By Jonathan Kraft
Arnold Schwarzenegger may not be able to be a "Terminator" of financial scams and crimes against the elderly but as California Governor Schwarzenegger signed into effect two laws to help the elderly. The first, SB1343 permits senior citizens to have a friend or family member in the courtroom for support.
"By allowing a friend or family member in the courtroom while giving difficult testimony, elderly and disabled adults will feel more comfortable coming forward and pressing charges to allow justice to be served," Schwarzenegger said in a statement. "This legislation not only protects this vulnerable community, but helps to prevent these types of crimes from happening again."
The second law to protect seniors is SB 612, which provides victims of identity theft the opportunity to have their cases prosecuted in the county that they live in, which is not always the county where the crime occurred. This law provided victims making it much easier for victims to file charges and have the crime prosecuted without the added expense and burden of travel.
What can you do to protect yourself or your elderly loved ones?
1. Stay educated about identity theft, recent identity theft scams, identity theft laws, your rights, remedies and so on. Here's a great list of resources to check out and save.
Trusted Sources for Helpful Information on Protecting Yourself from Identity Theft:
A. The American Association of Retired Persons offers tips through their magazine and their website.
B. ID Theft dot gov is the federal government's website resource.
C. The non-profit organization, Identity Theft Resource Center, has information on their website, as well as a toll free number, 1 (888) 400-5530.
D. The US Department of Justice
E. Visit the Older Americans Administration on Aging to learn more about the Older Americans Act.
If you're not internet savvy, your local library can assist you with internet research.
2. Many seniors have carried their social security card and number around for decades and it is a hard habit to break but seniors need to understand that today the practice simply isn't smart or safe. Medicare card numbers put seniors at risk too. Instead seniors can leave their cards secured at home and instead carry a copy of their Medicare card with them, with the SSN blacked out. This will help you get the medical treatment you need in case of emergency and but still keep your information safe in case of a theft. Hospitals will not deny treatment based on carrying a copy of your Medicare card. The real card can be presented later.
3. Do not give out information over the phone, especially bank account or credit card information. If someone calls and claims to be from a bank or credit card company, hang up and call the institution back at a number you already have on a statement. Real institutions will not ask you for sensitive information over the phone and will already have the answers to the questions scammers are fishing for.
4. There are so many worthy charities out there and unfortunately so many charity scams that want to prey on the generosity of the elderly. CharityNavigator.org is a trustworthy site for researching charities before giving.
5. Invest in a shredder and a lock safe box. Keep and lock up tax returns for seven years but you have 15 year old tax returns, it is time to shred them.
Wayne Stenehem, the North Dakota Attorney General, spoke at the West Central Vulnerable Adults Coalition event and shared, "Certainly things you need to keep indefinitely like your marriage, divorce, other family, military records. Those kinds of things you keep forever, but your bank accounts and your telephone accounts, those kinds of things can be destroyed."
6. Shred all pre-approved credit card offers. They put you at risk for identity theft.
7. Never sign the back of your credit cards. Instead write photo i.d. required. This makes a stolen credit card less useful in retail stores or banks, although it could still be used for on-line or phone shopping.
8. Signing up for the Do Not Call Registry can help protect your phone number from scammers.
-Opt out of receiving offers based on your credit report by calling 1-888-567-8688, the Federal Trade Commissions "opt out" line.
10. Review your financial records including banking, credit card, Social Security benefits, insurance statements and Medicare statements as they arrive for inaccuracies.
11. Use passwords but choose carefully. It's tempting to chose an easy to remember number like the last four digits of your social or your birthday but these are too easy for identity thieves. Also, don't write down and keep your passwords on your desks, in your purse or address book. Lock these away in your lock box too.
12. Don't carry credit cards with you that you don't need. Be sure to make copies of cards and have all phone numbers on file in case your card is stolen or accessed.
13. Protect your mail from identity thieves. Use a locking mailbox and cancel mail delivery through your post office when you will be away.
14. Don't put your trash out way ahead of time for curbside pick up and make sure any trash bins you store outside aren't easily accessible without being seen. Dumpster diving is just one small way identity thieves go treasure hunting but it still happens..
15. Lastly, be very careful when issuing a power of attorney. Don't make a quick, rash or emotional decision and be very suspicious of new acquaintances or newly interested relatives that offer to be your power of attorney. Power of attorney really does offer a lot of power.
Your local police department can help you file identity theft charges but there are many steps that you can take to prevent identity theft and also to stop the crime from continuing if you have become a victim. Unfortunately, you can't ever "retire" from protecting yourself from identity theft.
Jonathan Kraft is a recognized expert in helping people to understand Identity Theft prevention and protection. Learn more about the secrets used by identity thieves at the Identity Theft Secrets blog.
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First, she was physically present. She graciously found her way into a room, whether it was beside someone in need, in the midst of a celebration or at the feet of the person at the dinner table most likely to give her some human treats.
