Beyond Finance graduated client, Linda Buerkley, warns American senior citizens about financial scams

It’s no surprise that financial scams are on the rise. Cyber vigilance is urged from every business and every individual thumbing through the Internet. The FBI studied financial scams targeting the elderly from 2019 to 2021, and the numbers are startling.

  • Reports of losses more than doubled over that time
  • There were over 265,000 cases of scammed lost funds
  • Estimated losses of those cases surpass $1.7 billion

One of our recent graduates, Linda Buerkley, was a victim of online scams fixated on Americans her age, and she decided to do something about it! Working closely with the Beyond Finance Communications team, our Beyond Debt Now payoff recipient wrote an editorial entitled “Seniors, Don’t Learn About Financial Scams the Hard Way Like Me.”

Today, that post is in Florida Daily for senior citizens everywhere to read.

What Say You?

Buerkley, 80, is a mother of two and a grandmother of six. Although she tries to stay updated on the trends, cyberattackers stay ahead and getting good at what they do. Financial scams target everyone, but the elderly community is 93% less likely to file fraud reports because they “either don’t know who to report” or are “too ashamed they have been scammed.”

She was one of those people, until she decided to take a stand. In her editorial, Linda shares her experiences and warns other Americans her age to not fall victim to these tricks.

Plenty of bad actors are preying on the elderly community. We must take steps to safeguard ourselves and our money. The best thing you can do is find a circle of people you can truly trust. Call upon friends or family when something seems suspicious or even wrong.

Linda also was certain to share how she got out of debt, giving much of her newfound confidence to Dr. Erika Rasure and Nate Astle, Beyond Finance’s two financial client counselors.

At first, I was afraid to tell anyone my story, but through the group sessions led by two financial therapists, Dr. Erika Rasure and Nathan Astle. I learned that I was not alone in my anxiety and stress. The sessions helped me regain my confidence. And there was healing in sharing. I began speaking to other attendees, sharing my experience and helping them overcome their shame.

You can read the rest of Linda’s alert on financial scams. And if you are like Linda, and was swindled out of your savings or victimized by fraud, please reach out to the authorities and your bank immediately. However, if you haven’t taken action and you’re left stuck paying for the crime yourself, there is help!

Reach out Beyond Finance and stop paying everything. Let us help and bring your some much needed debt help today!