A predator’s paradise

Elder scams are more prevalent than ever. Help your loved one avoid being duped.

Story: Alexandra Allred

The following is a recent real exchange between a hopeful seller and buyer on Craig’s List. The seller posted a picture of a king-sized bed on the site for $800. Within one day, there was a hit:

Buyer: Hello, I will [sic] like to tell you that the item is OK and I like it, I’m paying with the cashier’s check, and after the check clears at your bank, my movers will contact you for pickup. I’m fine with the price, and if you’re OK with it, let me know asap to proceed by giving me your mailing address, full name, and cell number.

Thus, began a lengthy exchange about bank accounts, cashier checks, and requesting more personal information. The buyer offered multiple reason for not being present to make the purchase—in the middle of a move; rented a storage space; out of the country. More importantly, he continued to refuse offering his own bank information and desperately wanted the seller’s information. Fortunately, this sale never occurred as the seller was too wary, but every day, scammers like this buyer prey on the elderly to make a quick buck.

Look For The Signs

• An increase in solicitors’ calls

• More “friends” you have never heard of talking to your loved one

• Unsolicited mail increased dramatically

• Younger, seemingly friendly neighbors dropping by for visits

Scammers always have preyed on the elderly, but with the rising number of dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, it is a preying paradise, no longer just embarrassing or inconvenient. Today’s savvy scammers possess the ability to wipe out entire life savings and bank accounts with the push of one button. Older Americans are too polite and less likely to report fraud even when it happens. Words like “Act now!” and “Offer good while supplies last!” feed a need, especially for those with impaired judgment and compulsive tendencies, a symptom of dementia.

Get Proactive

• Check caller ID to see who is calling and make notations.

• Contact your Better Business Bureau, state representative and, if necessary, a lawyer to contact the most aggressive solicitors.

• Call the campaign offices of political figures to remove a loved one’s email, phone, and mailing address from their list.

• Do not be afraid to ask to see any email and internet activity.

• List mail solicitors and remove your loved one from the mailing list.

ACCORDING TO THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON AGING AND THE FBI, THE TOP SCAMS MOST AFFECTING SENIORS ARE:

MEDICAL AND HEALTH INSURANCE FRAUD. PHONE CALLS FROM THE “IRS.” PHONE CALLS FROM MAJOR SOFTWARE AND COMPUTER COMPANIES. CONSUMER OR POLITICAL SURVEYS. PRESCRIPTION DRUG OFFERS. CEMETERIES AND FUNERAL HOMES. ANTI-AGING PRODUCTS.

TIMESHARE AND INVESTMENT DEALS. HOMEOWNER AND REVERSE MORTGAGE OFFERS.

SWEEPSTAKES AND/OR FREE PRIZES.

DOWN-ON-HIS-LUCK-SOLDIER CALLS. THE “GRANDPARENT” SCAM.

Make A Huge Sign

Telling a person with dementia or impaired judgment what to listen for during a sales pitch does no good. Instead, create a DO NOT list.

• DO NOT give out your name or any personal information. Hang up!

• DO NOT agree to receive any packages. Hang up!

• DO NOT give money to any charity. We will do that personally.

• DO NOT give away credit card or bank information.

• DO NOT accept “free” prizes. Explain that legitimate businesses and organizations do not randomly call American citizens to offer free advice or services. This is a scam to gain more personal information and maybe a credit card number to destroy life savings. We are all painfully aware of the rise in dementia and Alzheimer’s patients, but we must also pay greater attention to the epidemic of scammers. It is our job to protect our loved ones.

ABOUT THE WRITER → Alexandra Allred is an author. Her latest book is “Operation Caregivers: #LifewithDementia.” She has a master of science degree in functional movement for the special-needs population. Her experience in senior and memory care comes from a difficult two-year period in which she lost both parents to dementia and thousands of dollars while fighting for their safety and dignity. For more information, visit alexandraallred.com or connect on Facebook and Twitter.

5 Aspects Of Change

Change is the only constant, yet it is feared the most.

Story: Vijay Eswaran

There’s a story about the man on a burning platform that was made popular by a memo sent in 2011 by Nokia CEO Stephen Elop. In it, he describes an incident where an oil platform in the North Sea caught fire.

An engineer found himself surrounded by flames and choking on the smoke high up on the platform. All he could see beneath him were the dark, freezing waters of the Atlantic Ocean. If he jumped, it was a 30-meter drop that could lead to potential death. But if he stayed, it was certain death in the fire. He jumped, miraculously survived the fall, and was rescued.

Many of us need a burning platform at some point in our life. Sometimes we are fortunate, and life gives us one and it becomes our turning point. Rarely, if ever, do we actually go look for it.

Most people resist change in their life. It’s like a chain that has them tethered to the past, to their fears, doubts, and insecurities, heavy chains that won’t let them move forward.

Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful, it is threatening because it means things could get worse. To the hopeful, it is encouraging. It means things could get better. To the confident, it is inspiring.

The late Robert F. Kennedy summed it up very well, “Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator and change has its enemies.”

In my book “Two Minutes from the Abyss,” I discuss the subject of change in greater detail. Here are the five major aspects of change.

1. CHANGE BEGINS FROM WITHIN

We have the power to change our lives; we do not have the power to change others. When we change, it changes everything. And in doing so, as Gandhi once said, we truly can be the change we want to see in the world. Change your environment and you can change the outcome. It will be an uphill task, but that’s what makes it worthwhile.

2. CHANGE HAS AN OVERLAPPING EFFECT

Changes do not occur in one cycle. It takes many cycles for real change to be affected. One set of changes lead to another.

A friend and I once were discussing the topic of change while sitting by a rocky outcrop by the sea watching the waves crash against the rocks. As she was explaining her point of view, she turned to the crashing waves and pointed out that each wave crashing into the rocks was a metaphor for change.

I think that’s perhaps the most powerful description of the impact of change I’ve heard. One wave does not do it all. The bigger the change, the greater the impact on the challenge.

3. CHANGE INVARIABLY ATTRACTS CHANGE

Change has a vibrational effect. With every change you make, you evolve into a new person. The degree of change intensifies as you go through the process of changing. Other people pick up on the energy you exude. Positive energy attracts positive changes and positive people, just as negative energy does the opposite.

4. THE PRICE OF CHANGE IS PAIN

All change comes at a price. And that’s perhaps why most people flee change, as they are not prepared to pay the price. They view change with fear. Change does not eradicate fear, but it has the power to harness fear into excitement and energy. The same fear that holds some people back drives others to climb the highest mountains, plunge to the depths of the oceans, go bungee jumping or skydiving, or even ride a roller coaster. The price is simply mastering the fear. The euphoria of conquering fear is the most wonderful thing one can experience on the journey to change.

5. SOME THINGS SHOULD NEVER CHANGE

This may seem ironic given the topic, but some things are simply not meant to change. The values that allow us to distinguish between right and wrong must remain constant throughout our life. They will certainly evolve over time and with experience, but the fundamental basis of what is good and right rarely ever changes.

Doing bad or being bad is just simply bad. Whether you pull the wings off a butterfly, or chop a man with a machete, violence is bad. Violence cannot and should not evolve from change. Hence, knowing the nature of your change is fundamentally important.

ABOUT THE WRITER → Vijay Eswaran is a successful entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and philanthropist and the author of the best-selling book “In the Sphere of Silence.” An economist by training, he is the founder of a multimillion-dollar global business His new book “Two Minutes from the Abyss,” published by Networking Times Press, is available as an eBook on Amazon.