We are facing a big problem in the United States with senior financial abuse, and it is estimated that our elders are bilked and scammed out of billions of dollars annually.
The true extent of the problem is hidden to a large extent. As shameful as it may be, a very significant percentage of cases of elder abuse are perpetrated by people that are close to the abused individual, and this includes family members. Many of the victims fail to come forward to report instances of abuse because of a sense of embarrassment coupled with the desire to protect the abuser.
The above is a very delicate but troubling dynamic. However, in addition to this there are also countless instances of scams initiated by career criminals and predators. In the age of the Internet they have another avenue to explore, so it is important to act intelligently and protect your sensitive information online.
Experts say that you should have relatively complicated passwords and never use the same password to access multiple accounts. You should also change up your passwords regularly and of course keep them under lock and key if necessary to protect them from prying eyes.
One may also engage the services of a reputable credit monitoring service. If you subscribe to such a service you will be notified any time your identity is being used.
Common sense will go a long way toward mitigating your exposure to elder financial abuse. There are also legal steps that can be taken to provide layers of protection. If you would like to explore them simply take a moment to arrange for an informative consultation with a good Hartford estate planning lawyer.
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