Fraud Facts

• Many victims are older, live alone, and may suffer from some cognitive impairment.
• Criminals can use Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to "spoof" caller ID, making a call appear to come from anywhere in the world, the United States, or even from a government agency.
• Victims sometimes bond with the criminals who are preying on them. Criminals take an active interest in their lives, and often spend hours on the phone talking to victims. This relationship can cause victims to continue to send money even after they've been advised that they're being scammed. They may even take steps to hide these payments and resist efforts to break off contact with the criminals.
• People who enjoy entering sweepstakes, lotteries, and games of chance may be at a higher risk for becoming victims. Criminals may purchase legitimate mailing lists to find victims.

Educate older relatives to the threat now. Plan how you will deal with these issues to protect them in the future.