Playbook · 10 min read

Protecting elderly parents from scams and fraud

Older adults lose billions to fraud every year, in part because their information is widely available and scammers know it. Here's how to protect your parents.

Why seniors are targeted

Scammers favor older adults because broker profiles often reveal their age, home ownership, and relatives — and because they're more likely to answer the phone. Common schemes include the 'grandparent' emergency call, fake tech support, and government-impersonation scams.

Protective steps that work

Set these up together:

Remove their details from broker and people-search sites.
Add carrier spam screening and a trusted-contacts list.
Agree on a family 'safe word' to verify emergency calls.
Freeze their credit to block fraudulent accounts.

Make it ongoing

Protection isn't a one-time conversation. Continuous removal and breach monitoring quietly keep their exposure low without putting the burden on them.

See where your data is exposed — free.

Run a free scan to find your personal information across 400+ broker sites, then let Periscope remove it.