Older adults are often the target of financial scams, but they don’t have to be victims.
It was a topic that hit home with several women in attendance at Wellness Wednesdays’ monthly support group and luncheon hosted by the SAY Detroit Family Health Clinic at the Ernest T. Ford Recreation Center.
When Wellness Wednesdays’ facilitator Alexis Harvey asked the group if anyone had been scammed, a smattering of hands went up. One woman told the story of being charged $225 for blood pressure medicine that she thought was $39.95. She trusted the pitch, she said, because it was endorsed by a celebrity, but it was actually an AI deepfake scam.
Another told the story of a relative who was scammed out of $2,000. The criminals said that her niece had stolen money from them, and that they were going to “slit her throat’’ if she didn’t wire them the money. She did.
“There are people who feed off your emotions,’’ Harvey said. “It’s awful.’’
Harvey shared safety tips, cautioning them to never share personal information with anyone that you don’t know over the phone, including your social security number, Medicare/Medicaid number, bank account or routing numbers, credit/debit numbers, birthdates and full addresses.
Harvey also encouraged the participants to practice smart internet and email habits, including refraining from clicking links or opening attachments from unknown senders. A tip: Look for spelling errors, odd formatting, and avoid being tricked by those who use urgent language like “Act Now!’’ or “Account Locked.’’
As one participant put it, “My grandfather used to tell me, ‘There’s never something for nothing,’ meaning, don’t set yourself up to be taken.’’
Wellness Wednesdays is taking the month of May off and will return on June 18 for an important session about staying up-to-date on cancer screenings.
