AI, or Artificial Intelligence, is just about everywhere these days. The topic is front and center on most media outlets. It is infiltrating social media discussions. For elderly men and women, is artificial intelligence a concern for them? Sure, if they worry about their children and grandchildren and their futures, what about something closer to home? Home care providers who work with seniors regularly are going to have their so-called antenna up detecting scams and will be able to warn their elderly clients about new, sophisticated scams as they continue to crop up.
AI is helping scammers become more effective at what they do.
There are numerous scams out there every single day. People are sitting down trying to devise new ways to scam money from other people, either by manipulating and deceiving them or simply getting their payment information or bank account information so they can steal it directly. Either way, seniors are often prime targets for these scammers, many of whom operate in other regions of the world.
If you have a landline phone still in your home, you may fully appreciate just how many calls come in every day. Even though the federal government passed laws years ago limiting telemarketers, these scammers that operate in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, Europe, Australia, Africa, South America, Central America, and even in the United States or Canada don’t care.
With technology, they can make it appear as though calls are coming from right down the street, even though they are originating somewhere else in the world. And, if you’re one of a dying breed of people who still have a landline phone in their homes, you understand that many of these calls come in and pretend to be an Internet provider or a phone service provider or something that an aging senior might not fully understand or appreciate.
A home care aide who works with an aging client would be able to support them, help them sift through legitimate calls and scam calls. And that is becoming an increasingly difficult challenge these days.
What are the most common scams?
Most of the time these days scammers target elderly men and women who are living alone and lonely. They get them on the phone and, because that elderly person is happy just to speak to someone, they will keep agreeing to whatever the person is selling, ultimately providing their payment information just to keep some on the phone for 30 minutes or more.
In the meantime, the scammers might be charging for every single thing they are selling, or they might be stealing those payment numbers and information to take it out at a different time.
Some scams pretend to be from the policemen’s benevolent society raising money. Others pass themselves off as their Internet service provider or phone service calling to check and make sure everything is fine and trying to “upsell” them on some other service, even though they don’t work for the phone or Internet provider.
How is AI impacting the scamming network?
It’s helping scammers get past digital gatekeepers, but it is also making it appear as though the calls are originating from closer to home or appear to be more legitimate. As AI continues to evolve and grow, it is only going to make detecting scams more difficult and that’s why it’s increasingly important that seniors have an advocate to help them during the day. And that’s what home care can offer.
If you or an aging loved one are considering Home Care Services in Nazareth PA please contact the caring staff at Extended Family Care Allentown today. Call 610-432-6766
Extended Family Care Allentown is a Trusted Home Care Agency in Allentown, Pennsylvania including Bethlehem, Easton, Emmaus, Macungie, Whitehall, Schnecksville, Catasauqua, Northampton, and Nazareth.
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