Living with dementia magazine March 2011

'My mum has dementia. We found out that she keeps sending cheques to companies claiming she has won money in lotteries and must pay a fee upfront to claim the money. What can I do to protect her?' People with dementia are among those most at risk of being victims of scams. According to an Age UK survey, older people are more likely to be the victims of fraud, with people aged between 70 and 79 making up almost a fifth of victims.

Criminal gangs target older people by phone, letter and email. Common cons include bogus foreign lotteries, miracle health cures, fake prize draw wins and investment opportunities. The caller's question is a good example of one of the traps people with dementia can fall into.

Alarmingly, many people who respond to these scams unwittingly identify themselves as open to them. Their names can then be added to so-called 'suckers lists,' which are used by scammers to target people with more mailings and phone calls.

Here, we outline how you can protect yourself and your loved ones from some of the scams that occur.

• You can reduce the amount of unsolicited letters and mailings that you or the person you care for receives by registering with the Mailing Preference Service.  This is a free service for people who do not want to receive sales and marketing via the post. You can register by phone - 0845 703 4599 - or online at www.mpsonline.org.uk
• You could offer to help the person you care for with their post, either by going through the post together, or offering to post their mail for them. This way, you can check the letters before cheques are sent.
• Some carers and relatives arrange to have mail redirected. This would enable you to go through the mail and remove any untoward letters. This can be arranged through the post office.

As well as postal scams, people can also be targeted on the phone. For example, a person may receive a call telling them they have won in a prize draw and must call a premium-rate number (starting with 090) to claim their winnings. Once they call the premium rate number, the voice message will keep them on the phone for as long as possible so the scammers can claim more money from the cost of the call.

To protect yourself and anyone you care for from phone scams, you can register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS).

As with the Mail Preference Service, the TPS offers a free register for individuals who do not wish to receive unsolicited sales and marketing telephone calls. To register, call 0845 070 0707 or go to their website at www.tpsonline.org.uk You can also speak to the telephone company about blocking calls from withheld numbers, which can reduce the amount of these phone calls.

Further information

The Office of Fair Trading has launched a campaign to raise awareness of scams. It has a useful free publication with more information about how to protect yourself. For a free copy of Scambuster: Your guide to beating the scammers, call 0800 389 3158.

Age UK also has two very useful free information guides, Avoiding scams and Staying safe, which warn people of the most common scams and provide practical steps to ensure older people are able to protect themselves. To order a free copy, call 0800 169 6565.

Sam Cox, Alzheimer's Society's National Dementia Helpline Adviser