elder scams. How Many Times Do I Have to Tell You NOT to Click It?!
Top 5 Ways to Help Your Parent Steer Clear of Scams
1. Remind them not to click on everything that looks good. (If they aren’t sure, let them know they can call you—it’s not a bother.)
2. Remind them that if they do click on something, they need to tell you immediately so it doesn’t get ugly. (You promise not to curse. Much.)
3. Remind them not to give out personal information over the phone. Instead, politely ask for a callback number.
4. Reassure them: the Social Security Administration will NEVER ask for their SSN over the phone.
5. Think of it like the drinking-and-driving talks we got at 16: “Call me, no matter what.” (Except this time, you actually mean it.)
I recently got a letter from a collection agency. Apparently, through PayPal, I’d purchased three items from a company called Crytocurrency. Not crypto. Cryto. Nothing says scam like Comic Sans.
Anyone who knows me knows this: if I don’t understand something, I don’t buy it. Like chemistry in high school, if I can’t see it (my paper clip saturated in copper sulfate never produced blue crystals) I don’t get it.
As a 57-year-old Gen X-er, my scam filter is pretty good. If my phone rings and it’s not someone I know, a 707 area code (shout out to my small town landline friends!), or if I’m simply not in the mood (hello, introvert streak), it goes straight to voicemail. And while I’m not immune to the occasional clickbait temptation, I usually delete spam as fast as it lands.
But then came the PayPal emails. “Your account balance is below zero.” And, “You have 30 days to pay or this will go to a collection agency.” Cue the cortisol spike.
I kicked into gear:
· Searched the website for: I didn’t do it! Dudley Pippin knew sh!t about cryto! Why is phishing spelled with a PH? Nothing makes sense anymore! HELP ME.
· Found website category: “If you think that you’ve been the subject of a phishing scam, REPLY HERE.”
· Even though “REPLY HERE” felt like a scam, I attached a screen shot of the alleged charges
· Clicked SEND
· Saved copy to file I entitled “paypalphishingscam”
I filed this encounter away in My Menopausal Brain, hoping that it could be summoned out of the fog in the future if needed.
Imagine my surprise when that collection letter did arrive! I flew through the six stages of grief—yeah, I added an effing stage—in rapid succession. Denial. Anger. Bargaining. Depression. Acceptance. Except…THIS!
Time to get to the bottom of the phish bowl. Next morning, I picked up the phone. Held my rage at bay and dialed.
Collection Agent #1 tells me to log in to PayPal and check the records. Two-factor authentication, go-to password not working, think harder…last pastry I ate? Pain au chocolat… I’m in. Sure enough: a random credit card number on file. Not mine.
I call back. Collection Agent #2, new voice, same script. I explained the digits didn’t match. He umm’d and ahh’d and said they’d contact PayPal.
Me: Can you follow up with me? I live in the Bay Area—maybe I know someone at PayPal.
Agent: That’s a good idea.
Comforting.
Is it resolved? TBD. But here’s the real kicker: if I—reasonably tech-savvy, reasonably skeptical, a child of dial-up and AOL chatrooms—can almost fall for this garbage, what chance do our elders have?
That’s why this has to be a community thing. Not just telling our parents “don’t click” but reminding them, catching it early, and creating a safe space where they can admit they did click without shame.
Because the scammers aren’t going away. But neither are we.
dōteworthy:
The Victorian Government has quite a robust website on how to be scam savvy
Phishing, smishing, vishing and quishing!! This Next Avenue article explains how new scams target people trying to avoid scams!
The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource…if you got that AARP letter in the mail (like me!), then this one’s for you AND your aging parents.
Elder Romance Scams are on the rise according to the podcast “What The Hack”.
dōte note:
After reading all of these articles (and many more!) my new e-mantra is “slow down and delete”… even more than ever before.
fill in the blank and share with us at dōt.age:
🚨before I click on a text or an email i will ________