As a friend or family member ages, you may first think about caring for their physical health. You want to be sure they have someone to check in on them regularly, assist with personal hygiene and see that they are getting proper nutrition throughout the day. While all of these things are critically important, we often forget to focus as intently on protecting our aging loved ones from scams and solicitations that may be trying to take advantage of their mental state.

Many senior adults have fallen victim to fraud and scams. Often it’s a phone call or email solicitation that they respond to, giving a person access to their personal finances or private information. The consequences can be devastating, and sometimes impossible to fully rectify. As a friend or family member, the best thing you can do to protect your loved one is to equip them with the knowledge to identify and avoid these scams altogether. Here are some major red flags that are likely to indicate the request or opportunity is a scam.

1. The solicitation is unfamiliar and unexpected.

The first thing you should do when contacted by someone claiming to represent a business is to think: Is this a company I’ve asked to contact me? Am I familiar with this company and the services they provide? If the answer to either of these questions is no, it’s worth taking a deeper look into why you may be receiving this solicitation. Most reputable companies will place paid advertisements, like commercials or radio ads, or send a promotion or special offer in the mail to build their brand and grow trust. If the person contacting you represents a company you’ve never heard of before decline giving them any information until you can do more research.

2. There is little to no information to valid this business or offer online.

As you do more research on who this person/company might be and why they’ve contacted you, first look to the internet. A quick Google search should yield more information if they are a reputable company. They should have a website that is secure and looks professional. There will likely be reviews about this company and more information on them from the Better Business Bureau. If there is no information or negative information, you should disregard this call or email as a scam.

3. The phone call is from a restricted number or the email is from an unfamiliar domain.

Any phone call soliciting you for personal information that comes from a restricted number should throw up a major red flag. Again, a reputable business would have no reason to restrict their phone number and would actually want to make sure you knew the call was coming from them. Similarly, if a person claims to be representing a business, yet emails you from a personal (Gmail, Yahoo, Comcast) email, you should be wary that they are a scammer and not really representing any true business. In this day and age, there is no reason for an employee at a trusted company to not have an email with that company’s website domain. Also keep in mind that people can disguise their email to look like it is being sent from someone else. If anything doesn’t feel right, stop and seek advice before giving them any of your information!

4. The offer or request lacks details and seems too good to be true.

Any legitimate offers from a business should include all the details you need to make an informed decision. For example, think about when you apply for a loan from a bank. A trusted financial institution can answer all of your questions confidently and quickly, they can send you marketing materials that clearly outline the terms of service, and they can connect you with other people in their department to provide you with additional information if needed. In a scam situation, the details are usually vague as to who they are and why they are requesting your information. The caller may be foreign and hard to understand. The caller may also be quick to anger if you ask too many questions or accuse them of being a scammer. If you experience any of these things, consider it a big red flag that you should immediately cease your conversation and look for help to block future contact from them.

The unfortunate truth is that there is a growing number of scams on the market that aim to exploit the trust and willingness of senior adults. By helping our loved ones learn to first identify scams by looking for these red flags, we can help prevent the frustration and loss that a scam can cause by not falling victim to their ill intentions.

Do you have another piece of advice to share or a question you’d like answered? Leave a response in the comment section below!

Learning how to use new technology is challenging for most of us, regardless of age or experience. When it comes to our senior adults, this challenge can be far greater because they didn’t grow up with much, if any of the technology we have today and may have not had a need to use it at all for most of their lives.

Now that technology, like iPads, Skype, FaceTime, and social media, offer new and valuable ways to stay in touch with loved ones, many senior adults have realized the need to learn how to use technology. If this applies to you or someone you know, before you become overwhelmed, first start with these five tips that aim to make learning new technology not only achievable, but fun!

1. Learn what they hope to do with this technology.

When anyone wants to learn how to use a new technology, it’s so important to begin with the “Why?” Find out why they want to use this technology and how they plan to use it. For example, if your mom or dad wants to create a Facebook account and learn how to use this social platform, you’ll want to know their goals for doing so. If all they want to do is connect with friends to be able to see photos and updates in their newsfeed, then these are the skills you want to focus on first before overwhelming them with things like creating a Facebook Live video or adding to their Facebook Stories.

2. Start small and space out your “lessons.”

When introducing someone to a new technology, you always want to start with the small and simple steps to understanding the essentials. How do they log in  to their account or turn on the device? How do they navigate to the home screen? How do they post content or leave a comment? Start with just one or two of these items in your first lesson, then give them a few days to practice this knowledge before moving on to additional pieces.

3. Think like they think.

When teaching an aging loved one how to use a new technology that may be completely foreign to them, try to think like they think. You’ll need to separate yourself from what may be second nature to you, and think like someone who has never seen this technology before. What is intuitive to you, is not likely intuitive to someone from a different generation. It’s also important to speak in basic terms and avoid using “tech” terms that are unfamiliar and confusing.

4. Seek out senior-friendly options and solutions.

Remember, there are usually multiple ways to accomplish the same or similar tasks with technology. Just because you use one particular form of technology, doesn’t mean it is right for your aging loved one. For example, iPhones tend to be more user-friendly to older generations than competing brands like Samsung and Google. If one form of technology proves to be too challenging to navigate, be willing to research alternate options or seek advice from an expert.

5. Offer praise and encouragement.

Finally and most importantly, be quick to offer praise and encouragement! Think of how you feel when you get frustrated leaning something new. It’s likely when your loved one hits a road block or feels defeated they may want to give up or feel bad about not learning as quickly as they would like. Show encouragement that this is all part of the learning curve and that you’re here to help. It’s also uplifting to share your own struggles with technology so they know they are not alone on this journey.

Do you or someone you know struggle to learn the essentials of new technology? Have you come across other helpful ways to assist with this?

Share your advice, or ask us a question by leaving a comment below!