Scams - Protecting Your Elderly Parents

Scams: Protecting Your Elderly Parents

Age UK has produced a frightening new statistic to worry the elderly and those who care for them. According to official crime figures in England and Wales, an older person is defrauded every 40 seconds and that almost 1 in 12 of the over-65s – around 800,000 people – reported that they had fallen victim to fraud within the last 12 months of the dated survey.

Scams can come via email, text, social media or through the post so it’s essential that the elderly and their loved ones are aware of the types of scams there are and what to do about them. Read on to identify the most common scams and for some useful tips on how you can help protect your elderly loved ones from the scammers.

Telephone and Text Scams

Recently Nottingham On Call has been made aware of scammers attempting to get our customers to divulge their personal information with promises of free trials of care equipment. 

We are committed to safeguarding the well-being of our clients and ensuring that they can continue to rely on our telecare monitoring services without fear of falling victim to fraudulent schemes. It is imperative that we remain vigilant, raise awareness, and work together with local councils and relevant authorities to protect our most vulnerable residents. 

Dave Miles, Nottingham On Call’s Development Manager said “Nottingham on Call will never call you on the phone to ask for payments or attempt to take your bank details.  We will only seek to take your bank details in person when we visit to install your equipment". If you are worried about someone asking for your bank details please press your pendant to speak to us, or give us a call on 0115 746 9777".

Together, we can combat these scams and ensure a safe and secure transition to the digital era for all Nottingham On Call customers. 

Confidence Scams

There has in recent years been a flurry of scam text messages often appearing to be from Royal Mail or a well-known courier such as Evri or DPD. The message will imply that a parcel has failed to be delivered and that you should click on a link to pay a postage or delivery charge. Never click on a link like this; courier companies and Royal Mail would never ask for payment like this. If you’re unsure, contact the courier direct by phone to ask whether the text is genuine or not.

A common phone scam is when you get a call from someone who says they are from your bank. They may say that your account has been compromised and that you need to move your money into another account. They can seem genuine because they appear to know a lot about you and your financial affairs. Be aware that your bank would never call out of the blue asking you to move money and they would never ask for your pin code. Hang up the phone and, if you’re unsure, call the bank – on a different phone – to check.

Another phone scam is the one where someone texts pretending to be a relative, typically a son or daughter, saying that they owe money or have lost their phone and need money to buy a new one. They will ask you to transfer money to bank details given in the message. Call your relative directly and check with them before acting on the request.

If your loved one gets a scam text they should forward the number to 7726 to report.

The ‘You Have Won a Prize’ Postal Scam

This is not as common as it used to be but it still happens. Your loved one gets a letter telling them to send money to ‘unlock’ a big prize win. Fake lottery wins, bogus investments that look too good to be true or requests for money in return for a large reward are all too common.

Contact the Mail Preference Service and the Telephone Preference Service to have your parent’s details removed.

Online Dangers and Doorstep Scams

The internet is awash with scammers trying to part older people from their money. Fake emails from your parent’s bank asking for money or account details are common. Suspicious emails which appear to be from an official source containing attachments or links which could contain a virus or malware to steal data from their device should always be instantly deleted as these are invariably from a fake website. Make sure your parent has firewall and antivirus protection on their devices.

Look for fake shopping websites which look like the real thing but their URL will look slightly different, or spelling may be wrong.

Check regularly that your elderly parent has not fallen for an online ‘lonely heart’ who they haven’t met but who asks for money. Finally, beware the bogus charity collectors or bogus builders offering to fix the roof or tidy the garden. They will often ask for money upfront and your parent will likely never see them again.

Make your parent aware that if something looks suspicious they should call you, a carer or us for advice before acting. That way they can avoid the heartbreak of falling for one of these scams.