How to report suspected fraud attempts for senior service providers

Q: Is Postal Buddy free to try?

The older person'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. Its web scam check is free and needs no account. You can also try a demo with a made-up family without an account.

A step by step way for senior service providers to report suspected fraud attempts, what to gather first, and the tools that can help.

By CleverDings · 2026-10-17

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

Write down the details of a suspected fraud attempt as soon as you notice it, report it through the route your organization sets out, and keep a copy of everything you send. Most of the work is gathering the facts before you contact anyone.

Option	What it does	Cost
Postal Buddy	Tells an older person, in big print and out loud, what each letter they photograph is, and says not to pay or call the number on a suspected scam. ^[1] ^[1]	The older person'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]
Your organization's written procedure	Not published here; check what it covers before you rely on it.	Not published
Local police non-emergency line	Not published here; check whether your organization names it as an outside route.	Not published
Adult protective services office	Not published here; check whether it takes reports about suspected fraud from organizations like yours.	Not published

What you need before you start

Before you report, gather the facts in one place. Write down the date the contact arrived, how it came (letter, phone call, email, text or in person), and what it asked for. Note the name, company or office the sender claimed to be from, and any phone number, web address or return address it gave. Keep the original letter or message with its envelope, and do not delete texts or emails. Note who else saw it at your organization, and whether a client, family member or staff member was asked for money, bank details or personal information. Find out who your organization says to report to and whether there is a written procedure. Have the client's name and basic details ready, but do not copy full Social Security numbers, account numbers or passwords into notes or messages. Finally, note whether anything has already been paid or shared, because that decides how urgent the report is.

Step by step

Work through these steps in order, and keep the notes from the section above at hand.

Stop before paying. If money, gift cards or account details were requested, do not send them, and do not call back a number given in the message.
Write the facts down. Use the list in the section above while the details are still fresh.
Keep the original. Save the letter or envelope, or keep a copy of the message, without forwarding it casually.
Tell the person targeted. Let the client or family member know, and ask them not to reply or pay.
Follow your internal procedure. Report to the person your organization names for fraud or compliance matters, and use any written form it provides.
Report to any outside authority your organization names. Use the same notes, and record where and when you sent them.
Check for similar contacts. Look for other messages from the same sender or number, and warn colleagues who may be targeted.
Record the report. Note the date, the name of the person you spoke to and any reference number you were given.
Review after each case. Check whether the procedure worked, and update it where a step was unclear.

Tools that can do it

Start with your organization's written procedure, because it sets the route you must follow. Your local police non-emergency line and an adult protective services office are outside routes, so check with your organization which one applies before you contact anyone. The options below are a starting point, and the table lists them side by side.

Your organization's written procedure. Check it first for who to call, which form to use and how quickly to act. Not published here; check what it covers before you rely on it.

Postal Buddy. Postal Buddy is made by the team that publishes this site, CleverDings. It is an app that tells an older person, in big print and out loud, what each letter they photograph is. ^[1] For a suspected scam, it says not to pay or call the number on it; Postal Buddy says it never calls a letter safe. ^[1] Its web scam check is free and needs no account, and it 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 app is made for phones and the web. ^[1] A web app is listed, but the Postal Buddy website says 'Opening soon'. ^[1]

Local police non-emergency line. Not published here; check whether your organization names it as an outside route.

Adult protective services office. Not published here; check whether it takes reports about suspected fraud from organizations like yours.

Common mistakes to avoid

Waiting to report. Early details fade, and a delay can let the same sender reach other clients.
Paying to make it stop. Paying does not close the matter, and it can invite more requests.
Calling the number on the message. Use a number you already hold for your organization instead.
Deleting the evidence. Keep the message and the envelope until the report is closed.
Reporting only to a colleague. A colleague is not the procedure, so follow the written route as well.
Leaving the client out. The person targeted should know what happened and what to watch for.
Skipping the record. Note dates, names and reference numbers for every contact.

Frequently asked questions

Where should senior service providers start when they suspect a fraud attempt?

Start by writing down the facts while they are fresh: the date, how the contact arrived, what it asked for and the name it used. Keep the original letter, message or envelope, and do not pay or call back the number it gave. Then follow your organization's written procedure, since that sets who to tell and how. Report to any outside authority your organization names, using the same notes, and record every step with dates and names.

What should be kept as evidence of a suspected fraud attempt?

Keep the original letter or message, including any envelope, screenshot or email header that shows where it came from. Note the date it arrived, the name, company or phone number the sender gave, and any amount or account details requested. Record who saw it and what was done. Do not copy full Social Security numbers, account numbers or passwords into notes; keep those with the people who need them. Store the notes somewhere your organization can reach later.

Can Postal Buddy tell a provider whether a letter is a scam?

Postal Buddy tells an older person, in big print and out loud, what each letter they photograph is. ^[1] For a suspected scam, it says not to pay or call the number on it, and it says it never calls a letter safe. ^[1] A suspected scam should still go through your organization's procedure before anyone decides what it is. Check that procedure first, and keep your own notes with the letter.

Is Postal Buddy free to try?

The older person'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] Its web scam check is free and needs no account. ^[1] You can also try a demo with a made-up family without an account. ^[1]

Does a free scam check keep what it reads?

Postal Buddy's web scam check is free and needs no account. ^[1] It tells you what looks wrong and says nothing is kept. ^[1] The check is one input to a report, and the decision on what to do still follows your organization's procedure. Use it to notice warning signs, and record what it said in your notes so the report stays complete.

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)