Posted 6-8-20
Monday has arrived!!!! Are we havin’ fun yet? Me neither too. 🙂
One of the many rewarding parts of my job at SeniorAge relates to fraud protection and its sister job role in disaster preparedness. At the end of last week that part of my job was important, yet again. Amazingly, whenever there is a disaster or a large-scale challenge, scammers come out to try to capitalize on it. For example, after tornadoes or hail storms, scammers collect roof repair money from many seniors and never do the work. It absolutely infuriates me (and should all of us) that some of these demon-possessed folks actually get caught in some states and punished merely with a small financial penalty even though they are targeting the most fragile among us. Our Attorney General Eric Schmitt is much tougher on crime and is trying to make a difference in Missouri!
A little less than 150 years ago, my great, great grandpa was part of a vigilante group called the ***Baldknobbers. His group, for better or worse, would have seen to it that these scammers were strung up from a tree for these crimes against the weak. (Note: It was a very different time. There was NO law enforcement available at all…not defunded…just not available. Maybe one sheriff per county and thousands of crimes including fraud and murder left unpunished. Unfortunately these vigilantes’ moral compass went haywire, they got power hungry, and stole from/punished/killed many of the folks their group was created to protect. Today, living in a different age, we simply have to maintain order with typically upstanding law enforcement and we gotta learn to love each other again! All men and women are created equal and are loved deeply by their Creator…and all mankind should be loved by us too. Anything less is a shameful sin. I would never advocate using crime to defeat crime. In my humble opinion, even the American colonists were on thin ice, Biblically speaking, in revolting against England, but I digress…. )
Back to the task at hand. I was given a report of a fraud attempt on one of the nicest ladies I know. She is a local senior and is the mom of one of my co-workers. The scam went thusly, as from my report to the Attorney General:
“The scammer brought an unpaid next day envelope with the details. In the envelope was a fairly legit looking letter outlining the ‘job opportunity’ and a $2500 money order (fake) to deposit in her account. The amount covers her gas and labor for secret shopping the Wal-Mart store nearby. She is required to buy $2000 in money orders (and keeps the “rest”) and FedEx the $2000 money order she buys from Wal-Mart back to the fraudster to test Wal-Mart’s integrity and willingness to help. Of course, the money order would later bounce and she would have sent her own money to the fraudster. It was more realistic looking than some although there were some iffy grammar areas and the obvious red flag of money being involved.”
No money was lost, thankfully. 🙂 We did a prompt SeniorAge Text and Voice call alert to a few thousand in our coverage area to get the word out about the scam. I did receive reports back from text alert folks that they had received the same offer. I am so glad this got out as fast as it did!! Hopefully nobody lost money. I wish I could make these alerts available for all of the US, but for now they “only” cover seniors in our 17 counties in SW Missouri. Apparently it is resonating well. We have over 3,000 in just the first couple months of having the program. If you want to donate to help us fund this program, here is the site: Link.
So, why do I bring this up in a blog about dementia? Simple. One of the warning signs of dementia involves hampered judgement. Folks that perhaps have worked their whole lives as professionals…be they CEOs, accountants, bankers, etc…get scammed in ways they would never dream. If you are seeing signs of this in a loved one or even yourself, it is time to talk to your doctor. Now. Today. These scoundrels are out there looking for opportunities to steal from the most vulnerable. Don’t fall for it.
If you have questions or think something is a scam, please contact your state’s attorney general’s office. Shoot me an email to mark.applegate@senioragemo.org and I would be happy to help you find contact info and to evaluate the case.
A couple rules of thumb:
- If it seems to good to be true, it is probably fraud.
- Watch for grammar mistakes
- Watch for urgency and/or threats of jail if you don’t respond
- Ignore that they seem to know you. I can find anything I want about anyone online.
- If there is money required to make money, it is a scam. The old adage “It takes money to make money” isn’t talking about this kind of thing at all…
- Letterhead can be faked very easily.
- Trust your gut if your gut says no. If it says yes, it may not be your good instincts talking…ask for help.
If you have a scam attempt, your best option is not not respond to it in any way whatsoever…just report it to the authorities. If someone is doing it door-to-door, there is nothing wrong with calling the police as well to help protect your neighbors too.
These scumbags deserve the special place reserved for them in hell….and it is our job to fight them and protect the vulnerable.
#EndALZ
Update: Nothing much to say over the weekend. I will eat lunch with mom on the other side of the window Wednesday. That should be very nice. The hurricane should be passed by then. 🙂
Diet update: Lost another 1.6 this week for a little over 65 lost in total. Note: I typically drink a meal replacement shake (designed for seniors?) for breakfast that has 30g of protein, I have some fresh fruit with it, then a big lunch and a sensible dinner. I feel like it is a program I can stick with after I get to my goal. I have struggled with staying on target previously when I lost weight, but I feel like this is manageable. My waist is down from a tight 44 to a loose 38/tight 36. On the right track! 🙂
Shawshank update: A week from today we in Missouri will find out whether phase one of recovery will be transitioned to stage two. Unless I am reading it correctly, it will likely be stage three that triggers open nursing homes. Stage two will take at least a month. Sigh…fall for a visit, perhaps?
***Note: Here are a couple of other pieces I completed that mentioned Baldknobbers: Link Link . I am NOT pragmatic enough to agree with the Baldknobber’s methods, especially late in their reign…but I can at least understand their frustration. I also share the frustrations of many of the current protesters. It is unacceptable for police to kill unless that is truly the only option. I support them and want the best police we can have so that the many good ones don’t have their calling tarnished by the terrible ones. Racism and hate, in all of its forms, need to stop. Now. Easier said than done, I know, but it needs to happen.
Oh, for heaven, when all present love and serve together without sin and disease…. Come, Lord Jesus.
Disclaimer: My blog may not express the thoughts and opinions of my employer, my family, or anyone else. It is me writing from my brain about brains and the like… If you disagree, blame it on my brain and my brain alone.