With nearly 10 percent of seniors 65 and older and more
than 50 percent older than 80 suffering from some form of
memory loss, dementia or Alzheimer's disease, seniors and
their caregivers need to be leery of strange or unexpected
callers, warns the NCPC.
The organization has some tips to help seniors and their
caregivers avoid being victims of telemarketing fraud:
Sign up for the Do Not Call Registry at 888-382-1222 or
www.donotcall.gov. That will help decrease calls from
telemarketers.
If a caller
asks for personal information such as a credit card number
or Social Security number, say: "I don't give out personal
information over the phone. I'll contact the company
directly and provide them with the necessary information."
Then hang up.
If a caller offers a free item and then wants you to
pay for shipping and handling or taxes, say: "I shouldn't
have to send money for something that's free." Then hang up.
If a caller wants a decision on a limited-time offer
right away, say: "I'd like some time to think about this.
Tell me how I can get in touch with you. If I'm interested,
I'll call you back."
If you don't understand all the details of the verbal
offer, have the telemarketer send you the information by
mail. If the caller won't do that, say: "If you can't mail
me the information, then I can't talk to you."
A free brochure containing additional safety tips is
available by calling 800-WE-PREVENT or online at
www.ncpc.org.
