Be aware - scamming the old folks has become popular

We watch out for one another in my neighborhood and are vigilant of our property and surroundings. It's a gated community which deters house to house soliciting but safety is our personal responsibility just like everywhere else.

An elderly neighbor of mine recently took a short trip and asked that I get her mail and keep it for her return. I couldn't help but notice all of the solicitous mail she received. Enter to win, don't miss this opportunity, contribute to this, just sign here, you may have already won, etc, etc. She was obviously on everybody's list and I mentioned this to her daughter when she stopped by for a visit. She already knew about these issues and agreed with me that the elderly seem to be targeted.

I was reminded of this yesterday when I read an article about a grandmother who was scammed out of $17,000. The scamster called the first time posing as the woman's grandson who said he was in jail on a mix-up and needed bail money. A bogus police officer came on the line and told her to wire $3,000 to a certain account, which she did. The fake grandson called again and needed more money to retrieve his impounded car. Then another call for attorney's fees and so on, until she was tapped out.

It was too late when she discovered the scam and said, " it left me with not enough money to put gas in my car".

This is a sad story but unfortunately not an unusual one. It's obvious to me that the elderly are vulnerable to many of the games and scams designed just for them. Let's do what we can to help protect our older citizens from unscrupulous individuals. Share this story with others and keep a close watch on your older friends and relatives.