Allisonville Meadows Assisted Living recently hosted a seminar presented by the Indiana Attorney General’s office to teach seniors about fraud, identity theft and scams.
Outreach representative Janice McHenry of the attorney general’s office said older people are most often the demographic targeted by scammers.
“Many times, persons over the age of 60 are victims of fraud,” McHenry said. “Someone may (obtain) control of that senior’s financial assets through deception and intimidation.”
McHenry spoke about different types of fraud, such as high-tech theft – often scams involving data breaches in banks, health facilities and corporations that can be used to trick someone into sharing personal information.
“If it looks like something that came from your bank or something you ordered, call the bank and say, ‘Hey, are you contacting me? Is there some reason you sent me an email?’” she said. “Chances are, they didn’t.”
Another fraud that commonly targets the elderly is the grandparent scam. McHenry said that with that type of scam, a fraud caller poses as a grandchild who has been in an accident and asks for money.
McHenry said the attorney general’s office can receive consumer complaints through its website, in.gov/attorneygeneral, or in person at Government Center South, 302 W. Washington St., 5th Floor.
American Senior Communities Director of Public Relations Stacey Cain said seminars for older Hoosiers are crucial for spreading information about elder fraud.
“We’ve been doing seminars for quite a long time, really trying to make it a priority,” she said. “We want the people to leave the session to feel good, with an ‘aha’ moment and keep them aware.”
For more information, visit asccare.com/ElderFraud.
