Seniors beware

This week I talked to a precious lady right here in the area who had been the victim of a scam attempt last week.

She said she was so embarrassed that she had actually fallen for the scam (even though she thankfully never gave them any money), and she couldn’t believe they had tricked her because she thought only silly people fell for things like that.

But this lady discovered how easy it can be when scammers who have perfected the art of their crime contact you and make you believe something bad has happened to a family member or loved one.

All your rational thoughts go out the window when you become panicked that someone you love and care about is in trouble.

Looking back, it may seem like you should have realized what was going on, but in the heat of the moment, you aren’t thinking about the red flags.

You aren’t thinking about the information that doesn’t quite add up.

You aren’t thinking about anything other than how to help the person on the other end of the phone line.

But even though she was embarrassed about the situation, she made the decision to come forward and talk about it in the hopes that it might not happen to someone else.

I think it was very brave on her part to put aside her embarrassment (even though she had absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about) and tell her side of the story for the greater good of helping her fellow residents realize this kind of thing doesn’t just happen in big cities – it happens right here in our own county.

Because of her bravery, someone else might get the same phone call and know to hang up and not go through the emotional stress she had to endure.

I think it’s absolutely horrible that someone would purposefully set out to deceive elderly people because they think of them as “easy targets.”

These people have lived long lives, worked hard for what they have, supported family and friends over the years, fought in wars, raised children, created successful businesses and been upstanding citizens, and they deserve nothing but respect from those who are younger than they are.

Hopefully this lady’s story will deter any further scam attempts in the area because I can hardly think of anything more cowardly than a person trying to cheat and deceive their way to prosperity by preying on other people.