Awareness is Power: Cyber Issues and Divorce After 50

Divorce After 50 & The Accompanying Cyber Issues 

The percentage of divorcing couples has been on the decline, however, the occurrence of “gray divorces” or divorcing couples over 50 years old, has been on the incline.   There are a variety of considerations as to why this age bracket decides to make late-in-life changes. Much like many other traits (work ethic, beliefs, etc.)  the characteristics of Baby Boomer marriages were often formed from a different blueprint than the younger generations. A “gray divorce” may also be correlated with the onset of the “empty nest,” when adult children have all left the family home.  

In a perfect world, every marriage would be a fairy tale-esque love story, but the reality for boomers is that many marriages began due to the the onset of wars and other marriages may have begun to try to maintain traditions. Younger generations have begun to have a more individualistic type of approach to marriage which are now being mirrored by preceding generations.  

Unique Issues of a Gray Divorce

One unique factor not often spoken about is the increased risk for a 50-plus divorcee to be a victim of cyber related scam before, during or after divorce.  While some of the 50-plus crowd is technology savvy, many are not, which is leaving them more vulnerable to fall victim to scams. Your divorce decree and some of the filings related thereto are public records that can easily be found through simple internet searches on court websites.  It is very important to work with your attorney to limit the details of your personal financial affairs in the court record.

Most seniors don’t know when they’re being deceived, and if there is no one watching out for them, it can result in huge losses. Someone may call and impersonate a family member, telling the senior that they are in trouble and need some money. The scammers that target seniors do their research; they know who is divorcing, living alone, and they take advantage.

There are millions of cases of financial scams happening to seniors every year. As a result of these scams, the financial losses can be enormous, yet only a small percentage of cases are being reported. While a young adult’s financial mistakes can be corrected with a couple of decades of prudent money management, there is a higher demand for people over 50 to be more cautious with their finances and savings.  Seniors often feel guilt or shame when they have been taken advantage of and they don’t know where to turn.

Different Types of Scams & Fraud

Scams can and do happen in various forms and it is important to trust your intuition. A fraudulent call or email that appears to come from a trusted company asks for account information. If they are really calling from your bank, why do they need you to tell them your banking information?

The home improvement salesman, who asks for money up front but does not complete the job, takes the senior for a ride. Repair fraud is very common, with scammers showing up at doors claiming a home is in desperate need of repair and their company can do this as long as money is provided prior to starting.

The fake charity callers who use a natural disaster to make phone calls to cheat the elderly. The fake grandchild who calls saying they have been in an accident and they need money sent via wire, right away.

Stay Informed to Prevent Financial Fraud & Scams

Proceed with caution. Do some research. Learn how to stay safe on the internet.  Do not be fooled by a person who knows details about your life, because this is just a way of getting more information and money out of you. If something seems too good to be true, it probably is.  Do not give information away or sign up for a particular service without doing more investigation. Check your credit regularly and report any scams. Keep your passwords private and limit the number of people who have financial data about you.

Education and knowledge are gifts that can be enjoyed by people of all ages so a grey divorce could also be seen as a silver lining. STOP, INVESTIGATE AND CALL OUT FOR HELP TO MAKE SURE YOU DON’T GET TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF BY A SCAMMER. Beware of the wolf in sheep’s clothing.