Perhaps the most important way to ward off con artists is to simply remain involved in your family members' day-to-day lives. If you live nearby, stop by their house often to check in. Take a glance at their mail to see if they're receiving more than their share of sweepstakes offers, travel and vacation club invitations, and investment solicitations. Check their caller ID logs to find out if they're being inundated with telemarketing calls.

If there's an increase in these types of junk mail, e-mail spam, and phone offers, it may mean they've already fallen for some type of scheme and have been added to a marketer's database of potential victims.

Also, if they have any household help, like home health aides, make sure you meet them and are occasionally at the house when they're working. Because they often have access to sensitive personal data, household workers are occasionally the culprits when older adults are the victims of fraud. When hiring any employees who will have access to personal information, be sure to run a credit check or go through an agency that will run a more thorough background check.