Barbara Friesner
AgeWiseLiving

Family members are encouraging their parents to use computers and more and more Seniors are getting connected and surfing the internet. Unfortunately, an alarming number of people are now telling me that in the process, their parents are falling prey to internet scammers and identity thieves. One of the most common scams is emails requesting personal financial information.

I’m sure you’ve seen them – emails from banks, credit card companies, services such ebay©, and stores that say that there is some problem with your account. They may tell you there has been fraudulent or suspicious activity and you have to confirm your information. Some will threaten to suspend or close your account or report you to the credit bureau if you do not respond. Then they tell all you have to do is click on a link in the email to correct the problem.

According to Antiphishing.org, “‘pfishing’ (also spelled ‘phishing’) is a term denoting “spoofed” emails and fraudulent websites designed to fool recipients into divulging personal financial data such as credit card numbers, account usernames and passwords, social security numbers, etc. By hijacking the trusted brands of well-known banks, online retailers and credit card companies, phishers are able to convince up to 5% of recipients to respond to them.” Unfortunately, a growing percentage of those are Seniors.

When family members try to talk with their parents about it, they often hear things like:

• “The email has the company logo so it must be official.”
• “It’s not a sales pitch – they weren’t trying to sell me anything.”
• “They were just being ‘nice’ letting me know about a problem.”
• “They seem to know what’s going on with my account so it must be OK.”
• “I went to the website they gave me and it looked ‘right’.”

At that point, the two most common mistakes family members make are

1. Making their parents feel embarrassed for having been scammed and,
2. Making the conversation about money and therefore, creating resistance to any advice or help.

You don’t want to scare your elderly parent away from the internet or using the many wonderful resources it provides. You do, however, want to make them a wise surfer and help them protect themselves, their identities, and their finances. Therefore, the conversation should not be about mistakes they may have made or what they do with their money, but rather how to protect themselves.

As with other potentially difficult conversations, the earlier you talk, the easier it will be, the better the chance you will be able to prevent a problem from happening, and the more likely they will tell you if there is a problem. Also, the more facts you can provide, the less emotional the conversation will be. Here are some things to tell them:

• The bad guys are really good at what they do so anyone can be caught in these scams.
• No legitimate company will ask for your bank account information, credit card numbers, Social Security number, passwords, personal identification numbers (PIN), or date of birth via email. Therefore, NEVER give that information to anyone who asks for this information by email.
• NEVER respond to an e-mail that looks like it came from your bank or any of your credit card issuers no matter how official it looks. Also, don’t call the telephone number in the email. Instead use the number on your bank or credit card statement. Read them the email and follow their instructions. Most of the time they will tell you it’s a scam and some will ask that you forward the email to an email address they give you.
• The same is true for companies like eBay© or any other store. If you think there might be a legitimate issue, NEVER reply through the link provided in the email. Instead type in the URL web address that you know is right. You can find the web address on an old statement or by Googling it. Once you get to the legitimate website, ask Customer Service if they are aware of a problem on your account. I personally find it’s easier and faster to call the number provided on the statement. I did recently and it took less than five minutes.
• Because the interaction is done in the privacy of their own home, family members often don’t find out about a problem until the damage is done. If they have already been scammed, they probably already feel terrible – perhaps even panicky. Suggest they let you help them fix it by going over their statements with them to see if you can spot anything.
• If you see anything questionable, contact their banks and credit card companies immediately. These companies and institutions are familiar with these scams and they know what to do.

However, if they refuse your help, provide them with web addresses and phone numbers and get their promise that they will follow up immediately.

In addition, encourage them to check their bank statements and credit card bills every month for charges they can’t explain and if they find anything, to contact the police immediately and file a report. Remind them to be sure to get a copy of the report to send to the companies involved and to be sure to keep a copy for their own records. They will also need to contact all three major credit bureaus (Equifax (800) 525-6285, Experian (888) 397-3742, and TransUnion (800) 680-7289) and tell them that they want a fraud alert placed on their credit file.

If they are alarmed by a pfishing e-mail that seems particularly ominous or threatening, they can report it to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (www.ifccfbi.gov), a partnership between the FBI and the National White Collar Crime Center. You can also get additional information on ID theft and Pfishing at the Federal Trade Commission Web site at www.ftc.gov or calling toll-free 877-382-4357.

Finally, if you are concerned with your aging parent’s on-line buying, stock trading, or erratic spending and want help resolving this issue before it becomes a crisis, please contact me to set up a complimentary get-acquainted conversation to see how I can help.