BBB Tip: Taking care of those who need us most
(BBB) — National Family Caregivers’ Month helps us celebrate, honor and support those who provide
care to others. There’s a good chance that you are a family caregiver, or you know someone
who is.
Just over 1.2M people in Illinois and another 1.2M in Missouri are family caregivers.
Over 11 million American adults care for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia,
and according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, many family caregivers are older adults
themselves.
Read more or hear from Better Business Bureau Regional Director Pamela Hernandez below:
In many cases, caregivers are not just supporting someone’s health or medical needs, but
also their financial wellbeing.
Older adults, especially those living with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia, may
need extra support to protect themselves from fraud. Scam and fraud awareness is a
complex mental task, and it’s harder for those who have a condition that impacts memory,
thinking and behavior.
One of the best ways to prevent fraud is for caregivers to know the signs and talk about it
with their loved ones. BBB recommends that older adults and their caregivers familiarize
themselves with common scams and make a plan for what to do if they receive a strange
call or message.
I’m a caregiver – how can I help my loved one avoid fraud?
● Watch for warning signs. It may be time to talk with your loved one if they are
receiving frequent junk or spam calls, making unfamiliar payments, acting secretive
about phone calls or messages, or experiencing sudden financial trouble.
● Talk about fraud with your loved one. Help them be as prepared as possible –
discuss what common scams look like and encourage them to ignore suspicious
messages or phone calls. Make sure they know that you are there to help if
something doesn’t seem right, and that they can tell you if they receive a strange
call or message.
● Reduce solicitations. Register all unsolicited phone numbers on the “Do Not Call”
registry and all unsolicited mail on the “Do Not Mail” registry. You can also reduce
unwanted mail by registering with the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). Remove a
person’s name from the credit bureau’s mailing list by calling the Consumer Credit
and Reporting Industry at (1.888.567.8688).
● Screen calls. Make sure your loved one has a working caller ID and answering
machine. Advise them not to answer the phone for people they don’t know, and keep
in mind that caller ID can be spoofed. If someone is a frequent target for spam calls,
you may need to help them change their phone number.
● Discuss financial security. In some cases, it may be helpful to have a discussion
with your loved one about helping them secure their accounts and monitor their
finances to prevent and identify scams.
● Make a recovery plan. If you think a loved one has been targeted by a scam,
report it to BBB Scam Tracker. You may find yourself needing to help someone figure
out what to do after they’ve already experienced a scam – BBB's Scam Survival
Toolkit can give you a starting point to make a personalized recovery plan.
BBB has more resources for older adults.