Old people and scams
- Thread starter theel4life
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milom98
Exceptional Member
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Lol, I seriously doubt it but you never know. The number of people that get caught up in these ridiculous scams is pretty amazing. My aunt would show my mom all these fake profile pictures and photoshopped pictures as proof that the people were real... Oh look, here's a pic of Elon Musk and his sister saying hi... to me.
I don't even understand how people get to the point of believing that that they are in a relationship with Elon Musk, Tyler Perry....? I mean, I know my aunt isn't very bright (MAGA) and has made plenty of questionable decisions - married 4-5 times - moved back and forth between KY and FL dozens of times - claims to be super religious but doesn't live that way - piss poor from all the bad choices....
Never mind, I at least see how it happens to some people now after typing that out.
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My friend got called by an IRS scammer who said he owed X amount in back taxes. To resolve the debt, he had to obtain gift cards that equaled the debt. My friend said he didn’t know everything about IRS procedures, but if they had a problem with him he would be sent a letter instead of being called by some scammer who could barely speak English. The guy hung up immediately.
lightbluenc
Esteemed Member
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Agree, but there are some tools out there to prevent some, but not all scams though. There’s pretty much a scam for everything now, whether you’re buying a car, publishing a book, or need tech support.
Prevention is most important to stop it before it starts.
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Through something of a fluke, inflexible investment withdrawal rules, and some mistakes on my part, I filed for--what for me was--a big income tax refund. With all the "move fast and break things" mind set of Elon the Terrible and his Imps, I had just assumed it was going to take months and months to get my money back. And I got a letter, earlier this month from the IRS--which I checked every way I knew how--instructing me to engage in a fairly elaborate and extended "ID" process to identify myself and confirm I had filed the return in question. At the end of the process, the IRS said I could expect to hear further from them in 5 to 6 months. This last part was the final piece of evidence I needed to confirm in my own mind I wasn't being scammed and had been communicating with the "real" IRS. But much to my surprise, I received a notice from the IRS that my refund would be sent this week. And not only was it sent, but it cleared! Now this doesn't mean I won't be audited, but I am hoping (a) for the IRS being so overloaded with "Trump Cuts" (personnel reductions, not one of his steak company products) and b) it being fairly obvious that some rules beyond my control required the large withholding, a human being will examine the situation and decide the effort to audit me just isn't worth it.
Many of the people making the phone calls are being trafficked. They replied to scams to be hotel or domestic or ESL teachers or what not. They were taken hostage and transported to work prisons.
My Mom has Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and hearing loss. Up until about 3 months ago, she could have responded to one of the scams; but, her cognitive decline is now too great to do most anything on-line. Prior to that, her vision loss was so great that she hadn’t been able to use a smart phone in 5-6 years.
In Spring 2021, she was still able to use her desktop. She came real close to giving some con artist access to my parents SECU accounts; but, she needed help to do something and had to ask my Dad for help (I was in New Bern getting a Covid shot). Dad shut down the phone call AND computer session with the scammer (Mom had given him access to her computer).
It’s scary.
One’s parents go from rational, functional people to clueless in what appears to be an instant.
It usually isn’t. The signs are there.
Better than that, start talking about late-in-life issues when your parents when they are in their 40’s - if you wait until A parent has dementia, you’re likely effed.
Have them determine someone with Power of Attorney when they are relatively young. Medical POA as well.
My Mom has Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, and hearing loss. Up until about 3 months ago, she could have responded to one of the scams; but, her cognitive decline is now too great to do most anything on-line. Prior to that, her vision loss was so great that she hadn’t been able to use a smart phone in 5-6 years.
In Spring 2021, she was still able to use her desktop. She came real close to giving some con artist access to my parents SECU accounts; but, she needed help to do something and had to ask my Dad for help (I was in New Bern getting a Covid shot). Dad shut down the phone call AND computer session with the scammer (Mom had given him access to her computer).
It’s scary.
One’s parents go from rational, functional people to clueless in what appears to be an instant.
It usually isn’t. The signs are there.
Better than that, start talking about late-in-life issues when your parents when they are in their 40’s - if you wait until A parent has dementia, you’re likely effed.
Have them determine someone with Power of Attorney when they are relatively young. Medical POA as well.