Q. I’ve been reading your newsletter for a while now and I’m always very impressed with all of your articles, including the many informative articles about the latest scams that seem to keep being targeted at the older population, and how to spot these scams so we don’t become another victim. I forward your articles to all my friends.
It seems like this scam problem has been getting worse than ever, like there are new scams we need to watch out for almost every day. Recently, at a neighborhood get-together, several of us were talking among friends about how people we know had been the victims of cyber scams, some losing thousands of dollars or much more.
One lady showed us a picture she took on her phone of a pop-up that she saw on her computer that said something like … “To unlock the computer please call support immediately. Please do not attempt to shut down or restart your computer, doing that may lead to data loss or identity theft.” She panicked. She knew she wasn’t supposed to call the number, but at the same time, she couldn’t figure out how to exit out of the pop-up without clicking on it
I’ve read that with AI now being widely available to scammers, scams are getting more sophisticated and therefore more difficult to detect, especially for ordinary retired folks like us. My wife and I are both retired professionals, and we try our best to be vigilant and protect ourselves. But we know many other smart, educated people who have somehow fallen victim to one of these new and ever-changing scams. Other than your newsletter and the scam prevention sources you have recommended in the past, is there anything else our friends and us can do to keep ourselves educated and protected against these evolving and more sophisticated scams? Thanks for your help!
A. Scams, particularly ones involving technology, are indeed targeting seniors so often lately that law enforcement agencies and adult protective services don’t have the resources to keep up. According to Brady Finta, a former FBI agent who supervised elder fraud investigations. “There’s just so much of it, logistically and reasonably, it’s almost impossible to overcome right now.”
Statistics reflect the severity of the problem. Elder fraud complaints to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center rose by 14% last year, with losses increasing by 11% to $3.4 billion, according to a recent FBI report. Other estimates put the annual loss much higher. A 2023 AARP study calculated that Americans over 60 lose $28.3 billion each year to fraud. The Federal Trade Commission, seeking to account for unreported losses, estimated fraudsters stole a staggering $137 billion in 2022, including $48 billion from older adults. The authors of that study acknowledged a “considerable degree of uncertainty.”
Cyber fraud takes many forms, but according to the FBI’s economic crimes unit, older adults are losing more money at a faster pace. In 2022 alone, the agency saw a 350% increase in cryptocurrency-related scams targeted to older adults, which was the largest increase among all age groups and all types of fraud. The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) reported similarly that 88,000 people age 60 and over collectively lost $3.1 billion dollars to internet fraud, with cryptocurrency and technical support schemes topping the list of complaints.
Tech Support Scams are the Number One Scam this Year
Many scammers are capitalizing on seniors’ lack of tech literacy. In fact, the top scam targeting seniors is none other than tech support scams where hackers claim that the victim has a virus on their device and the scammer is requesting money to fix it.
In this scam, hackers call or send pop-up messages asserting the victim’s device is infected. They then offer to “fix” the non-existent issue for a fee. Criminals are aggressively employing this tactic. Seniors must be acutely aware of this particular type of scam and not panic when exposed to it. By exploiting fears over viruses and other malware, scammers can easily gain remote access to steal your personal data, charge you fees for useless services, and gain direct access to your financial accounts so they can empty out your bank account and move the money overseas where you will never see it again.
Are You at Risk of Being Scammed?
Cyber criminals prey on older adults because they are more likely to have money that is earned during a lifetime of employment. Perceived memory issues and a sense that older adults are more trusting play a role, as well.
But you don’t have to become a victim. Scammers may be sophisticated—but there are smart ways to safeguard against them. Here are some helpful tips and reminders:
- Think About Links! Think long and hard before clicking on a link from an unfamiliar sender, or when you are not expecting the email or text message with a link. Emails, text messages, and social media posts can all contain malicious links. Spam or malicious emails are the most common method attackers use to deliver malware or phishing links. Phishing links often take you to websites that look legitimate — they may even look exactly like a site you visit frequently — to steal your personal and financial information. Malware is software intentionally designed to damage or gain unauthorized access to a computer, server, or network. Malware can destroy files, steal your personal information, and damage or destroy the performance of your computer.
- Be wary of any strange or unexpected messages, even if they are from someone you know.
- Don’t click on links sent through email, text, and social media from people you don’t know. Be especially wary of emails urging you to go to a website and create an account, register for a service, purchase a service or product, or in any way provide personal details. If a message looks suspicious but appears to be from a business you know and trust, check with that business before clicking or go directly to the company website by entering the website address yourself and contact them that way. If you ever feel pressured to click on a link or pay someone money, step back and assess the situation. If you want to click with confidence, be sure to have strong security software installed.
- Don’t open any attachments unless you know the sender and were expecting them to send it. These attachments can be disguised as Word documents, PDFs, e-files, and voicemails. Don’t open especially if they have the extension .exe or .zip. If the file appears to be from a friend or family member, reach out to them to make sure they’ve sent you something. Even then you should be careful because a friend might unknowingly forward you something that contains a malicious link.
- Even if you get an attachment protected with a password, that password doesn’t mean it’s not malicious. Be cautious and check with the sender. This internet safety rule also applies to attachments sent via text messages and social media.
- On social media, scammers often create fake accounts using names and photos of people you know, then send a friend request. If you get one of these requests, reach out to your friend before accepting; chances are, it’s not legitimate and you should delete it, and even report it to the social media company as being fake. For example, when using Facebook, I get frequent friend requests from a profile appearing to be someone I know. The first thing I do is search to see if I am already friends with this person. Usually I am, and this is an immediate tip off that this new profile is fake. I immediately report the fake profile to Facebook, block it, and tell my real friend that someone has spoofed their profile and is reaching out to their friends so that my real friend can contact Facebook about the issue to have the fake account shut down.
- Don’t respond to or click on pop-up windows on your phone or computer. A common pop-up ploy — the same type you describe in your question— is what’s aptly called “scareware.” This is a malware scam technique that uses a scary looking pop-up “security alert” or other trick to frighten you into downloading or paying for fake software disguised as real cybersecurity protection. Another malware technique is to use deceptive “Close” or “X” buttons, which automatically install a virus when you click on them.
- Don’t conduct any transaction involving personal information while using a public (or unsecured) network.
- Safeguard your mobile device from intrusion by protecting it, and any apps on it, with a PIN number or touch ID or facial recognition.
Taking Action to Prevent Online Scams that Target Older Adults
Internet safety for seniors is important, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Awareness is a powerful first step in protecting yourself. Also be sure to install trusted antivirus software to protect you and your device. Also, if you think you’ve been the victim of an online scam or cyberattack, report your experience to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). You’re not alone—and there’s no reason to feel embarrassed about what happened. Immediately contact your local police and your financial institution if money has been taken from your account.
To read my many articles on scams and scam prevention, please click here.
For another great resource, Former con artist and bestselling author of Catch Me If You Can Frank Abagnale shows you how to stop scammers in their tracks in his book, Scam Me If You Can: Simple Strategies to Outsmart Today’s Rip-off Artists.
Farr Law Firm Now Offering a New Client Benefit to Help Protect Clients from Cybersecurity Fraud
According to CMIT Security, the Cybersecurity Firm that we trust with the law firm’s security services, 95% of data breaches are caused by user error. Without proper training to spot and avoid falling victim to phishing attempts and other scams, human error continues to be the weakest link in protecting your systems and your critical data.
“Breach Secure Now: Empowering Your Cyber Security” is a cybersecurity training program that is designed to help our clients and members of our Lifetime Protection Plan® take a proactive approach with cyber security education and awareness training. To gain this education and awareness, the cyber security training program takes you through customized security awareness training and simulated phishing campaigns to help you stay knowledgeable and vigilant about effective security. There are numerous training videos which include initial lessons and mini quizzes on:
- Password Best Practices;
- Multi-Factor Authentication;
- Malware and Ransomware;
- Worms and Cryptoworms;
- Connected Networks;
- Phishing and Vishing;
- Artificial Intelligence;
- Personally Identifiable Information;
- Device Security;
- Critical Infrastructure Attacks;
- Dark Web;
- Updating Software;
- Social Media;
- Insider Threats (Intentional and Unintentional);
- Reporting Incidents and more.
There are also weekly micro trainings with mani quizzes to keep you up to date about new and emerging scams and new strategies for avoiding these scams. There’s even a custom dashboard that you can log into to keep track of your training and your score. Don’t worry — no one else will have access to your cyber security training dashboard — knowing your score is just for your benefit to help you keep track of how well you are doing in your ongoing training.
We have used this ongoing education and training software for years within our own firm for all of our staff, and now we are offering this online training and education program as a no-cost added benefit exclusively for our clients and Lifetime Protection Program members. Click here to learn more about this great opportunity and contact our office to sign up and participate. You can either reply to me directly via email or call the office at 703-691-1888 to sign up for this program.
Planning to Protect Loved Ones
Protecting seniors from scams is very important, which is why we are offering this new client benefit and continually sharing information about current scams and how you can protect yourself. It is also very important to plan for your future and for your loved ones. If you have not done Incapacity Planning, Estate Planning, or Long-Term Care Planning, or if you have a loved one who is nearing the need for long-term care or already receiving long- term care, please contact us to make an appointment:
Fairfax Elder Law Attorney: 703-691-1888
Fredericksburg Estate Planning Attorney: 540-479-1435
Rockville Elder Care Attorney: 301-519-8041
DC Medicaid Asset Protection Attorney: 202-587-2797
About Evan H Farr, CELA, CAP
