Book ~ "Scammed: 3 Steps to Help Your Elder Parent and Yourself" (2012) Art Maines

From Amazon ~ One in five U.S. seniors are scam victims, learn how to prevent and recover from this crime.

When author Art Maines’ beloved stepfather, Bill, was cheated out of thousands of dollars, Art went on a mission to ensure no other family experiences this tragic crime.

In Scammed, Art provides a three step scam prevention and recovery program, based on his training as a social worker, therapist, and his extensive research. Suitable for seniors or children of elderly parents, Scammed will help you:

• Understand the most common types of scams 
• Learn the psychological ploys used by scammers so that you can spot a scammer immediately 
• Create a scam prevention plan 
• Recover from a scam with your dignity intact 
• Use the resources in your community if you suspect a scam 

This is a good book if you have elderly parents and you want to ensure they don't scammed and what to do if they have been scammed.  Plus it makes you more aware so that you yourself don't get scammed.

Seniors are more vulnerable to fraud and being scammed because:

• They like to help
• They tend to be more trusting
• They may be lonely and isolated
• They are at home a lot, especially during the day
• They may have lost some degree of physical or mental sharpness
• People age 50+ control 70% of the nation's wealth

Types of scams and frauds include:

• Telemarketing
• Home repair rip-offs
• Investment scams
• Magazine subscription services
• Identity theft
• Phony sweepstakes and lotteries
• Caregiver fraud
• Relationship-based, Romeo rip-off
• Grandchild stuck in a foreign country ruse

The author was driven to write this book and share his experiences when his stepfather was scammed.  He goes into a lot of detail of what to do if you suspect or determine your parent has been scammed along with checklists and resource links.