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6-12 2018
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WEEK OF DECEMBER N
The local paper for the Upper East Side
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‘MRS. SHIRLEY, LISTEN TO ME VERY CAREFULLY’
Donna Bailey is 100 years old. But she’s still a fighter. The retired Yorkville nurse told state Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright how she resisted a phone scammer, “Mr. Miller from the government,” who wanted to steal her money. Photo courtesy of Seawright’s office
SENIOR SCAMS
An e-scooter sharing program similar to those operated in San Diego and other cities by companies such as Lime and Bird could soon be given the green light to launch in New York City on a trial basis. Photo courtesy of Lime
END TO E-BIKE BAN IN SIGHT? SAFETY Electric bicycles and electric scooters could soon be legalized on New York City streets BY MICHAEL GAROFALO
For years, electric bicycles have been a significant, if illicit, component of New York City’s street transportation network, favored by food delivery workers and loathed by many pedestrians. But the motorized bikes — now illegal and frequently confiscated by police — could soon become an officially sanctioned mode of transportation under a measure now being considered in the City Council. A package of bills introduced in the City Council on Nov. 28 would legalize not only e-bikes but also escooters, and would pave the way for e-scooter sharing services to begin operating in the city. Council Member Ydanis Rodri-
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BEST FITNESS CENTER
“I don’t think vehicles have any place on sidewalks where pedestrians go. I like human-powered vehicles to have their own space apart from motor vehicles, and that’s why we have bike lanes.” Council Member Ben Kallos guez, who is a co-sponsor of the bills and the chair of the Council’s transportation committee, cast e-bikes and e-scooters as an efficient and environmentally friendly option for delivery workers, commuters and tourists at a Nov. 28 press conference on the bills.
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With Hanukkah underway and Christmas approaching, financial fraud is surging — and con artists are increasingly preying on vulnerable elderly on the UES and UWS BY DOUGLAS FEIDEN
The instructions were explicit: Withdraw $20,000 in large bills. Conceal them inside the pages of several magazines. FedEx them to an address in Las Vegas. Then wait. The $1 million windfall will arrive a bit later. Of course, it never did and never will. Instead, a criminal or crime ring, identity and whereabouts still unknown, had deployed the telephone swindle to trick an Upper East Sider out of the bulk of her life savings. The victim was a 90-year-old Yorkville woman who lives alone on York Avenue in the East 80s and worked for years in the human resources department of what is now New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She sang in the choir at the Jan Hus Presbyterian Church on 74th Street, was an active member of her community, and without kids of her own, doted on her nieces and nephews, including one who died on 9/11. Unfortunately, her story is all too common: Internet-based, auto-dialing and search-by-age technology has given fraudsters ease and anonymity to make all-but-untraceable phone calls from anywhere in the world — dangling bogus gifts and rewards to steal personal data and cash. Despite the con’s digitization, it’s still built around a fast-talking pitch
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“For senior citizens, the holidays should mean, ‘Tis the season to be joyful.’ Instead, it is, ‘Tis the season of scams.’” Assembly Member Rebecca Seawright that’s as old as the analog telephone. Imperative you take immediate financial action, a caller will say. No need to consult with family or friends. Fat cash prizes “guaranteed” — even if you didn’t request them.
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Jewish women and girls light up the world by lighting the Shabbat candles every Friday evening 18 minutes before sunset. Friday, December 7 – 4:11 pm. For more information visit www.chabaduppereastside.com
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