 TITLE: How to Prevent Senior Identity Theft CONTENT: Healthy skepticism and greater awareness can help older adults avoid becoming victims of identity theft. Here are some tips to better protect yourself or your loved ones:\n*   Add contact information of family members, close friends, health providers or anyone who might call regularly. This will help you know if the call is legitimate.\n*   If you don't recognize a phone number, let it go to voicemail. Scammers rarely leave messages.\n*   Don't be afraid to hang up. If you do answer the phone, it's OK to hang up if a stranger asks for personal or financial information.\n*   Remember that government agencies send letters about important information. They don't call or send email.\n*   Check your financial records, credit card statements and bank accounts regularly to make sure everything is in order.\n*   Don't carry your Social Security card. Only carry your Medicare card and other PII when you need it.\n*   Have checks direct-deposited into your bank account. This reduces the risk of the check (and all the valuable information on it) getting into the hands of a thief.\n*   Ask for help. If you aren't sure about something, get another opinion from a trusted friend or family member or do some research.\n*   If it sounds too good to be true, it is probably a scam. If the contact is threatening, it is probably a scam. END