Immediately after the Coronavirus Emergency Aid Package signing, emails promoting services to get that money faster began. The bill presented a new chance to scam. Scammers and black hat hackers are criminals. So, of course, they would not hesitate to prey on someone in today’s desperate situation. They often target the elderly.

Maybe you should set a goal of spending at least an hour this week reconnecting with some people you know by telephone to remind them to be cautious of any phone call or email they receive from their bank, the IRS, someone trying to give them money or any of the numerous common scams. Reach out to an elderly relative or a few elderly clients. Remind them that they know you and can ask you for advice if someone is trying to get them to disclose their personal information like credit card numbers, bank account numbers or birthdates. Tell them your best advice is often just hang up the phone.

You may save someone you know a lot of pain. At worst, you will have spent a pleasant hour or so reconnecting with some significant people in your life, some of who might be a bit lonely.

Action Steps

Even if you have a busy schedule today, take a moment to write down the names of five people you should contact with this message.

The FTC Scam Alert page is https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/scam-alerts. It is a good link to share.