As March Fraud Prevention Month draws to an end, I’ve been inundated with articles on fraud awareness. Here are a few things I’ve learned along the way.

First of all, according to the Canadian Government’s Competition Bureau, there are no typical victims. So while we ignorantly assume that victims must be fools; they are in fact, often educated, intelligent and relatively affluent people. So beware; anyone can fall prey to the wiles of deception.

Still, if there are no typical victims, why do we worry that our grandmother or our spouse may be tricked into a malicious scheme? When they can breeze through the Challenger Crossword and leave us floundering and chewing on our pencils, why do we still have this nagging worry that someone will outsmart them and take advantage of them?

 Simply, it may be because we know them to be caring, loving, and trusting people. Or it could be a case of loneliness when many older adults find themselves living on their own. Professional crooks are very friendly and compelling conversationalists! And part of their strategy is to appeal to our emotions and become our friends.

So we need to be alert when we’re dealing with strangers. We want to think with our brains --- not with our hearts!

Where’s the good news for Daybreak clients? We use only vetted third party professional resources that we trust and know will treat you respectfully and honestly. We can also pay sub-contractors, so that you do not have to give out your personal information.

If you want to read more about this topic and how you can protect yourself and your loved ones, go to Our Library, Articles written by Colleen Smart.