Five Tips to Protect Your Elderly Loved One from Identity Theft

Seniors are at a higher risk for identity theft than the rest of the population. Malicious people profit by targeting the trusting nature of seniors and taking advantage of their lack of expertise with modern technology. The issue is further complicated if your loved one suffers from Alzheimers disease or dementia, where confusion and other cognitive symptoms are common. You may not be able to stop every attempt at identify theft, but there are things you can do to protect your elderly family member from these types of scams.

Invest in a Shredder

To begin with, invest in a quality shredder. Too many cases of identity theft stem from old discarded documents winding up in the hands of crooks, who can exploit the data for their own needs. Shredding unnecessary personal and financial documents can help alleviate this.

Guard Credit Cards

Make sure your elderly loved ones are properly guarding and storing their credit cards and other valuables. In addition to the card itself, it is important that the card and CCV number are not disclosed to anyone but the most trusted people, especially when someone calls on the phone and claims that a family member is in trouble and requires money.

Invest in a Safe

Towards that end, its best to invest in a high-quality safe to store important papers and valuables. Remember you get what you pay for. You certainly dont want a cheap safe. Make sure that both its construction and its combination system are sturdy. It is important that you or another trusted caregiver knows the combination, as a loved one with Alzheimers disease or dementia may forget.

Dont Give Out Personal Info

One of the great challenges of our online age is figuring out how to balance the great propensity towards sharing everything versus the security risk. Realizing that sharing everything openly carries a higher risk that someone will take the information we share and use it for wrongful ends. That goes for protecting elderly loved ones from identity theft, too”internet scams work precisely by exploiting their trust. Ensuring that your elderly loved ones dont give out personal info”online or in person”to those who dont need it can be a crucial step in cutting down the overall risk of identity theft.

Verify Sites as Safe

Finally, youll want to ensure that their browsing experience itself is safe. Here, youll want to do things like installing antivirus, adblock, anti-phishing, and firewall software on their computers so as to prevent threats.

To learn more about protecting your elderly loved ones from identity theft or to discuss in-home Alzheimers care or dementia care options, call Qualicare Family Homecare at 613.366.2899.