Ever get an offer from a phone solicitor that seemed too good to be true? Did someone you know get taken advantage of by a bogus promise? Unfortunately, seniors need to have their guard up when being approached by strangers, phone solicitors, mail or internet offers and sometimes even their own family.

Scams targeting retirees range from bogus handyman contractors to lavish “free cruises” and can come to you looking very legitimate.

Here are some tips:

1. DO NOT give out your personal information over the phone, internet or mail ESPECIALLY your social security number.
2. Check a business out with the Better Business Bureau
3. Ask for license numbers and cross-check contractors with your state’s licensing department (the lowest-cost bid is sometimes not always the best)
4. Don’t click on internet links in email that come from people/places you don’t know.
5. Don’t click on internet links that look funny or different than others you have seen before.
6. If you use online banking, credit card services or internet shopping sites, go direct to those sites by typing them into your browser rather than clicking on email links – even if it looks legitimate.
7. Shred documents with account numbers and other personal information.

The bottom line still is, if the offer seems overwhelmingly super great, then maybe you should take a pass.