It happens as much through e-mail as it does through postal mail or telemarketing calls these days. You receive an offer you can’t refuse promising riches or else alleging that you’ve already won. If it seems too good to be true, it usually is.
You’re checking your email. A message arrives from someone you don’t know. He is begging for your help. The situation might seem contrived or even preposterous, but you are tempted. You can’t help reading it. If you help this person, providing information about yourself or your finances, and perhaps sending some money, the writer promises that you will be rewarded many times over. You fall for it. Perhaps you succumb more than once.
Sometimes a postal mail, email, or telemarketing call identifies you as a lottery or contest winner. It doesn’t matter that you never entered; this fact is clouded by the fact you’ve won. Why would someone tell you that you’ve won something when you haven’t?
Because, as is too often the case, you are being scammed.
Seniors are often unsophisticated Internet users and may also be vulnerable to “snail mail” cheats. They are targeted by scam artists eager to separate them from their money. Duped elders have lost assets acquired over a lifetime – sometimes tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars.
With the Internet’s global reach, countries such as Nigeria and Sierra Leone have emerged as “scam industry centers.” Elderly victims tend to fit a profile. They often live alone, may have recently lost a loved one, or may be experiencing the early signs of diminished capacity. Besides routine crime prevention steps that can be taken to protect a loved one, an attorney focusing their practice in Elder Law can establish some protection from con artists by building effective language into trusts and estate plans. In addition, a trusted family member can be given power of attorney over bank accounts and financial matters. But being scammed can be painful for young and old alike.
To learn more about New York Elder Law, NY Elder Law, New York Elder Care, NY Elder Care, or New York Estate Planning visit http://www.elderlawnewyork.com.
