Dear Editor,

Recently I received a call from a 76-year-old man who told me he had been scammed. What makes matters worse is the fact that the person who defrauded him is his own daughter.

He explained to me that her name is in his bank book, and she set it up online without his knowledge or permission and siphoned money from the account, leaving only $210.10. The elderly man, a retiree and pensioner, who is still working, could not hold back the tears. He is so embarrassed he limits who he tells, and he does not wish to report it.

This is a serious issue affecting our elders. It is quite prevalent in Jamaica, with more and more people being affected. According to Keck School of Medicine, changes that can occur in ageing brains mean many elderly people are at risk for the grandparent scam and other financial crimes.

Scams catch us off guard, and anyone can be a victim. Fathers, mothers, and grandparents are not expecting to turn up at the bank to find empty accounts and told that their joint account holder — child, grandchild, etc — withdrew all their life savings.

There is not a lot being said about the prevalence of this crime in Jamaica and the fact that online banking has created a haven for scammers to ply their trade, especially against the elderly. These people are easy victims as they are not technologically savvy, and the banks and their policies have forced them to become increasingly dependent on others to carry out digitally driven transactions on their behalf.

How can our elderly avoid being scammed?

The main way to protect themselves is through education. Here are a few steps that can be taken:

• Encourage them not to give out sensitive personal information over the phone or in response to an e-mail, social media post, or text message. Sensitive information includes Tax Registration Number, bank account information, credit card numbers, PINs, and passwords.

• Encourage them to frequently check incoming bills, including utility bills and credit card statements, for charges that were not authorised. They should contact the utility provider, credit card company, or bank if they see any charges they don’t recognise.

• Encourage them to protect electronic accounts by keeping the security software up to date and by using multifactor authentication when possible.

• Encourage them not to transfer money to strangers or someone over the phone. Similarly, never buy a gift card to pay someone over the phone. Once you transfer money or share the numbers on the back of a gift card, there’s usually no way to get your money back.

• Let them know that if someone is trying to scam them they may threaten or pressure them to act immediately. If this happens, they should not panic. If they suspect it’s a scam, end the call and talk to someone they trust.

Let’s work together to safeguard the dignity of our elders.

Karen McFarlane

karmac1980@gmail.com