There's one simple thing that's an excellent start - tell her to never accept this sort of thing from someone calling HER.
If she gets a call from her "bank" saying she owes money or whatever...tell her to hang up and either call the bank at the number on the back of her bank card, or go in person, and discuss.
If she gets a call from her "credit card company", same - hang up and call THEM back at the number on the back of the card.
If she gets a call from the "CRA", hang up and call THEM back at the number directly on the CRA website.
ALWAYS verify by making an outgoing call, and NEVER give out any information to anyone on an incoming call - IE your credit card company doesn't need to you to verify your PIN number, they already have it, that sort of thing.
Just basically tell her to NEVER trust an incoming call anymore for ANYTHING as numbers can be faked and social engineering can convince even the most wary that they're talking to someone they're not. Heck, I had a call from the CRA last summer regarding something and I refused to talk to the guy as I had no way to verify it was actually the CRA calling. Instead, I asked for his extension, email address, and then called the main CRA number and called HIM instead - only then did I feel secure he was who he said he was.
In addition to those guidelines, tell her to always contact YOU and ask for help when it comes to anything regarding any sum of money being handled over the phone, including anything that requires her to give out her credit card numbers. It's a hard discussion to have, but reassure her that you're only there to help, not control, but that there's so many scams out there, tell her that you're well informed on how to avoid them.
It isn't just grandparents getting scammed. If you watch YouTube enough you find that businessmen and computer wise young people get scammed as well.
Have mom and pop over for a night of popcorn and YouTube showing how people get scammed out of savings and even their homes.
The bloodsuckers have no mercy. They will scam a disabled person out of tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars on "Government funded" repairs or alterations that turn out to be owner responsibility, property liened.
Maybe someone could comment on a POA limiting a person's right to sign long term or large amount agreements. They get a modest allowance so they can do a lunch or buy day to day necessities. A large commitment would require a second signature.
This hits a hot button for me because I have a friend who is comprehension challenged. If it wasn't for scammers he'd be OK but due to his naivety he gets suckered by free stuff. Sometimes he calls me too late, like his 15 year tankless hot water contract.
After it got installed he was informed that the warranty was void if he didn't install their water softener at $XX per month for 15 years. Some of that is being resolved favourably in court with several big name companies pleading guilty to various illegalities over the years.
I had to scream obscenities at him when he, living in Mississauga, was waiting for someone to come test his water for free. Plus they would give him a free atlas. Call the guy back and tell him to F himself.
What could the big players do to stop these scams?
The banks:
The banks could issue small limit cards but they don't want to. I never go near my limit but am constantly asked if I want an increase. There are restrictions on lower value loans.
Could the banks have double verification on money withdrawals over a minor amount, say $500? The main account holder would be identified as vulnerable and the POA holder would have to be contacted to confirm authenticity.
Facial recognition at ATMs
The banks don't want it. Banks don't want to see your face. Direct deposit and e transfers make them more profitable. When a client gets screwed the fine print says the client gets stabbed in the back.
The government:
Speed up the court process. If a person or couple goes on an extended vacation they could come back to their home being owned by someone else. After years of litigation and stress it gets settled but they never get their home back.
Immediately throw that back into the face of the people who failed to use due diligence in the transfer. The listing agent, the civil servants processing the paperwork, the notary accepting falsified documentation, EVERYONE gets their ***** kicked within a week. The buyer failed to use due diligence as well so has to move out until the situation is resolved.
For phone scams mandate telephone limits on robo calls.
Make the Do Not Call registry less of a joke. Consider the following:
Assume anyone can ring your doorbell anytime they want and you get hundreds of rings. You get so complacent about it you don't notice that one in ten peek in the window to scope the place out. One in ten of those come back later and break in. If you had a sign "No peddlers" and it was enforced it reduces the risks. Fix the DNC.
Make it a corporate
crime to ask unrelated questions on credit card applications.
I recently started an application for a Costco credit card, thinking it would be convenient to tap and pay for gas.
I understand that a credit application requires divulging one ability to pay but I didn't expect to be asked so many questions that Costco would know more about me than my mother. If Costco security got breached my personal information is on sale on the dark web. NO thanks to Costco cards.
Family
Drop in on aunt Agnes more often, not just at Christmas. Have a cup of tea with her and see if she hears about any bank scams, especially the ones she is supposed to keep secret because she is helping the bank find a dishonest teller.
What do you do about mentally challenged people?
We don't like the term retarded anymore but, ignoring political correctness, here goes.
My "comprehension challenged" friend would have in former years been called a bit retarded. Forget the PC semantics. He is. A 15 year old can't be held to a signed contract so why is a challenged adult?
How does the salesman know the difference? Tough luck if he doesn't. If it wasn't a scam it wouldn't make a difference.
Rant put on pause for the moment.
