Unfortunately, the senior living community is often targeted by scams and fraudsters, looking to take advantage of those who do not know better. This can even happen to seniors in Penticton's Assisted Living Communities, and the best defense against these scammers is to be aware of some of the more common scams.

Revenue Canada Scam

Perhaps the most common scam that targets seniors in assisted living in Penticton is the CRA scam. With this scam, fraudsters will reach out to their targets by phone, email, mail or even text message claiming to be the Canada Revenue Agency and request personal information such as social insurance numbers, credit card numbers, bank account numbers or even passport number. Often, these fraudsters claim this information is needed in order to issue a refund or other benefit payment. Remember, the CRA will never threaten you or demand information quickly.

The Grandparent Scam

This scam is also referred to as the grandchild scam. It often involves receiving a phone call from a person who claims to be your grandchild, and will tell you that he or she is in big trouble and needs help. OFten, they will ask that you immediately wire money to get them out of this made-up scenario. If you ever receive one of these calls, you should hang up and call your child or grandchild to determine legitimacy of the claim. Do not transfer money or give the caller any personal information.

Gift Card Scams

The gift card scam is an elaborate scam that also is targeted toward seniors. These scams often involve receiving a phone call that claims your bank accounts have been hacked. The caller will claim to be a bank employee, and ask for you to run a specific software program on your computer.

This software is actually a virus, which can then be used to gather your personal data and banking information, and from here the fraudster will then show you fraudulent charges on your credit card, one from EBay and another for Google Play cards. The victim is then told that the only way to have these charges reversed is to buy Google Play gift cards, scan the code, and send them to the caller. From here, the scammer may even further escalate the scam, having your transfer money after claiming to be working with the RCMP. This is a scam and your bank will never ask you to purchase gift cards.

These are just some examples of the complex and elaborate scams designed to target Canada’s vulnerable seniors. If you are ever messaged or called, make sure you talk to a loved one that you trust before giving any personal information.