Tech Scams That Target the Elderly in Nursing Homes

Let’s say you’re a scammer. Who are you going to go after? You want money fast and easy, so you’re looking for an easy target, and that would be a senior in a nursing home. They didn’t grow up with smartphones and they have no idea how far scams go, so they’re likely going to fall for it. A fake email here, a fake phone call there, and you got yourself a decent amount of money and you didn’t need to work for it. Yes, it’s illegal, but that’s not something you concern yourself with.

The worst thing about scams is that they’re getting more convincing. Even a millennial might have to look twice at an email from their “bank” before they figure out it’s fake. Do you really expect an elder to doubt an “official” email asking them for money or they’ll get in trouble?

Scammers are getting smarter and more resourceful, but there’s a way to prevent this, and that’s education. If our elders are educated, they won’t fall for scams because they’ll know better.

Let’s see what to warn them about.

Most Common Tech Scams

Getting scammed can do more than just empty a bank account. It can leave an elder feeling depressed, taken advantage of, and they’ll doubt their judgment for years to come. That sour and bitter sickening feeling you’re left with after being scammed is not something that someone of age should carry with them.

Los Angeles (California) is a great example of how notorious scammers are when it comes to nursing-home-related fraudulent schemes. According to The LA County District Attorney’s Office, one in five older adults has been the victim of some form of fraud (mainly financial). Furthermore, according to the FBI, in 2023, over 11,000 fraud-related complaints have been filed in California by adults over the age of 60. The total losses exceeded 620 million USD (that’s almost 57,000 USD per victim, which might be someone’s annual or bi-annual pension plan).

If you ever find yourself in a situation where your loved one has been a victim of a scam, act right away, don’t leave anything to chance, and hire a nursing home abuse lawyer.

But let’s see what these scams are so it doesn’t have to come to that.

1.  Phishing and Fake Tech Support Scams

This is one of the most common ways scammers trick seniors. An elder gets a phone call or an email that looks like it’s from their bank, a government agency, or a big company like Apple. In these emails, the scammer claims that there’s a problem (suspicious login attempt, virus on their computer,  etc.) and they tell the senior to click on the link or call a number to fix it.

If the senior does what the scammer asks, they might be asked to enter their personal details, like passwords or SSNs. Sometimes, they can even be convinced to pay for fake tech support or give remote access to their computer.

2.  Medicare and Health Insurance Fund

A lot of seniors use Medicare, which means they’re easy targets for scammers who pretend they’re Medicare representatives. The scammer asks them for personal details to “verify” or “update” the records. They might even ask them to give out their Medicare numbers, which the scammer then uses to bill fake medical services.

In most cases, the victim has no idea they’ve been scammed until they see strange charges on their insurance statements.

3. Lottery, Sweepstakes, and Prize Scams

Who doesn’t like a prize?

In these types of scams, a senior gets a phone call or email that tells them they’ve won some sort of a big prize (vacation, car, maybe cash). But before they can collect it, they need to pay taxes or fees for processing. The senior gets all excited, sends money, and then… Nothing. No vacation, no cash.

In some cases, the scammers will keep asking for more payments and claim that there are extra fees that need to be paid before they can release the winnings.

4.  Scams with Investments and Cryptocurrency

Many seniors look for ways to make their savings last longer, and scammers are more than happy to take advantage of this. They offer fake opportunities for investments and promise high returns with little to no risk. They pressure the senior to pay up before “it’s too late.”

Scams involving cryptocurrency are also very common these days; fraudsters will convince seniors to buy Bitcoin or something else for a fake investment and, once the money is sent, the scammer disappears.

5. Grandparent and Emergency Scams

This is an especially cruel scam and, in these cases, one can only hope that karma is real.

The scammer will call or message a senior and pretend to be their grandchild or family member in trouble. They might say they’re in jail, in a hospital, or stranded halfway across the world. Of course, they’ll beg for money right away and ask the senior not to tell anyone about it.

It’s not hard to imagine that the elderly will want to help and send money without asking too many (or any) questions. Some scammers even go so far as to use AI to mimic a loved one’s voice.

Conclusion

Gone are the days when all scammers were Nigerian princes who needed your help to get access to millions of millions of dollars, which they will then, of course, share selflessly with you. Now, scams are more believable than ever, and people in nursing homes often battle loneliness, lack of knowledge, and cognitive decline, so they’re easy targets.

If you have a family member in a nursing home, don’t let them get scammed. Visit them, explain what scams are and, once in a while, look over their online activity.