Thursday, October 25, 2012

God help us old folk! We need to stop financial abuse of the elderly!

I have another serious ponder. It is a serious problem and it involves the financial abuse of the elderly. 

There must be something that tells these foreign lotteries when a person gets to a certain age. Not sure what age that actually begins or how these entities know. These old people are sent boat loads of these scam letters promising these old people lots of money but they have to send money in to get it. These old people are not people who would ever fall for this crap when they were in their right mind but for some reason they do now. 

I had that problem with my SF and I have a good friend who is having the same problem with her mom. It is a devastating problem and there is no help available. The post office won't help. The banks won't help. If the family can't personally, totally control their elderly relative's finances, they can lose everything the have. 

It's not always possible for families to monitor their elderly family members all the time and for some reason many of these elderly people are very secretive about participating in this activity. Can't explain that. 

Many of these elderly are not ready for a nursing home. It seems that one of the first things to go is financial management. Even if a nursing home is the only option a family sees...the monetary robbery just changes from one entity to another. 

It seems to me that some government agency should help with this problem. With more and more people living longer it will just become an even more serious epidemic. If you think..mom or dad would never do anything like that...think again.

And if you think that adding your name to your parent's bank accounts might help...NOT. You become responsible for any and all over drafts. The banks don't consider these elderly people victims either, they consider them accomplices in this fraud. 

When we took SF's vehicle, his check books and credit cards and post office key away..he just hitched a ride to the bank and used a counter check and he hitched a ride to the post office to picked up his mail. The post office had a big sign that read..YOU CAN NOT GET YOUR MAIL WITHOUT YOUR KEY. Even without a key, they refused to withhold his mail when he came in for it. IMHO, the banks and post office are accomplices in this fraud!

The banks say they are aware of this scam and can't do anything about it. If this is true, why do they allow elderly people to either deposit or cash these checks??

My friend is having to drive over 1000 miles to deal with her elderly mom and this mail/bank fraud issue. She talked with someone from the bank who admitted that they were aware of this kind of scam but also told her that her mom was considered an accomplice in it. If they are aware, why would they willingly cash/deposit those checks that are fraudulent?? 

I'm going to suggest to my friend, and I have a little dictation recorder, that when she goes to the bank, she records all the interaction. I checked and it is legal in this state where she's going to make a recording if at least one person involved is aware that the conversation is being recorded. Hopefully she can use this if that bank tries to pull anything. Someone needs to fight this crap! 

The problem is...that all of us will eventually get to that age when our switch snaps from being reasonable to being easily conned. Maybe not, but both of the people I'm talking about would have, and up until the end with SF, insisted that they were no fools and knew exactly what they were doing. If you now insist that you can't ever be conned, then your switch may have already snapped. 

Some of us will have people who can watch over us but some of us won't. As I've found out, even trying to protect your elderly loved one is almost impossible.

66 comments:

Carol said...

I had posted these comments on my other post but think they are significant enough to be on a new blog post.

Carol said...

Coreen keep your eye on a girl named Sandy!

Carol said...

Jan, there's a big difference between watching a fishing show and going fishing. The fishing show is 30 minutes early Sunday morning. To actually go fishing you have to plan, gather all the right equipment. I have a list on iPhony. Then you have to pack the boat. The fishing will take the better part of a day then it's come home and hopefully clean your catch. It's quite a chore but a fun one.

Carol said...

I applied for my early SS the other day. Someone called me today to get more info. The call came from Auburn Washington and the guy calling had a heavy accent. I thought hmmmmm, is this call legit? I got a number where I could call back. After pondering elderly financial abuse I wondered if I might have become a target. I did call back and talked to someone who at least sounded less suspicious. They just needed to know how much I got from my pitiful government pension. Even though I worked for the gov for 23 years, I worked and made enough money that i did pay SS on for many of those years and before and after working for the gov. They are still going to withhold some of my SS. If I could have made one more year, I could have eliminated that.

I actually had a fun conversation with the SS guy. Then I thought, should I be suspicious of that?? You just never know. LOL.

Carol said...

Coreenie..I'm watching those hurricane models change pretty fast. The American and the European models were kinda widely split this afternoon and now they have come together predicting landfall south of you. TWC did say this was a big storm. Hope you have old Bessie, actually new Bessie, your generator, going through her drills. Bet you're glad you have her.

We have a pretty cool, cool front headed our way this weekend and you a hurricane/tropical storm. Something is a little strange about that picture.

Carol said...

Dang, TWC is going nuts. Hope they are just overhyping this stuff. This is a pretty weird storm. They say it is unprecedented.

Carol said...

My friend took off on her mama rescue mission. She didn't have to go alone even though she actually was. Technology makes life so much easier and I often think..how did we do without this stuff before?? I'm afraid to be on the road here at home without my cell phone. I almost panic if I've left it at home. The thought of having a break down and being at the mercy of whatever, freaks me out.

With the cell phone I could keep my friend company and even help her find a motel along the road.

But with all the good stuff cell phones have provided, there are also bad things, IMO. On one hand they keep us connected when we are alone or apart but they also keep us apart when we're together. It bothers me when I'm with a small group of people and someone constantly has their attention on their phone, texting trivia with other friends instead of interacting with their friends in the group. I guess that is just the new normal now.

Coreen said...

Not a bad day here, it's been cloudy all week, but this a.m. a little sun, not much & warmer...pattern continues calm before the storm...

& yes the weatherforecasters are all talking nonstop about the storm...whether its frankenstorm so cutely named by the govt
weatherguys (you think maybe they started the megaspin of major disaster) or the so-called perfect storm, which may or may not happen...

so many variables & in the end we will just have to deal with it, since we can't alter it...

a good thing though there won't be any halloween snow like last year, that is a big plus any day as far as I'm concerned...

Coreen said...

I know you like to follow the weather events Carol...

Here is the blog of my fav weatherman Geoff Fox, who used to be on NH TV, but they let him go & he is now on Hartford TV,(my cable doesn't get his channel though) but he writes his daily blog & gives his insight which I always thought was accurate...

You can check what Geoff has to say as the storm approaches & get his local & expert perspective...
Geoff Fox My permanent record

Carol said...

Thanks Coreen. I did Google and go to one of your TV news channels this morning to see how things were shaking around your parts. I was wondering if there was any panic yet.

Just got home so I haven't been updated with the latest predictions. That kind of stuff will change constantly. You won't know exactly where it's going until it is much closer and then maybe not. We were expecting Rita to pass us up. Can't let your guard down until it totally fizzles out. Maybe it will fizzle out before it gets there. We can hope.

Carol said...

I just looked at the latest models. Made me dizzy.

Carol said...

I've got your weather guy bookmarked. He's cute.

Carol said...

Our LI medium is on 20/20 tonight. I just love her. Her family is neat also.

jan said...

Coreen, will be thinking of you in next few days. I hope for a safe outcome of the storm.

Carol said...

My friend got to her destination and feels like she got some satisfaction. She talked with the bank manager and he had already closed her mama's account. She was told that she actually didn't even have to drive all that way. She only drove all that way because the person she talked to at the 1-800 number for the band scared her sooo much. Since her name was on her mom's account, she could be responsible for any overdrafts, etc. And that her mom would be considered an accomplice in all this.

She was told by the bank manager that they closed her mama's account and opened a new account. I do think she got proof of that. He also told her that HE had her mama's back and the only reason that this scam went through was because he was on vacation and wasn't there to stop it.

There were still a couple of red flags that would have bothered me but it's not my business.

My friend's mom and my SF were victims of this mail fraud and it's big business.

"Telemarketing or mail fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice estimates that dishonest telemarketers take in an estimated $40 billion each year, bilking one in six American consumers -- and the AARP claims that about 80% of them are 50 or older. Scammers use the phone to conduct investment and credit card fraud, lottery scams, and identity theft. Scammers also use the phone to sell seniors goods that either never arrive or are worthless junk."

This website lists many more scams that target the elderly.

Elder Abuse: Financial Scams Against Seniors

Carol said...

It's not just old people, we are all potential victims of scams but I guess old people are just an easier mark.

Last night I watched Anderson Cooper's talk show that I had recorded earlier. I recorded it because he had on Suse Orman. He had a tease for the Dateline program last night where this young couple was scammed by a company who they contracted to build cabinets. The guy from that business got them for 5 thousand. The Dateline guy was told that the local DA probably wouldn't have time to go after just a 5 thou dollar scam because they were too busy.

I have forgotten, but thinking back right now, I've experienced so many incidents of scams with work I needed done around my house or on my vehicles. My being a single woman probably made me more vulnerable. So far, only a few got me and I'm smarter than the average bear.

Carol said...

And lying and fraud are no big deal these days. Look at Lance Armstrong, still swearing that he did no wrong. There was another program on the other night interviewing these two women who tried to warn everyone about his doping but they went through hell for it, serious hell. Even the sport's new's media helped Lance with his cover up. There is no investigating reporting anymore. That's a lost art or science, whatever.

You can hardly blame anyone for not wanting to blow the whistle. Most often a whistle blower finds himself/herself out of a job and barred from ever working again. All they have is self respect but it doesn't pay the bills. A real good example is Michael McQueary, the guy who was very instrumental in taking Sandusky down. Without his help, I don't think Sandusky would be behind bars right now but he paid, he paid big time and was attacked by those who would consider themselves good people.

Carol said...

Sorry if I'm discussing unpleasant subjects. I started this blog to air my ponders and sometimes, too often, my ponders are anxiety provoking. I have a tendency to get passionate about issues. Some are of no interest to others. There are lots of other blogs to discuss trivia. Facebook for one. I was never one to be too interested in trivia. I guess it's another one of my flaws but I have to live with it.

Carol said...

And even if no one else is interested...I still feel better when I get it off my chest.

Carol said...

Coreen, every time I pull up the computer models for Sandy, they have changed their minds. I guess computers are just like us humans.

Carol said...

Coreen, does your fancy generator power your entire castle? My little cheap one was only 5500 watts or whatever, and it was very limited. I could only power up a tiny window AC, a tiny TV and a light. Even that was heaven when I needed it. Mine would have never powered up any heating device, maybe a tiny heater if that was all that was plugged in. I know you have a furnace so it might not even use the generator power.

Carol said...

I am worried about all you guys up there on the east coast. Because of my previous experience, it provokes anxiety even keeping up with that storm but not quite as much when it's not coming my way. Empathy is another one of my flaws.

Carol said...

Don't you have a water well? I assumed it, and any sewage pumps are also hooked up to your generator. I guess those also hook up to your electric box.

Even though I went 3 weeks without power, I had water, cold water. I have city water. The water place must have had a generator since there was no power anywhere. We didn't even have water at the jail for a week. I cleaned off the tons of sweat with bottled water.

Coreen said...

Its just a waiting game now...so far no changes in the reports...

Still hoping that in the end the
storm will turn away & not be as
severe as they keep saying...

The generator is a 22KW enough to power the entire house, for everything, heat, a.c., water, lights...it has only been used twice for a short
time just a couple of hours & it worked well, within a minute of the
power going off, it goes on...when the lights go on, it shuts down...sounds like an idling car engine..

Both times I had internet, but no TV, there was electrical power to the cable box but no transmission until the real electric came on..

I checked the propane gas gauge & it is 85% full, or about 350-400 gal...the company said if we were to lose power for an extended period, it likely would run for 4 days nonstop...would have to call
them for a delivery after a couple of days...

The concern here was magnified because until those 2 storms last year, CT never lost power on such a large scale for such a long time...& in the end it was attributed to lack of proper prep
by the utilities...something that they claim has been corrected & will not happen again...who knows...

Do not look forward to high winds, so many trees around the house, I worry about them falling on the house...or across the driveway...

Coreen said...

Yesterday the grocery store had a lot more people...probably even more today & tomorrow...

And there has not been any sun all week...just a couple of minutes, but then grey & dreary....not cold though, yesterday it was mid 60s, would have been great if the sun had stayed out!...

Carol said...

It's a little under 50 degrees here, big change. Bright sunshine. I'm freezing but I'm not used to being cold yet. The house is 68, with my heat set on 69. Not used to that yet but I'll be fine with that in a day or two..just in time to have to get back used to the heat again.

I know they are hyping this storm but it's better to be safe than sorry. That last tropical system they had in your neck of the woods did some awful damage to a lot of places, especially Vermont.

Even if the winds are only in the 40s and 50s, that can be pretty scary with all those trees around.

Carol said...

How far is it to a big grocery store? You mentioned that there aren't many of them close to you. Where do you do most of your major grocery shopping?

If the weather gets rough, cable will go out for a good while. I don't know if you could catch any stations with rabbit ears but that's what I had to use for many weeks, a little TV and rabbit ears. If I had your generator I could have used my satellite.

To get TV over the air.. you would also need the new HD TVs and rabbit ears. The older TVs will still work with cable but not with the new HD without those dumb boxes.

I take it your Internet is also cable?? Rut rho.

Carol said...

Since you have a mega G(generator), are you going to be taking in any relatives or friends?

Carol said...

Since it's cold, I'm going to go get stuff to make a hearty vegetable soup. Haven't had one in a while and it sounds warm and yummy.

Carol said...

Well Coreen, are you ready? If this girl stays on her predicted path you will be on the nastier side.

Carol said...

Coreen, it seems TWC and your guy Geoff are a little surprised at the NY mayor almost dismissing the potential dangers of Sandy. The problem is that no one really knows what to expect with this hybrid. I guess the major is calling it's bluff. Hope he wins that bet.

Carol said...

Another problem is, y'all may not know until it's too late.

jan said...

Cold here today. We have not turned on heat yet. We are just layering. Going to have furnace checked on monday. Then will turn it on.

jan said...

We voted today. I recommend voting early. So much better than waiting.

jan said...

Oh yeah! They did not ask for an ID. I had to tell them the year I was born. Also verified our home address. That was it.

Carol said...

And Jan you did have plenty of ID on you, didn't you? You could have shown them something. Did you vote at a center where they knew who you were?

Huh, I'd certainly be more comfortable with their asking for a little more identification than that. Didn't even have to show a library card? Is it possible that some people have no form of identification at all so asking for a little would be unfair? I don't trust either side. I guess your state would be ripe for voter fraud if there are no rules. Or should we just trust people to be honest in this world where elections are bought for gazillions of dollars?

This entire blog post reflects just how trustworthy I think people are. My bad! I did try that trusting people stuff and it didn't work. Years of being slammed has tainted me.

For as long as I can remember, I've always shown my driver's license to vote but I do live in a RED state. LOL. I'm going to ask at my voting place what they would do if someone didn't have a driver's license. I really don't know the answer to that question.

Carol said...

I made my veggie soup yesterday and it was goooood. I don't make it often because it is a lot of work, at least I make it a lot of work. I don't always have the time or energy for a lot of work.

I'm a little OC with my cooking. I have my different veggies in different bowls lined up like planes waiting to take off. Their position in the line up depends on how long each vegetable takes to cook. I don't want some chunchy or some over cooked.

My NuWave precision cooktop is perfect for my OC cooking habits. I can program how long each segment is cooked before the next vegetable is added. And I can program the exact temperature.

jan said...

We did not vote at our usual voting place. So, that idea struck down. There was an older man on TV the other night who was complaining about not having to have an ID. Turns out his son, who has same name, voted earlier, and so the older guy could not vote. The son was not registered to vote. So Carol, you are right, there are problems with not having to show an ID. This was on the local news.

Carol said...

Just as I was going to bed last night, TWC reported a 7.7 earthquake off the shore of British Columbia. That's a pretty strong earthquake. It had just happened. Then I remembered that my sis and her friend/exhusband were traveling over there this weekend. I texted her and emailed her and haven't heard from her yet. I hope they are OK. Didn't hear about any injuries over there so I'm sure they are OK.

jan said...

I remember your cooking skills Carol. You take time with your cooking and do it right. I am very haphazard with my cooking. It is just not that important to me. John is great. He eats whatever I cook and never complains about it. Sometimes my cooking turns out good and sometimes not. I do like to eat good food that has been cooked well.

jan said...

Apparently, the earth quake is causing tsunamis in Hawaii. I hope your sis is ok too Carol.

jan said...

Did not sleep well last night. A serious discussion with son and DIL- Could not get off my mind. I kept waking up thinking about it. Probably dreamed about it too. Finally got up at 4 am.

Carol said...

Peter King of Sport's Illustrated is calling the Saint's Broncos game today one of the more exciting games because of the match up between Brees and Manning. I hope it's exiting in our favor. It certainly will be better than watching the potential weather disasters.

Weather is one of my interests but I don't think I would be quite as obsessed with it if you, Coreen, weren't potentially in great harm's way.

You have the power outage problem under control but please don't sleep in any part of your house that has a tree that could come down on it. I was real lucky because trees came down all around me at both places, even had two broken and resting on the weakest part of the camp roof. No serious damage from trees, other than one ripping the electrical box off my camp, but I also wasn't at home when they fell. It was amazing how many trees fell around people's houses and all fell away from the houses. I saw sooo many houses where trees close to houses, fell on all four sides of a house but fell in the opposite direction from the house.

Coreen said...

Not sure I would vote early if CT had early voting...we all vote on election day only, unless by absentee ballot...

Already said, we do show ID, apparently a photo ID not yet required in CT, but you must show
some proof of name, address...however, the only ID I generally see presented at the check in tables is a driver's license or other form of photo ID...

Again I have no issue with requiring photo ID to vote...I find the excuses offered for not requiring photo ID to be disengenuous...

Not likely that a significant # of
people eligible to vote in any state would not have some sort of photo ID...which raises the issue of if you don't have one, why would that be...

FYI, the justice dept requires that every person who files for bankruptcy MUST show both photo ID
& proof of social security #
at the creditor's meeting or it will not proceed....the same justice dept that challenge various states passing
such laws re: voting...

Coreen said...

This morning it is windy & pretty chilly...no sun again...no rain or showers yet...

Later I will drag the mums inside the garage...

At this point, not much to do but
wait it out & hope that it is not
as bad as they are saying...

I always worry about trees falling on the house during any wind storm, hate to see them swaying sideways but have been told that those around the house are strong & the swaying usually helps from not snapping, BUT who knows...

Coreen said...

Jan, is it possible that NM does not require presentation of ID at the time you vote...

Carol, do you vote early or wait til election day?...

Carol said...

Coreen, I have voted early. I think I did for the last presidential election. I had to go downtown. I'm just going to wait and vote just down the road.

Carol said...

They report your area in the 30-50 mph sustained winds and up to 75mph wind gust possibility. With the leaves still on the trees, it still might be a good idea to find a place to hang out and sleep where a tree couldn't come thru the roof.

They keep saying that this storm won't move thru fast, the conditions will be around for a while. They also mentioned that the combination of wet ground and wind could bring down trees that normally wouldn't come down.

Carol said...

I wonder if Bloomberg will change his mind about evacuating the people in low lying areas? Now they predict the storm surge in Long Island Sound to be 6-11 feet.

Carol said...

Just got a short email from big sis. No problem wherever she is. She just heard about it this AM.

Carol said...

Jan, just found a post you slipped in. If I don't look back frequently, I will miss some of your posts.

I wonder if that guy's son was voting for the same people his dad would have voted for. I also wonder why the son would have voted when he wasn't registered?? See...you can't even trust your own family. I hate it also!

I do understand that people who don't drive may not have a picture ID so another option, that is reasonable, should be available. Maybe they can tattoo us when we register...Just kiddin.

Carol said...

Coreen, I bet I'm more worried about your storm than you are. I never even gave hurricanes a second thought. Before Rita, the only significant hurricane in my area was Audrey. It was awful but I was 7 and in Oregon visiting my grandma there.

I don't think we would have prepared as much as we did if Katrina hadn't hit NO like it did. That got all of our attentions.

Your storm is not exactly a hurricane. It's a phenomena. There aren't any precedents, are there? I don't think anyone is really sure what will happen.

I do hope you keep in touch with me. You don't want this old woman worrying about you..do you? I do know your phone number!

Coreen said...

Carol, I am honored and moved that you consider me a friend and are concerned about my welfare as you show repeatedly...

No underestimating the storm's potential damage...just have to hope that it will not be nearly as awful as the constant predictions by the media...

Everyone I know has done what they can to prepare...whether it is enough remains to be seen...



Carol said...

Proud to be your friend too Coreen. We have history of what..around 4 years now? You've put up with my rants and raves and hung in there.

Carol said...

You need to email me the area where you live so I can Google the weather over your place. You've visited me on Google satellite. You saw my roof. My local TV channel app lets me Google all over the country to see the local radar. It's neat. I feel like I'm flying.

Carol said...

I've been vegging today..both physically and with my diet. I had vegetable soup for breakfast, lunch and will for supper. I thought I'd have to freeze some of it but maybe not.

I've followed this storm so close that I almost felt like I needed to stock up on supplies. I'll definitely take a break to watch my Saints tonight. I guess Jan's fly will be pulling for the Broncos. I hope my guys got there early enough to get used to the high altitude.

Carol said...

Maggie has become more attached to me since I retired. I think that she was turned off by my work stress. She is very sensitive to stress. Now she's almost driving me nuts with her attention. She stays in the bed instead of under it and she shares the same couch instead of hanging out on her own couch or behind it.

Carol said...

One of my nurses called to check on me today. Some keep in touch. She said one of the nurses went to one of the Wardens to beg him to try to get me back. I said..no way Jose. I guess we were all used to each other. I did love all of them and I do miss them. A lot of the abuse I put up with in that job was because of them. I also appreciated each of their contributions to our team. It was definitely a team effort.

Carol said...

I'll have to say that there is at least one plus for those up there who lose power and don't have a generator, they won't be sweltering in 100+ degree heat.

jan said...

One of perks of working is the relationships we develop in our jobs. You have been very busy since retiring Carol.

Dogs certainly sense our moods. I did not have a dog as a child or adolescent. My dad was too much of a skinflint. I really do not know why he wanted children.

My mother was the one who made sure we had our basic needs met.

jan said...

Anyway, the 2 dogs I have lived with long term were both very good at sensing the moods in the humans and reacting accordingly. I can tell this little dog is able to do that too.

Carol said...

I think my Saints are suffering some oxygen deprivation. At least this week we have an excuse. I think even I could have made some better play calls. It's just not the year for our teams. LSU has kinda held their own but we're playing Alabama next week and I'm glad Ivy's won't be around to rub that one in but I'm sure she will be smiling. It might be as bad as that championship game last year.

Carol said...

Coreen, what did you pick up to munch on? I know that food isn't the center of your life like it is mine. It's starting to show on me. You have your pasta and marina sauce stocked up? Maybe some seafood. You might be able to wait for it to come to you.

Well, the Broncos now have a 17 point lead. I may have to change the channel because the storm is less depressing.

Coreen said...

The day is starting out pretty windy, the trees are swaying but not bending, yet, wind noise picking up outside...lots of leaves down all around, a little rain started while I was out getting the papers, feeding the birds...

Yesterday we ate at Cinzano's, my aunt is here from FL...it was not busy in the restaurant, but
at 2 different gas stations, on the way there were more cars trying to get gas, then would be a normal sunday...& yes the grocery stores were busy...

Now waiting to see just how bad it gets later...the latest report says the worst wind will be from about 3pm to 3am tuesday...as for the water damage close to the sound, the next high tide is noon, then midnight...some minor flooding so far, but the worse is yet to come...

if the utilities that have the substations near the sound (Bpt, Stamford, New Haven) get overwhelmed with flooding that would be worst case for electiricity providing to the entire area...

I will try to give you a link to thw WesportNow (I have in the past, that's the town next to mine, they have pics up all the time of around town....Westport is a shore town, not like mine, which is 10 miles from LI sound...but you can see what is happening locally if you want...

Coreen said...

Here's the Wesport Now link...they already have pics up around time, near the beach where they put up
sand dunes....
Westport Now

Carol said...

I bookmarked that site also Coreen.

New Post