Many of the scams and forms of fraud that target seniors take place on the internet. Tech support fraud is an especially insidious way for scam artists to try to get money and information out of older Americans. Often, these scams ask individuals to buy a gift card in order to get out of trouble. Threats and other forms of coercion can convince seniors that if they don’t do what the scam artist request, they could be arrested or hurt.
However, there are ways to stay safe from these scams. First, don’t call any number that comes up in a tech support pop-up. Call the company directly. And second, know that no company or government agency will ask you to pay them in gift cards.
Learn more about gift card scams from The Seniors Center Blog’s post “Gift Card Scams Swindle Seniors Out of Millions.”
The Seniors Center is here to help seniors stay safe online. Report any attempted scams to the FTC and keep up with our latest posts on Twitter and Facebook to learn more about different forms of fraud.
