Scammers targeting seniors

SALISBURY, Md. — Scams are on the rise, and officials say seniors are often hit the hardest.

The growing number of scams targeting seniors ranges from fake family emergencies to phony prizes. Officials have shared several tips on how to protect older adults. The MAC Inc. Area Agency on Aging is working to safeguard them.

Nick Cranford, community relations and development coordinator for MAC, said seniors are more susceptible to digital scams such as fraudulent emails or phone calls because they did not grow up with the technology. He added that social isolation also makes seniors more vulnerable.

“Last year, seniors lost $46 million, a record high for the state in scams,” Cranford said. “So we think it’s really important for people to spread the word and check on your loved ones and make sure that they’re aware of some of the things to look for when it’s a scam. And there’s a number of things that you can look for.”

The first red flag is urgency. Scammers want victims to act immediately and sometimes use threats. The second is misspellings in emails. MAC officials said the most common scams they see involve Medicare, the IRS, romance schemes and tech support fraud.

Cranford said, “It could be a person who’s reaching out to say, hey, you have a virus on your computer and I can help. Those are the things that we want people to be on the lookout for and to be suspicious of and that’s what we want to make sure people know, be suspicious because these scams are real and they’re getting more and more sophisticated.”

It is important to check in with family members or friends before acting.

“One thing that we recommend is to create a safe word with a loved one or a family member because we’re hearing about scams where it might actually be a loved one’s voice on the other side of the phone saying, ‘I’m in need of help, please help me,’” Cranford said. “But the scammers are very sophisticated and they can create that using AI.”

Safe words help confirm that the caller is truly a loved one. If you think you have fallen victim to a scam, officials say you should not be embarrassed. Report it so others are not targeted and so you can get needed resources.

MAC frequently holds workshops and classes on how to avoid falling victim to scams.