January 2007 Vol. 26. No. 1

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Protect your resources
All about reverse mortgages
Get lunch delivered in Eureka
Get help with energy costs
Retraining and working
Radios available for hearing newspapers
Medicare drug plans for January

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This is only one of the many reasons why seniors are so at risk for financial abuse and scams. Seniors have worked hard all their lives and have compiled many assets - homes without mortgages, stocks, bank accounts, retirement funds and policies.

Another reason why seniors are so vulnerable to fraud and scams is that they are easy to reach by phone. While others are not available during work hours, seniors often are. In most cases seniors are more patient, trusting and willing to listen to someone on the phone. In some cases seniors may have lost a spouse who handled financial matters and now are suddenly responsible for making those decisions. They can fall prey to scam artists.

To guard against financial crimes or abuse here are a few guidelines.

1. Never give out your personal information. Do not give our your credit card numbers or their expiration date, your Social Security number, driver's license number, bank account numbers or even your mother's maiden name, to anyone unless you made the call and know who you are talking to. Some scam artists will tell you that it is only for identification purposes.

Never give out this information on the Internet either unless you are on a secure site that you went to. Do not use a link that was sent to you. If this information is needed, a real caller will understand if you want to hang up and call them back at the number you find listed in your phone book.

2. Use direct deposit whenever possible. This creates less paperwork that could find its way into the wrong hands. Remember, your mail is vulnerable both incoming and outgoing while sitting in your mailbox. A recent study showed that 25 percent of your neighbors look through other people's trash. Their intent may not be to steal from you, they just may be nosey. Either way your trash and mail are vulnerable.

3. Dispose of all credit applications by shredding them. Tearing them up into small pieces is not enough. I saw a show that illustrated how a credit application was torn, taped back together and mailed back to Bank of America, complete with a change of address. The shocking part was that this did not raise any flags and a credit card was sent several weeks later.

If you have such mail that you need to shred, please bring it to the senior center. We have a wonderful machine that was donated by Staples and will shred up to 26 pages at a time. It will shred disks and credit cards too.

4. The best rule of all is, "When in doubt, check it out." Talk to trusted family members, friends or neighbors. Another resource is to check with the Better Business Bureau.

It is a shame that we live in an age where we have to take so many precautions. Let your mother's words ring in your ears, "It is better to be safe than sorry."

Danna Bates is director of the McKInleyville Senior Center. Her e-mail is dbates@humboldt1.com.