Keep the elderly person’s money in a separate account and set a rule requiring two people to approve any large withdrawals

Scammers targeting older adults often build trust through gifts and attention before asking for large sums, and may insist on secrecy. Agree beforehand that spending above a chosen threshold should first be discussed with a trusted person. This lets someone else hear the proposal before money changes hands and creates time to reconsider.

This costs nothing. You only need to discuss it once with family members and agree on a spending limit. The real challenge is how to bring it up without making the senior feel you’re trying to restrict them.

China's Supreme People's Procuratorate described elder-fraud cases in 2022 in which small favors and emotional attention established trust before false claims or high-return promises extracted large sums. In one fake-collectibles case, staff cleaned homes, chatted and formed family-like relationships, then sealed purchases in black bags and told customers not to open them so relatives would not notice. The business received over CNY 1.92 million; its owner received a sentence of seven years and six months for fundraising fraud. Beijing's financial regulator warned in 2023 against secrecy requests and recommended consulting trusted relatives, neighbors or friends before investing. US FTC reports from people aged 60+ rose from approximately USD 600 million in 2020 to USD 2.4 billion in 2024, chiefly through cases with losses above USD 100,000. Agreeing a spending-discussion threshold makes relatives aware before payment and delays the decision.

No study has measured how much this family rule reduces fraud losses. B reflects the official prosecutorial and financial-regulator accounts of scam patterns and consultation advice. Combine it with item 4's ready-to-use deferral phrase; general scam prevention appears in sections 8 and 13. Present this as shared family bookkeeping rather than distrust. Do not simply transfer control of all an older person's money to their children, which creates other disputes.

最高人民检察院 (2022). 最高检发布打击整治养老诈骗犯罪典型案例（许某燕集资诈骗案及答记者问）. https://www.spp.gov.cn/xwfbh/wsfbt/202206/t20220617_560010.shtml；北京市地方金融监督管理局 (2023). 揭秘专骗老年人新套路 提高防骗意识 守护好「钱袋子」. https://jrj.beijing.gov.cn/jrxcjy/jraq/ffffjzxkt/202311/t20231127_3310210.html；Federal Trade Commission (2025). FTC Issues Annual Report to Congress on Agency's Actions to Protect Older Adults（Protecting Older Consumers, 2024-2025）. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/12/ftc-issues-annual-report-congress-agencys-actions-protect-older-adults