Calling victims on the phone - Thieves will also call elderly people, pretending to represent charities, associations and the elderly person's bank or financial institution. Unfortunately, many senior citizens believe that these phone calls are coming from a trusted source.
"Phishing" online - Online, phishing is a common practice. Thieves pretend to be financial institutions or well-known companies (like the eBay scam a years back) and send spam messages asking seniors to "verify" account information and social security numbers.
Swiping credit cards - Even sales clerks and wait staff in restaurants can get access to financial records when they swipe a senior's credit card for a purchase. Thieves use tiny scanning devices to steal the numbers and then use the cards, running up exorbitant bills before the senior is even aware that their identity has been stolen.
Where are the common places identity may be stolen?
Identity theft can happen anywhere: over the phone, online, in a restaurant or store, or in person.
Tips to prevent identity theft
Never give out personal information on the phone, through mail, or over the internet unless you know the receiver and have initiated the contact.
- Shred all financial documents, bank statements, sensitive mail, credit card solicitations, and documents that contain any type of personal information.
- Guard credit cards. Watch sales people, wait staff in restaurants, and anyone who asks for your credit card.
- Cut up rarely used or unused cards.
- Don't let anyone copy your aging parents' driver's license. Anyone doing this has instant access to the senior's address and from there, can get bank account numbers and personal data.
- Get a locked mail box or post office box.
- Have checks delivered to your bank or post office box, not your home address.
Is identity theft common among seniors?
It's impossible to say how often seniors are scammed, or even what percentage of known fraud targets seniors. The Federal Trade Commission regularly compiles identity theft complaints, but these are voluntarily registered by victims over the telephone or by e-mail. According to the FTC, nine million Americans have their identities stolen each year.