Money traps for seniors on the internet
Hong Hua was shocked to learn that her father had transferred more than 35 million yuan to a new friend online. VND to receive the package.
In the two years since the outbreak, Hoa said her 62-year-old father in Vinh Phuc has used the internet more to keep in touch with loved ones. “Lately he’s been spending a lot of time on social media and making a lot of new friends. It wasn’t difficult until my father asked me how to transfer money online,” explained office worker Hoa from Hanoi.
A few times ago he asked for a money order under the pretense of buying things online. If the frequency of “buying” is high, then he asks to open a bank card so that he can actively conduct transactions. “Over the weekend he offered to wire a friend over 35 million. The amount was too big, so I cautiously asked if my father was cheated,” Hong Ho said.
About two weeks ago, a foreign-named account on Facebook befriended her father and pretended to be a Google translator. This man says he has a gift he wants to ship to Vietnam, but the recipient has to pay the shipping agent $1,500 to receive the item. “In order for my father to trust me more, this man took a picture of the gift box, inside was a watch, a functional food, an iPad…” Hoa said.
I thought the carrier’s phone number connected, the caller said she needed to call money in advance to get the items. They also do not accept local pickup. It took Haa a long time to convince his father, due to many explanations, that it was some kind of scam that had been circulating on the internet for a long time.
A woman uses a smartphone in Wuhan, China, in 2021. In February, when Covid-19 broke out. See: Reuters
At the end of April, the portal of the Ministry of Public Security quoted the ministry’s chief of staff, Lt. Gen. Tho An X, as saying that villains had historically used cyberspace to reach victims. For example using social media to attack victims, make friends, send messages. Then airport staff, customs, tax… ask the victim to send him the goods, tax, fee, fine… to rob her.
Elderly people are being preyed on by online scammers, according to experts. The AARP 2022 Technology Trends Report (American Association of Retirement Persons) recently found that people aged 65 and over are using smartphones and tablets more often to read the news, play games and communicate. Seniors’ growing interest in online shopping and online payments also makes them a new target for baddies.
“Elderly fraud has become a multi-billion dollar business. Seniors in the United States lose at least $3 billion annually to scammers.” Orlando Sentinel This was announced by the US Department of Justice.
“The worst thing is that the authorities cannot accurately calculate the damage caused by scammers,” said David Brune, a professor at the University of Toronto. Many older people are afraid to talk about their past.
One of the reasons older people are popular prey for bad guys is that they are lonely. Most major scams are discovered after the children notice the unusual situation. And when they realize they are a victim, they don’t know how to deal with it. According to FBI statistics, people born between 1920 and 1940 are more likely to fall into a trap. Scammers approach their “prey” in a variety of ways, typically stealing personal information, social security numbers, retirement accounts, or credit card information.
According to AARP, the top 10 scams targeting people over 60 are love scams, followed by lotteries and sweepstakes. Business simulators are in third place, followed by government and mutual fund simulators. Scams posing as relatives, online shopping has peaked.
Special pages for older people aging in place According to experts, the first step is to avoid financial transactions to avoid becoming a victim online. “Do not give your money to anyone. Do not pay with gift cards. No organization or government agency is asking users to pay with gift cards. Do not pay with cryptocurrency. If someone asks you to pay for something in Bitcoin, Ether or any other cryptocurrency, they are probably a scammer.”
Meanwhile, in forms related to online scams, the Ministry of Public Security advises people not to provide personal information, phone numbers, home addresses, and funds without anyone knowing their identity and source and at the same time. Not lending or renting personal documents such as citizen ID, identity card, family book, bank card, not accepting bank orders from customers and not accepting money transfers from the bank to strangers.
Kung Nha