When the kids grow up and move out, not only is there more space at home for older couples, but they may have a little more money in their bank accounts as well.
And it’s that attractive financial background that could make even the most savvy of older residents susceptible to a number of mail and phone scams.
That’s exactly the message Bernard Macias, associate state director of AARP Long Island, wants to share as part of a series of Herald Inside LI webinars hosted by RichnerLive.
“They will gain the most (financially) from these folks,” Macias shared during a recent webinar. “They own a home and they have good credit. So financially, they have a lot more at stake.”
The first two installments of the webinars — which can be watched at tinyurl.com/HeraldInsideLI — also featured Donna Harris, Michael Del Giudice and Joseph Marcus from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. A third one is scheduled for Thursday, April 28 at noon. There are a variety of ways people can be scammed — by mail, by phone, by email — and some can sound quite convincing.
Like charity scams. The trick? Don’t succumb to pressure to pull out your credit card.
“There are some that are legitimate businesses,” Harris said. “But instead of giving over the phone — because you don’t know who you’re speaking with — ask them to mail you the information.”
And then there’s…
