Financial & Legal

Financial & Legal

Smarter than a Scammer

• Be a Nosy Neighbor – Notice Something, Say Something
• A Healthy Serving of Prevention
• Red Flags: Stop! It’s a Scam
• Common Scams

Tips to help protect yourself against Financial Abuse, Scams, and Frauds

• Organize your finances and regularly check on your assets.
• Secure personal information and documents.
• Shred unneeded material that contains personal information.
• Document your estate plans, and sign a power of attorney. Consider hiring a private fiduciary to help manage your finances.
• Learn about common scams, financial and investment frauds, and unscrupulous sales practices.
• When hiring a caregiver, do a background check. Call all references. Have a formal written work contract.
• Get caller ID for your phone, and be wary of numbers you don’t know. Calls asking for personal information can be scams.
• Never give out your social security number, banking, or personal information over the phone, by mail, or online unless you can verify that the contact is legitimate.
• Don’t engage with phone, door-to-door or online solicitors. Hang up the phone, close the door, and never open email from names you don’t know.
• Don’t make financial decisions alone. Consult trusted family, friends, and professionals.
• Refuse to allow a caregiver to handle your money without a formal written agreement.
• Ignore pressure to “act fast, right away”. There are many legitimate-sounding telephone and email scams, like the false “your grandson’s in jail / hospital and needs you to send money” pitch.
• Visit the website www.socoelderprotect.org