The privacy risk of moving to a retirement community

The moving truck hasn't even left the driveway.

Somewhere, a scammer may already know three things about you: your name, your new address and something about your age.

Maybe not your exact age, but potentially enough information to make you a more attractive target.

Federal law sets specific rules for communities that qualify as housing for people 55 and older.

One requirement says at least 80% of occupied units must house at least one person who is 55 or older.

Those requirements come from the Housing for Older Persons Act .

That means an address inside a known 55+ community can give scammers and data brokers another clue about you.

Once public records connect your name to that address, data brokers can add it to a much larger profile.

That is the part nobody mentions in the moving checklist.

Here is how that profile can come together so quickly.

More importantly, here is how you can reduce the personal information scammers can find.

FIVE DATA BROKER OPT-OUT MYTHS THAT LEAVE RETIREES EXPOSED Missed CyberGuy LIVE? Watch the Protect Your Money replay Our free CyberGuy LIVE class, Protect Your Money From Today’s Biggest Threats , has ended, but you can still watch the full replay and download our financial protection checklist.

Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson walks you through five simple ways to help defend yourself against AI scams, fraud, identity theft and financial hacks.

You’ll learn how to set up bank alerts, strengthen your account logins, protect your phone number, freeze your credit and help secure your retirement savings against unauthorized transfers.