Live Free Home Health Care, LLC. - Bristol, New Hampshire

Friday, July 16, 2010

Battling Junk Mail and Phone Sales Exploitation in Seniors

Nobody likes to deal with junk mail or those annoying sales calls that come on a weeknight during dinnertime. But for a lonely senior, sometimes that mail or those calls feel more like an invitation. And unfortunately, solicitors know this and sometimes exploit seniors because of it. One daughter told me how she discovered her aging mother had five subscriptions to one magazine. When she questioned her mother about it, her mother simply replied that she didn’t recall signing up for that magazine at all. However, a quick look at the checkbook revealed several checks made out to the same subscription company for that title.

As our parents start to become frail and cognitive abilities decline, it is important to recognize the signs to identify and protect against elder fraud.

Seniors need to know that:

- It is illegal for companies that operate contests or sweepstakes to ask one to pay to enter or claim a prize or even suggest that chances of winning will improve if there is a purchase.

- It’s illegal for telemarketers to ask for a fee upfront to help get a loan if they guarantee or strongly imply that the loans will be made.

- There is no reason to give a credit card number or bank account number to a telemarketer unless a payment is actually being made with that account.

- If payment is required before getting detailed information about the offer, it’s probably a scam.

For more tips on how to protect against elder fraud, click here, and to learn more about how Live Free Home Health Care can keep a loved one safe and provide companionship and personal care in the comfort of home, call (603) 217-0149.

Tags:   elder abuse, exploitation

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