"I'm Not Interested. Thank You And Good-bye."

Question: My parents continually get phone calls from companies offering “great deals.” I know most of the calls are probably scams, but my parents will listen to the telemarketers. I’m afraid that one day my parents will fall for one of these hoaxes. Are there any tips on how to help elders avoid making this mistake?

Answer: You have good reason to be concerned for your parents. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), consumers lose more than $40 billion a year to telemarketing fraud. People over 50 years of age account for about 56 percent of all victims. Last year alone, almost nine million Americans were robbed of private financial information.

Telephone scams can involve phony prize offers or travel deals and fake charities. The FTC warns seniors to listen for “buzz words for fraud” that include:

• Act "now" or the offer will expire.
  
  
• You’ve won a "free" gift or prize—if you pay for "postage and handling.”
  
  
• We need your credit card or bank account number or our courier will pick up your check.
  
  
• You can’t afford to miss this "high-profit, no-risk" offer.

Try educating your parents about these phrases and the laws about legitimate telemarketing. They should know that telemarketers must indicate the call is a sales call, the name of the seller, and what they are selling — before they make their pitch. Callers are not allowed to withdraw money from your parent’s checking account without your parents’ express, verifiable authorization.

Your parents may be letting politeness threaten their financial security. Suggest they make their interactions with telemarketers brief. Provide short answers for your parents to use when talking with a caller. For example, if they receive an unwanted call, they can say:  "I don’t do business with people whom I don’t know," "Please put me on your ‘Do-Not-Call List,’" or "I need written information about your offer.” The simplest response is, "I’m not interested. Thank you and good-bye."

The FTC recommends that adult children talk to their elder parents and remind them not to make any deals over the phone, never give out information about their bank accounts or credit cards unless they made the first call, and know with whom they are speaking.

If you suspect your parents have been called by a scam artist, file a complaint with the FTC by calling 202-FTC-HELP. Massachusetts state residents can file a complaint about phone scams with the Attorney General at 617-727-8400.

To reduce telephone sales calls, write a brief letter requesting that your parents not receive sales calls and send it, with your parents’ names, address, and telephone number, to: Direct Marketing Association, Box 9014 Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014.

You should also put your parent’s phone number on the FTC’s Do Not Call list by calling 888-382-1222 or going to www.donotcall.gov. They will still get calls from charities, political groups, surveys, or companies with which they have ties, but other telemarketers will not be allowed to call them. You should also put their number on the Massachusetts Do Not Call list by calling 866-231-2255. Remind your parents that it’s illegal under federal law for a telemarketer to call them if you have asked not to be called.

A little education and some proactive steps can help your parents avoid becoming ensnared in a scam.