How to flag suspicious financial solicitations for guardians and conservators in 2026

A step by step way for guardians and conservators to flag suspicious financial letters and bills, what to gather first, and tools that can help.

By CleverDings · 2026-10-31

CleverDings is published by the makers of Benefit Buddy, Postal Buddy and Packing Buddy, which are compared here alongside other apps.

Sort and photograph every letter that asks for money or looks off, keep a list of the person's usual bills and senders, check the real sender before acting, and note what is missing or odd for each letter. An app such as Postal Buddy can tell a person, in big print and out loud, what each photographed letter is. ^[1] ^[1] The decision to pay, call back or ignore still belongs to the guardian or conservator.

Option	What it does	Cost
Postal Buddy	Tells the older person, in big print and out loud, what each photographed letter is. ^[1] ^[1] On a bill it shows the sender, the amount and the due date, and on a suspected scam it says not to pay or call the number. ^[1] ^[1]	The senior's side is free forever; Plus costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year. ^[1]
The person's bank or credit union	Not published here; check whether it can verify a charge or account before it clears.	Not published
An elder law attorney	Not published here; check whether they review letters before a payment is made.	Not published
A local aging services office	Not published here; check whether it reviews suspicious mail or refers you to someone who does.	Not published

What you need before you start

Most of the work is sorting paper. Having a few things in one place makes the sorting faster and keeps a record if a letter turns out to be a scam.

A list of usual mail. The person's regular bills, and the companies and people who normally write to them. Anything else is a new sender to check.
Recent copies of known bills. They show the normal amount and due date, so a bill that jumps or asks for more becomes visible.
The person's current address. Confirm whether mail forwarding is on and whether any accounts were opened at an old address.
Letters that ask for money. Requests for payment, charity asks, and anything with a due date or a phone number to call.
Your authority. The guardianship or conservatorship order, in case a company asks you to verify that you may act on the person's mail.
A log. A note of the date, the sender, what the letter said, and what you did. This log answers questions later.

Guardians and conservators act only within what the order allows, so keep the log to show how a letter was handled.

Step by step

This way works with paper and a phone or web app, and does not depend on any one tool.

See the mail every day the person gets it. Photograph each letter that asks for money or looks unexpected before anything is thrown away.
Log it before acting. Note the date, the sender, what the letter says, and any phone number or address on it.
Separate bills from requests. A bill is for an account the person already has. A request is anyone else asking for money.
Verify the real sender. Call the number on a known statement or the company's published site, never a new number printed on a letter. Ask whether the letter is genuine.
Check the account exists. A bill for an account the person never opened is a strong warning. Confirm the account, amount and due date with the company.
Read how the money would leave. Payment by check is traceable. Payment by gift card, wire or prepaid card leaves little trace and is a common sign of a scam.
Do not pay or call a number a suspected scam letter gives. Responding can lead to more pressure or more requests.
Note what is missing or odd. A letter with no company name, an amount that makes no sense, or a demand to act now needs a check, not a payment.
Keep a checklist. Track what was checked, on what date, who confirmed it, and when the payment or reply is due.

A screen or app check is a hint about where the letter fits; it does not take the place of verifying the sender or, on a genuine bill, paying the company directly.

Tools that can do it

Several kinds of help fit this job. Pick based on how much the person wants to do on their own and whether you also want a record each letter makes.

The person's bank or credit union. A bank can confirm whether a charge or account is real. Check whether it offers a fraud line and whether it can verify a charge before it clears.

An elder law attorney. A lawyer who works on elder matters can review a single letter or a pattern. Check whether they review mail before a payment is made and what that review costs.

A local aging services office. Many areas have an office for older adults. Check whether it reviews suspicious mail or refers you to someone who does, and whether appointments are needed.

Postal Buddy. Postal Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site. After a guardian photographs a letter, it tells the older person, in big print and out loud, what the letter is. ^[1] ^[1] ^[1] For a bill it shows the sender, the amount and the due date. ^[1] For a suspected scam it says not to pay or call the number on it, and says it never calls a letter safe. ^[1] Its web scam check is free and needs no account, tells what looks wrong, and says nothing is kept. ^[1] The older person does not have to sign in; family helpers sign in. ^[1] You can try a demo with a made-up family without an account. ^[1] The senior's side is free forever, and Plus costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1]

Common mistakes to avoid

Paying before checking the account. A bill for an account you cannot find should be answered by calling the company on a known number, not by paying.
Calling a number the letter prints. A scam letter supplies its own number and its own story. Use a number from a known statement instead.
Treating an official look as proof. Logos and official wording are easy to copy. What matters is whether the sender and account are real.
Throwing letters away. An unexpected letter kept and logged is a record; the same letter thrown away leaves nothing to check.
Acting without your authority. A guardian or conservator may only act within what the order allows, so confirm what the order covers.
Skipping the log. Without a note of date, sender and action, it is hard to show how a letter was handled later.
Missing what a genuine bill needs. On a real bill, the amount and due date still have to be checked and paid through the company itself.

Frequently asked questions

Can Postal Buddy read a letter out loud for an older person?

Yes. After a guardian photographs a letter, Postal Buddy tells the older person, in big print and out loud, what the letter is. ^[1] ^[1] The app can read its explanation of the letter out loud, so someone who has trouble reading can still follow along. ^[1] The app is made for phones and the web. ^[1]

Does Postal Buddy flag letters that look like a scam?

Yes. For a suspected scam, Postal Buddy says not to pay or call the number on it, and says it never calls a letter safe. ^[1] The web scam check is free and needs no account, tells what looks wrong, and says nothing is kept. ^[1] On the paid plan, an alert can flag a scam that asks for money or a government letter. ^[1]

Who signs in to Postal Buddy, the older person or the family helper?

The older person does not have to sign in; family helpers sign in. ^[1] The senior's side is free forever. ^[1] Plus costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1] A web app is listed, but the Postal Buddy website says 'Opening soon'. ^[1]

Does Postal Buddy show the due date on a bill?

Yes. For a bill, Postal Buddy shows the sender, the amount and the due date. ^[1] On the paid plan, an alert can flag a bill about to go overdue or a bill that jumped. ^[1] Plus adds a Monday email on what needs doing and what was caught; on the free plan, one family member gets a Monday email with how many letters came. ^[1]

Can Postal Buddy be tried before a guardian pays for it?

Yes. You can try a demo with a made-up family without an account. ^[1] The senior's side is free forever, and the web scam check is free and needs no account. ^[1] ^[1] A 30-day Plus trial is offered, with no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1]

Postal Buddy says the senior's side is free forever; Plus costs $9.99 a month or $79 a year, with a 30-day Plus trial and no card needed when the first helper joins. ^[1]

Try Postal Buddy

Sources

Postal Buddy's own description of itself (the product of this site's publisher)