ASK Lisa By Lisa Sydnor
The staffofof CAREGIVER Magazine is committed to The staff CAREGIVER Magazine is committed to connecting those in need with services and programs. If you have a question connecting those in need with services and programs. or you are looking for services, call 405-314-7840 or email
Ifl.sydnor@betterwithageok.com; you have a question, 405-314-7840 includecall your name and phone number in the message. We can help you find resources such as
or email l.sydnor@betterwithageok.com 211; NewView Oklahoma; Will Rogers Senior Center; aInclude home healthname care agency; a placenumber to live, fraud prevention, etc. your and phone in the message.
Romance Scams: Where has all the love gone? The FBI defines an elder as someone 60+ years of age. According to the 2020 Elder Fraud Report by the FBI/Internet Crime Complaint Center, the “love” has gone to the scammers. There was a 30% increase in romantic scams reported from 2019 to 2020. Preliminary estimates predict the increase of such cases from 2020 to 2021 will be from 43-48% with a monetary impact of over $1 BILLION. The report verifies and supports other findings over the past 15 years that isolation and loneliness are the most common complaints by seniors and shut-ins. The report speculates that being quarantined due to COVID has contributed to feelings of loneliness and depression leaving seniors more susceptible to scammers. Isolation and loneliness are pervasive across the nation in every age group and quarantines are a major contributor to these conditions. Oklahoma Insurance Department (OID) had a virtual fraud conference in May of 2021. One of the speakers, Amy Nofzigler, focused on romance scams. Nofzigler provided information on how scammers get your information, how to protect yourself, and specific things that are red flags. First, gift cards are not for making payments – they are for GIFTS only. If you are told to use gift cards to pay a bill, it’s a scam! No company or government agency accepts gift cards as payment.
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Romance scammers don’t always start on dating sites. Social media, including Facebook, Messenger, TikTok, & Instagram are especially popular, according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC warns people to be wary of any online relationship in which the person wants to leave the dating site immediately and use personal messaging, the person is fast to claim love or the person asks for money without meeting face-to-face. There are good people in the world. Don’t let a bad one ruin your life. Never give money, prepaid cards, transfer funds or provide financial information to anyone you don’t know. “Knowing” someone is much more than digital friends who say they need your help. Grief increases our vulnerability. Scammers know your life, sometimes better than you do. Facebook, Instagram, and other social media are platforms for announcing the loss of a loved one. Scammers play the empathetic/sympathetic friend – the one who has traveled that road and ingratiate themselves to you. Seek counseling and support groups to assist you as you deal with grief. You must grieve! You must allow yourself time to heal. Do it wisely. Most support groups are free. Find the right support group and participate. Talk to a counselor. If you cannot afford one, contact your church, call 211, and ask everyone you know for a referral. This is not the time to huddle in your home alone. Isolation is not your friend. Some warning signs you are being targeted by a scammer: • They are under a military contract, or on an oil rig, and cannot make or take phone calls. • They type in proper Queens English. They don’t understand American jokes. • They don’t know landmarks where they say they live. • They call you “my dear” or “dear” – not a common endearment. • If they “are in love at first sight” – That is phony at best. They should be as apprehensive of you as you are of them. Please see this as a huge red flag! • If they want you to download a different app or website. • Send communication through Facebook Messenger. • Contact you using any social media platform. Be wary. • You get the same text message about their life from several people with different names and locations. • Refusal to meet face-to-face.
Issue 19
CaregiverOklahoma.com
