Cellphone scams

cathylopez67 · June 17

Does anyone know of a phone that my mother with dementia could use? She has been scammed over phone few times giving out her information. We took away the phone but she keeps asking for it back.
Ty

terei · June 17

I would just tell her it is being fixed somewhere and they are waiting for parts(supply chain issues). There are phone that you can configure to call only one number or block all but a couple numbers, but if she has been scammed more than once, she should not have a phone at all IMO. The longer she goes without it, the less important to her it will be.

SusanB-dil · June 17

agreeing with terei -

If possible, do without the phone. If absolutely necessary, brother set one up for our mom as a 'child-phone' and only programmed a few important folks into it she could call, and made it so only they could call her. I don't know which plan he used, but I think there are several.

bew107 · June 17

I got my mom a tablet from consumer cellular that was a phone. She loved it and better yet she was able to use it.

H1235 · June 17

I bought my mom the jitterbug phone. I did a speed dial for all 6 of her contacts. All she has to do is press and hold a specific number to call someone. I printed a list of all her contacts and their speed dial number and hung it on the wall. It cost $29 a month. There is no contract, so when she can’t manage it anymore I can just cancel it. She has the option to text, but she has no idea how to. There is no internet access. It is working well for her. Before this she had a jethro phone. I got it on Amazon. It was about $100 for a year. This phone offered no texting or internet. I think it was a bit more difficult to use than the jitterbug, but it worked for her. I had to switch phones because she couldn’t get a signal at her new facility.

dancsfo · June 18

As @SusanB-dil mentioned, even if you get a simple phone for calling out, you need to prevent incoming scam calls from reaching her. Perhaps you can block all incoming calls except for known contacts.

There's always a possibility that she may give out her phone number to some people, and what would happen if they try to call her? It won't ring, and she may get upset or confused.

Maru · June 19

You need a phone that will only call or receive assigned contacts. I have been told that IPhone has that feature…Also, check with the ALZ Association store for such a phone.

MN Chickadee · June 19

They do make phones that are simplified and you can "white list" numbers so only friends and family can call. If she must have a phone, this would be the way to go. Here is one option. There is also the Grandpad, and other options out there.

https://www.alzstore.com/RAZ-Memory-Cell-Phone-for-Seniors-All-Carriers-p/0039-v.htm

Nosokoma · June 19

If you belong to AARP, they have a wealth of information regarding fraud and theft for older adults. They may offer a solution to your question. Here is the link: https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/?cmp=PDSJ49WFHRLLM&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=23339698016

sandwichone123 · June 19

Any phone can be set up with "silent" as the default ringtone, with sounds assigned to specific callers. Also remove all numbers from her directory other than close family/friends that would welcome her call whenever she does so. Go through and delete/mark as spam calls that have arrived from strangers.

I would probably not invest in a new device for someone that is so close to finished needing a phone at all.

POA_236 · June 19

Be careful about letting her have a phone with a browser. I caught my mom trying to make an ID.me account for my father including typing in his social security number. I took the phone away at that point. My mom had also been signing up for quotes for insurance and a bunch of other stuff. Her phone is so infected that neither my husband nor my brother is certain that a factory reset will clear the viruses.

dancsfo · June 19

This prior discussion on this forum (although from 2023) may be useful. For an Apple iPhone, it describes an assistive access mode that may be appropriate for PWDs at some stages. Click on the date to see the whole thread.

https://alzconnected.org/discussion/comment/186775#Comment_186775

harshedbuzz · June 20

https://www.callblockerusa.com/blogs/nuisance-and-scam-news/what-is-a-whitelist-call-blocker-how-can-it-help-stop-spam-calls#:~:text=Whitelist%20call%20blockers%20operate%20on%20the%20principle%20of,to%20ring%20through%2C%20effectively%20blocking%20all%20other%20calls.

Cellphone scams

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