout acknowledged that it’s hard to know who to trust for help. Her agency’s had problems rolling out their new senior caller program.
“I have to forewarn people, ‘This is not a scam,’ because scams are so big. [And] we’re calling you to make that referral. It’s for somebody to have a conversation with you on the phone, because this person is isolated in their home,” said Stout. “...But some people take it as a scam. So, like it’s a Catch-22.”
Older adults can advocate for themselves by reporting any suspected scams to the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General’s website or by calling 1-800-441-2555. The Social Security Administration created ‘Slam the Scam’ Day to promote fraud-literacy.
