Seniors a Favorite Target of Identity Thieves
When seniors get taken advantage of in group homes they may not report it; afraid of being ridiculed, accused of memory problems or even threatened with losing control over their own finances. This makes them prime targets for identity thieves, and scammers who would take advantage.
Part Time Employee, Part Time Scam Artist
A terminally ill woman on hospice was living at an assisted living center in northeast Texas when she received a disturbing American Express bill – The total was over $5K, and she hadn’t used her card in over two years. An on-call employee who lived in the next town and only worked a few days a month had filched not only her card, but a scarf from the elderly lady’s room to use as a disguise.
Other members of the staff congratulated the thieving employee when she showed up for work sporting new clothes and shoes. She smilingly thanked them, telling everyone all about a supposed new part time job, and how wonderful it was – showing off her fancy watch and expensive bottles of perfume she had stashed in her new handbag.
Candidate for Dumbest Criminals Ever?
A few days later, policemen showed up on another one of her work days and escorted her from the scene in handcuffs. The high end department store where she had blown her victim’s credit line had video cameras installed over the cashiers kiosks in addition to the ones at all exits. Time stamping and matched receipts confirmed that the employee in the stolen scarf was the culprit, and she later confessed.
In this case, luck was on the victim’s side – the perpetrator was caught because she shopped in person. In too many cases, thieves have learned to go online and use addresses for shipping that avoid leading back to them. Trying to investigate and bring charges is often not worth the credit card company’s time, and law enforcement won’t prosecute in such cases with no plaintiff.
Seniors have little recourse at times against fraud from the people supposed to care for them – from employees in centers like the one in Texas or even their own relatives. However, there is something you can do to help!
Protect a Senior from ID Theft this Christmas
Giving of your time this holiday season to help a senior protect themselves could be the greatest gift of all – simply check on one you know and make sure they have adequately protected themselves against theft or fraud. Credit cards and identifying information should be kept locked away, and you can even get them signed up for an identity protection program that will alert them to unauthorized use of their credit cards or social security numbers.
December 17th, 2008 at 10:29 am
This is disturbing. It irritates me when thieves prey on the elderly knowing that they are an easier target. But you just gave me an idea… I think I will take advantage of credit monitoring for my elderly family member just to keep an eye out for them.