Retirees Being Targeted for Identity Theft
Some few days back I was having dinner with a friend of mine I have not seen for a very long time, we were talking about life event and lots more, not too long the conversation transitioned into how parents are doing. My friend seemed to be very happy for his parents, his parents were retiring at a high-end retirement home which caters for every old people’s needs. I was happy for him as well, but what got me thinking (helped along by all the invitation I have been getting to join AARP) with all the news about data breaches at insurance companies like Anthem and shopping venues like Target and Home Depot, was how ready his parents were for identity theft?
According to a recent survey by Experian, 11% of people above the age of 65 were reported to have at one point in had their financial information stolen. Elderly people are usually more likely to be at greater risk of identity theft because they a higher amount of cash reserves and home equity. Also, most older people are less savvy technologically and are mostly not aware of the trends of identity theft. Even with these lapses, yet most retired people do not monitor their credit and financial accounts very closely.
I recently read where someone at AARP (for the record they were formerly the American Association of Retired Persons and now just known simply as AARP) stated that one of the most popular places for identity theft to take place against the older people is usually in retirement homes. This may seem a little bit surprising to you; however it is obvious that these homes are full of staff members and assistants who have access to elderly people’s personal information like SSN, personal information and insurance records. This kind of situation creates a room for unscrupulous people to compromise those details of the people in their care.
I have few examples to site here, from ProtectMyID.com™ Fraud Resolution Agents included one of that of an elderly member who was taken advantage of at a retirement home, $16,000 was stolen from her while she was in residence. Another story was that of a certified nurse taking personal information from a nursing home patient and took more than $5,000 both in goods and services. The good news was that these victims got assistance from dedicated Fraud Resolution Agents who aided them through the resolution process.
One question remains, “what can you do to protect your parents from identity theft when the time comes, whether it is travelling around the world or it’s in a retirement home?” you can talk to your parents about protecting their identity against theft. Here is a few tips you can share with them, these include keeping their credit cards and other crucial information locked away in a secured safe and you can help them to sign up for a good identity theft protection program like LifeLock.com, this service will give them prompt alert on key changes carried out on their credit reports, scan the internet for sensitive information belonging to them, then it will go further to notify them when some initiates any sort of change in their names and address.
One last thing you can also help them with is to tell them about LifeLockCodes.com, we offer a great variety of discounts and promo codes for any package they decide to use withLifeLock.com Whether you want them to save 20 percent, get 30 or even 60 days risk free* as well as other great offers we can help. Send them this article and you will both educate and help save them money while trying to protect their identity.
I hope this article was helpful enough to expose you to the level and trend of identity theft, do not fail to introduce the services mentioned here to your parents, you could be helping them save a fortune.
