Last year, consumers of all ages were scammed out of $8.8 billion. And older adults lost the most money compared to other age groups, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
While everyone wants to protect their parents and grandparents from scammers, sometimes these conversations can be complicated to navigate.
"We encourage people to think in multigenerational approaches. Everyone is getting scammed, it's just a different way that scammers go after you," said Genevieve Waterman from the National Council on Aging.
From having a lot of empathy to knowing how to report a scam, experts shared their recommendations for talking about scams:
KNOW WHICH SCAMS COMMONLY TARGET OLDER PEOPLE
Knowing which scams are most commonly used to target older people can help.
Two of the most common are the "grandparent" scam and romance scams, said Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention at AARP.
The grandparent scam is when someone gets a phone call from a person impersonating a grandchild and asking for money to get them out of trouble. The first step to avoid this is to call other family members before taking any action, the FTC recommends.
When it comes to romance scams, the FTC reported that people lost $1.3 billion in 2022. Scammers usually contact people through social media and then move the conversation to other messaging apps such as WhatsApp or Google Chat.
"A lot of older adults are now going into the online dating world, they're making a lot of online conversations, having a lot of dates, but that leads them to scammers who are then convincing them to give them money and send it overseas," Waterman said.
Bu hikaye AppleMagazine dergisinin November 17, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye AppleMagazine dergisinin November 17, 2023 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
AUSTRALIAN STATES BACK NATIONAL PLAN TO BAN CHILDREN YOUNGER THAN 16 FROM SOCIAL MEDIA
Australia’s states and territories unanimously backed a national plan to require most forms of social media to bar children younger than 16.
FACEBOOK AND INSTAGRAM USERS IN EUROPE CAN OPT FOR LESS PERSONALIZED ADS
Facebook and Instagram users in Europe will get the option to see less personalized ads if they don’t want to pay for an ad-free subscription, social media company Meta said Tuesday, bowing to pressure from Brussels over privacy and digital competition concerns.
IN THIS FLORIDA SCHOOL DISTRICT. SOME PARENTS ARE PUSHING BACK AGAINST A CELLPHONE BAN
It’s no surprise that students are pushing back on cellphone bans in classrooms. But school administrators in one South Florida county working to pull students’ eyes away from their screens are facing some resistance from another group as well – parents.
DIAMOND SPORTS GROUP WILL OFFER SINGLE-GAME PRICING TO STREAM NBA AND NHL GAMES STARTING NEXT MONTH
The nation’s largest owner of regional sports networks will offer single-game pricing for NBA and NHL games beginning next month.
ON THE EVE OF OSCARS HONOR, JAMES BOND PRODUCERS REFLECT ON LEGACY AND FUTURE OF 007
For the late James Bond producer Albert “Cuddy” Broccoli, receiving the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award was a true high point in his career.
'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' TO TRUMP: 'WE'VE BEEN WITH YOU ALL ALONG'
The first “Saturday Night Live” since Donald Trump’s election victory began with the most somber of tones as a group of plainly dressed cast members, primarily women and minorities, described their new reality.
US AGENCY SAYS TESLA'S PUBLIC STATEMENTS IMPLY THAT ITS VEHICLES CAN DRIVE THEMSELVES. THEY CAN'T
The U.S. government’s highway safety agency says Tesla is telling drivers in public statements that its vehicles can drive themselves, conflicting with owners manuals and briefings with the agency saying the electric vehicles need human supervision.
WAYMO'S ROBOTAXIS NOW OPEN TO ANYONE WHO WANTS A DRIVERLESS RIDE IN LOS ANGELES
Waymo this week opened its robotaxi service to anyone who wants a ride around Los Angeles, marking another milestone in the evolution of self-driving car technology since the company began as a secret project at Google 15 years ago.
BITCOIN HAS TOPPED $93,000 FOR A NEW RECORD HIGH. WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT CRYPTO'S POST-ELECTION RALLY
As money continues to pour into crypto following Donald Trump’s victory last week, bitcoin has climbed to yet another record high.
AMAZON LAUNCHES AN ONLINE DISCOUNT STOREFRONT TO BETTER COMPETE WITH SHEIN AND TEMU
Amazon has launched a low-cost online storefront featuring electronics, apparel and other products priced at under $20, an effort to compete with discount retailers that have increasingly encroached on the e-commerce giant’s turf.
