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How Can We Protect Our Seniors From Predators?

Let's face it! We are all growing older and some day sooner or later we are all going to become seniors. That is, if we are lucky enough to withstand all of the stresses of our working years.

There is nothing worse than worrying about being able to protect older parents, family members, and friends from predators and then ourselves when we finally reach that golden mark.

So how do we do this? Can we do this? The sober response to these questions is a definite yes and we are going to tell you how.The trick of the trade is the common sense approach which needs to be communicated to our seniors and to anyone else who is associated with them but most of all to you as a senior.

We have checklists for you which you can expand as you go along but our checklists will give you a tremendous foundation for protecting your beloved seniors.These checklists are also for you if you are a senior living alone.Here goes.

First off, seniors need to be aware that predators can attack them in any of the following ways:

• Via phone.


• At their front door.


• Through the Internet.


• Via email.


• On the street.


• In a mall.


• In a restaurant or any other public place.

Second, they need to be made aware that their potential predator could be of any age and any type:

• A pre teen.


• A teen.


• An adult.


• A fellow senior.


• Male or female.

Third, a predator could be anyone ranging from:

• Your care giver.


• Your realtor.


• Your personal financial advisor.


• Your insurance agent.


• Your door to door sales person.


• Your technical support person.


• Practically anyone that you may have some sort of personal dealings with.


• Even a close friend or family member.

The type of information that predators will always want to know about would include:

• Date of birth.


• Name and address.


• Social insurance number.


• Driver's license number.


• Passport number.


• Your email address.


• Your banking details such as account number and name of banking institution.


• Credit card number and the 3 digit code at the back of your credit card.

Predators may even attempt to steal ID photos from you. So take care to:

• Never give out personal information over the phone to a stranger including that listed above.


• Do not give out such information to any stranger showing up at your door.


• Be careful when going shopping online.


• Make sure that the online shopping website that you are dealing with is a reputable one.


• Do not give out your personal information to anyone who emails you.

Never ask a stranger to help you complete a transaction at a store, supermarket, restaurant, or in any other type of public place.It is always best to ask a staff member for assistance.

Sometimes you may find that you would receive a phone call which may turn out to be a random phone call and if you are asked for your phone number then do not give it out.

Important: No financial institution will ever ask you for personal banking details either via email or by phone. To be safe, visit your financial institution and deal with someone face to face.

Finally, it may always be best to deal directly with a company instead of a private person and always ask for credentials from anyone who approaches you privately. Do a thorough background check on them.

Here are some resources to get you started:

How to Protect Your Elderly Parents From Being Scammed:
http://money.usnews.com/money/personal-finance/articles/2013/04/10/how-to-protect-your-elderly-parents-from-being-scammed

Tips for Seniors to Protect Against Healthcare Scams:
http://clearcareonline.com/blog/family-caregiving/tips-for-seniors-to-protect-against-healthcare-scams/

Healthcare Fraud and Scams - How to Hedge Against a Dollar:
http://useconomy.about.com/u/ua/tradepolicy/Dollar_Impact.htm