--- title: How to Protect Yourself Against Scams description: According to the FBI, there were 92,371 seniors affected by fraud in 2021, causing $1.7 billion in losses. As financial scams increase, it is important for seniors to know how to spot a scam and how to protect themselves against them. image: https://articles.wellzesta.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design-Oct-17-2022-07-30-07-82-PM.png --- [![Wellzesta](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/652ed4901978b1a2ac40ce28_LogoWellzesta.svg)](https://www.wellzesta.com/) [Home](https://www.wellzesta.com/) [Solutions](https://www.wellzesta.com/solutions) [Benefits](https://www.wellzesta.com/benefits) Resources ![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6527f83222cbee1b24466c7a_chevron-down.svg) [Articles A library worth reading](https://articles.wellzesta.com/) [White Papers Research-focused discoveries](https://www.wellzesta.com/resources/white-papers) [Case Studies Real-world client benefits](https://www.wellzesta.com/#cases) [Videos Watch our videos](https://www.wellzesta.com/resources/videos) [About us](https://www.wellzesta.com/about-us) [Contact](https://www.wellzesta.com/contact) [Book a Demo](https://www.wellzesta.com/#book-a-demo) ![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6527f83222cbee1b24466cad_menu-3-line.svg) [Home](https://www.wellzesta.com/) [Solutions](https://www.wellzesta.com/solutions) [Benefits](https://www.wellzesta.com/benefits) Resources ![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6527f83222cbee1b24466c7a_chevron-down.svg) [Articles A library worth reading](https://articles.wellzesta.com/) [White Papers Research-focused discoveries](https://www.wellzesta.com/resources/white-papers) [Case Studies Real-world client benefits](https://www.wellzesta.com/#cases) [Videos Watch our videos](https://www.wellzesta.com/resources/videos) [About us](https://www.wellzesta.com/about-us) [Contact](https://www.wellzesta.com/contact) # How to Protect Yourself Against Scams ##### Posted by [Annie Keough](https://articles.wellzesta.com/author/annie-keough) on October 17, 2022 ![](https://articles.wellzesta.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design-Oct-17-2022-07-30-07-82-PM.png)   [**According to the FBI**](https://ncoa.org/article/top-5-financial-scams-targeting-older-adults), there were **92,371** seniors affected by fraud in 2021, causing **$1.7 billion in losses**. As financial scams increase, it is important for seniors to know how to spot a scam and how to protect themselves against them. Online scammers **target older adults** because they’re believed to have the most money and are the most vulnerable to online and telephone attacks. **How to identify a scam** Knowing the warning signs of a scam is key to avoiding them. There are a few common Internet scams that specifically target seniors, including: - **     Malware emails**. When someone sends you an email containing malware, it will typically ask you to **download something** or will start a download automatically when you open the email. If this happens, **delete the download immediately** to avoid hackers gaining access to personal information on your computer. - **     Winning lottery**. These scams usually contain a **large, colorful pop-up ad** saying that you’ve won a certain amount of money or helped the website reach a certain number of views. This scam is used to get you to provide account information so they can “send” you the money you’ve won. - **     Grandparent scam**. When a scammer either imitates someone’s grandchild or says they’re in danger to get the grandparent to pay them money. They will typically ask the grandparent to cover a **hospital bill**, **bail them out of jail**, or pay for a **plane ticket back from a foreign country.** - **     Prescription drugs.** Some con artists will advertise **cheaper** and **more effective** alternatives to the prescription drugs you are currently taking. These scams are very dangerous as they can create physical harm if the drugs are counterfeit. According to the **United States Senate Special Committee on Aging for Avoiding Scam**s, there are a few warning signs you can generally keep in mind to identify a scam. Con artists will: 1. Coerce you into making **quick decisions** and sometimes threaten you 2. Use **fake phone numbers** to disguise their real ones 3. Often pretend to be government officials, like the **IRS** 4. Attempt to make you provide personal information **over the phone** (Social Security number, account numbers) See the IRS’s official website detailing ways to spot a fake IRS phone call [**here**](https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/five-easy-ways-to-spot-a-scam-phone-call). **How to protect yourself in the future** Seniors and other people who want to protect themselves against scams in the future **need to be aware of online financial scams** and how they can disguise themselves. Know the warning signs of potential online or telephone scams and keep in mind that **if a certain deal looks too good to be true, it probably is**.  Always check with a **family member, friend, or healthcare provide**r before giving your personal information away over the phone or online.  **Wellzesta** Wellzesta prioritizes the **eight dimensions of wellness** to achieve holistic well-being. A part of the dimensions includes **financial** and **intellectual wellness**. Wellzesta Life and Elevate provide users with resources needed to help **practice online safety** through daily wellness content. Our platforms also provide **peace of mind** by securely housing user information and data. Click [**here**](https://www.wellzesta.com/) to learn more about how Wellzesta can help your community. [Financial Wellness](https://articles.wellzesta.com/topic/financial-wellness) [Resident Engagement](https://articles.wellzesta.com/topic/resident-engagement) [intellectual wellness](https://articles.wellzesta.com/topic/intellectual-wellness) [senior wellness](https://articles.wellzesta.com/topic/senior-wellness) [health & wellness](https://articles.wellzesta.com/topic/health-wellness) [internet safety](https://articles.wellzesta.com/topic/internet-safety) --- Main pages [Home](https://www.wellzesta.com/) [Solutions](https://www.wellzesta.com/solutions) [Benefits](https://www.wellzesta.com/benefits) [About us](https://www.wellzesta.com/about-us) [Contact](https://www.wellzesta.com/contact) [Life](https://www.wellzesta.com/products/wellzesta-life) [Elevate](https://www.wellzesta.com/products/wellzesta-elevate) [Vis](https://www.wellzesta.com/#) [Connect](https://www.wellzesta.com/#) [Discover](https://www.wellzesta.com/#) [Thrive](https://www.wellzesta.com/#) Case Studies [Greenfield Community](https://www.wellzesta.com/cases/greenfield-community) [Enterprise Organizations](https://www.wellzesta.com/cases/enterprise-organizations) [Sigle-Site Community](https://www.wellzesta.com/cases/single-site-community) [Home Care Franchises](https://www.wellzesta.com/cases/home-care-franchises) Contact us [![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6527f83222cbee1b24466c11_mail.svg) info@wellzesta.com](mailto:templates@wavesdesign.io) ![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6527f83222cbee1b24466c02_message-circle.svg) @wellzesta ![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6527f83222cbee1b24466bfc_phone.svg) 864-214-6530 [![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/652ed4901978b1a2ac40ce28_LogoWellzesta.svg)](https://www.wellzesta.com/old-home) We transform legacy communication systems into innovative, highly-adopted engagement platforms that support resident well-being and staff efficiency. [![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6578c30da1267d7c18f4dd93_linkedin-review.svg)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellzesta/) [![](https://assets-global.website-files.com/6527f83222cbee1b24466b4d/6578c30d65f07e3392c9d87f_facebook-review.svg)](https://www.facebook.com/wellzesta/) Newsletter Stay up-to-date with our newsletter. No spam, just good stuff. Thank you! Your submission has been received! Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form. Site created by Wellzesta (Copyright 2024) | Wellzesta is based in Charlotte, North Carolina and works with organizations across the United States. [Terms of Service](https://www.wellzesta.com/terms-of-service) | [Privacy Policy](https://www.wellzesta.com/privacy-policy) | [Cookie Policy](https://www.wellzesta.com/privacy-policy)