There has been a lot of press on the subject of telemarketing and other marketing fraud. Much of the fraud is focused on seniors, though I object to the view that seniors are less able to discern skullduggery. (But for those of us with old parents or friends, here are some pointers, most of which pertain to both phone calls and visits to the door.)

  • Beware of cold calls. In fact, you should get on the no-call lists. Even when the call appears to come from an organization you know there is no surety that this is the case. https://www.donotcall.gov/ is a national do-not-call list maintained by the Federal Trade Commission and, as of 2007, your phone number does not expire. There are organizations that are exempt from this, but you will significantly decrease the number of calls you receive. A lot of additional data is available on their FAQ at http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/alerts/alt107.shtm
  • If you do want to talk to the organization, call them back. But don’t assume that the phone number they give you is correct. Find the number from a billing statement or their web site. Many fake phone calls come from banks, but they are not really your bank.
  • Never give private information, like social security number or account numbers or passwords. Beware of people who call and ask you to verify your private information.
  • Many tradesmen will come to the door stating that you have a problem with your lawn or driveway or roof and offering to fix it as they are in the neighborhood. Don’t do it. In some cases they want you to come outside with them while a colleague goes through the house.
  • Scammers want you to respond immediately. “This offer is only good right now”. This is a standard ploy with Timeshare companies. Never make an expensive decision (whatever that word means to you) without taking time to think about it.