►
Description
Docket #0165 - Hearing regarding elder scamming
A
Good
afternoon
my
name
is
Kim
Janie
I'm,
a
Boston
City
Council
representing
District,
seven
I'm,
the
chair
of
the
Small
Business
and
Consumer
Affairs
Committee
I
am
joined
this
afternoon
by
my
colleagues,
Anissa
savvy
George,
who
is
the
sponsor
of
this
hearing
order
and
Edie
Flynn
to
my
right.
I
want
to
remind
you
that
this
is
a
public
hearing
and
that
it's
being
recorded,
please
silence
all
of
your
cell
phones
and
devices.
A
We
will
take
public
testimony
after
we
hear
from
a
panel
and
have
some
questions
and
answers.
We
ask
that
people
state
that
their
name
their
address
and
their
affiliation.
You
can
also
submit
written
testimony
before
we
begin
with
our
panel
I'll
just
say
a
few
words
and
invite
the
sponsor
to
say
a
few
words
and
and
councillor
Flynn,
to
say
a
few
words.
So
first
I
want
to
thank
councillor
sabe
George
for
calling
this
hearing.
I
also
want
to
thank
councilor
Flynn
for
being
here
our
panel
for
being
here.
A
All
those
who
are
attending
I
want
to
especially
thank
massing,
your
action
for
your
advocacy
on
on
behalf
of
seniors,
the
elderly
Commission
for
your
work
to
support
seniors
in
Boston
I
want
to
thank
and
acknowledge
attorney
general
Maura
Healey
for
all
of
her
work
to
protect
consumers
and
everyone
who's.
Here,
as
chair
of
this
committee,
you
know
it's
important
that
we
put
promote
small
business,
but
we
also
have
to
promote
equity
and
protection
for
consumers.
B
You
councillor
Jenny
for
cheering
today
and
to
all
of
our
panelists,
who
are
here
with
us
now
will
be
with
us
shortly.
Last
year,
I
filed
this
hearing
order
to
hold
a
conversation
on
Elder
scamming
and
hopes
to
bring
an
issue
that
occurs
more
often
than
not
to
the
forefront.
Financial
fraud
is
the
fastest-growing
form
of
elder
abuse
and
concerns.
When
someone
exploits
an
individual
through
deception
involving
financial
transactions,
senior
and
elder
abuse
is
vastly
underreported,
where
only
1
in
44
cases
of
financial
abuse
has
ever
reported.
B
This
hearing
order
was
originally
inspired
by
Jamal
Crawford,
a
concerned
constituent
regarding
his
experience
with
his
grandmother,
who
was
being
harassed
daily
by
people
trying
to
buy
her
home
and
sell
her
bad
insurance.
This
is
an
issue
my
staff
and
I
hear
about
often
when
we
are
in
civic
meetings
and
in
conversations
with
seniors
across
the
city
of
Boston.
It
is
also
important
to
me
that,
as
we
continue
to
become
more
informed
of
the
resources
that
we're
able
to
empower
seniors
with
the
tools
they
need
to
protect
themselves.
B
According
to
Boston's
2030
Age
Friendly
Boston
action
plan,
the
city
has
approximately
a
hundred
and
twenty
five
thousand
residents
that
are
60
and,
above
as
a
city
and
as
a
state,
we
all
believe
seniors
have
the
right
to
age
in
place
free
from
harassment.
This
is
why
I
spent
this
last
year,
making
visits
to
senior
centers
elderly
homes
and
groups
to
have
listening
sessions
and
to
hear
about
the
different
types
of
scans
scams.
B
They
have
experienced
the
most
I've
heard
stories
about
predatory,
real
estate
buyers,
financial
scams
like
impersonating,
the
IRS,
grandparents
being
telemarketing
and
robo
calls
and
sweep
stake
schemes,
door-to-door
service
sales
as
well
as
identity
theft.
According
to
the
Treasury
Inspector
General
for
tax
administration
between
2013
and
2017
scammers
impersonating
IRS
officials
have
targeted
more
than
2.1
million
taxpayers
in
more
than
12,000
victims
reported
losing
more
than
60
million
dollars
from
that
form
of
scam
alone.
The
reality
is,
we
have
no
idea.
B
The
economic
impact
elder
fraud
has
had
most
analysts
go
with
the
2010
investor
protection
trust
elder
fraud
survey,
in
which
they
say
one
in
five
Americans
over
the
age
of
65
has
been
victimized
by
fraud
and
a
2011
metlife
mature
market
Institute
study
determined
that
financial
exploitation
cost
seniors
at
least
2.9
billion
dollars
annually.
However,
according
to
another
survey,
companies
that
sell
products
and
services
to
protect
older
Americans
from
financial
abuse
and
exploitation
experts
that
financial
elder
abuse
actually
costs
thirty
six
billion
dollars
annually
more
than
12
times
the
earlier
studies
figure
regardless.
B
Often
sat
silent
and
I
wondered
what
what
shame
they
might
have
felt
or
what
Sigma
they
may
feel
for
being
caught
up
in
a
scam,
and
it's
certainly
not
not
their
fault,
especially
as
more
and
more
of
our
seniors
live
in
isolation
and
live
at
home.
During
today's
hearing.
I
hope
that
our
panelists
that
are
doing
this
work
every
day
can
help
offer
guidance
on
what
can
be
done
to
protect
our
seniors
from
fit
from
falling
victim
to
any
fraud.
B
C
You
councillor
Janey
for
your
leadership
on
this
important
issue
and
to
councillor
a
nice
rossabi
George
for
your
leadership
on
this
issue
as
well.
For
calling
this
hearing
for
bringing
together
experts
in
trying
to
help
as
many
seniors
in
our
city
as
we
can
I
want
to
say.
Thank
you
to
the
mayor,
senior
action,
the
Attorney
General's
Office
for
her
great
work
on
helping
our
elderly
for
so
many
years,
and
especially
the
elderly
Commission.
Here
at
the
city
of
Boston,
we
see
them
at
so
many
public
events
trying
to
help
the
elderly
with
needed
services.
C
C
A
lot
of
real
estate,
people
or
those
that
know
the
elderly
can
be
exploited,
are
trying
to
take
advantage
of
them
making
offers
on
their
property
that
are
unfair,
that
are
unreasonable
and
then
the
resident
would
would
agree
to
it
and
then
shortly
thereafter,
the
the
person
that
bought
the
house
would
would
flip
it.
So
we're
seeing
a
lot
of
that
that
exploitation
of
the
elderly-
you
know
a
city,
and
you
know
it's
not
fair
and
I'd
like
to
see.
C
Oh,
it
was
strengthened
in
but
more
importantly,
make
sure
that
our
elderly
are
aware
of
the
services
that
are
that
are
available
to
them
and
to
provide
PSAs
public
service
announcements
to
help
elderly
on
on
many
of
these
issues,
again,
I
just
want
to
say
thank
you
to
councillor
Janey
to
a
council
council,
a
nice
rossabi
George
as
well
for
their
great
leadership
on
this
important
issue.
Thank
you.
Thank.
A
D
D
Organizations
working
with
older
adult
populations
have
worked
for
decades
to
assist
older
adults
to
be
more
aware
of
scams
in
order
to
decrease
the
number
of
individuals
who
are
defrauded
every
year
in
the
commission
on
affairs
of
the
elderly.
We
recognize
the
challenges
older
adults
face
as
common
targets
of
scams
and
have
worked
to
inform
and
assist
older
adults
when
it
comes
to
elder
abuse
and
fraud.
D
In
the
creation
of
our
Age
Friendly
Action
Plan,
which
we
launched
in
2016,
we
included
an
action
item
around
scams
to
enhance
the
safety
of
older
adults
through
education,
the
action
item
States.
We
will
continue
to
collaborate
with
community
partners
who
are
experts
on
fraud,
other
abuse
and
financial
exploitation
to
raise
awareness,
warning
signs
and
avenues
for
assistance.
We
will
consider
multiple
methods,
including
the
city's
communication
channels,
local
television
and
community
newspapers,
to
spotlight
these
resources.
D
So
far,
we
have
worked
together
to
pull
a
committee
of
experts
and
elder
abuse
to
meet
monthly
and
discuss
the
best
way
to
have
a
coordinated
approach
in
tackling
abuse
of
all
kinds,
including
fraud
and
scans.
This
allows
us
to
work
with
internal
city
departments
and
external
partner
agencies
to
make
sure
we
are
up-to-date
on
new
scams
and
can
work
together
on
address.
Then,
in
addition
to
our
own
committee
and
the
work,
the
Commission
on
the
fairest
of
the
elderly
is
a
part
of
the
Massachusetts
elder
identity-theft
coalition,
led
by
the
Massachusetts
Attorney
General's
Office.
D
This
Coalition
is
heavily
focused
on
preventing
scams
and
fraud
and
has
the
primary
goals
to
Train
service
provider,
organizations,
educate
older
adults
and
raise
awareness
among
businesses.
The
statewide
outreach
helps
us
to
expand
the
reach
of
information
and
make
sure
we
are
up-to-date
on
the
trends
the
Attorney
General's
Office
has
identified.
We
also
recognize
that
the
best
way
to
help
older
adults
around
scams
is
to
keep
people
informed,
so
they
can
recognize
them
before
they
are
defrauded.
D
D
Depending
on
the
situation,
we
often
make
referrals
to
Greater
Boston
Legal
Services,
the
Attorney
General's
Office,
Protective
Services,
or
the
Boston
Police
Department.
These
groups
can
try
to
address
the
issue
and
identify
the
scammer
and
assist
the
elder
through
collaboration
with
partners,
educating
older
adults
and
connecting
with
partners,
staff
and
constituents
to
resources.
We
hope
to
build
awareness
and
have
less
people
scammed
in
the
future.
Thank
you.
Thank
you.
E
Thank
you.
My
name
is
Janice
Fahey
and
I
am
a
legal
analyst,
with
a
consumer
advocacy
in
response
division
at
the
office
of
attorney
general
Maura
Healey
good
morning,
counselor
Janie
and
counselor
asabi
George.
Thank
you
for
inviting
us
here
today
and
good
morning.
Councillor
Flynn
our
division,
the
consumer
advocacy
and
response
division
does
several
things.
It
works
with
consumers
and
businesses
to
help
resolve
disputes.
E
We
also
maintain
an
elder
hotline
staffed
by
volunteers,
who
can
answer
questions,
resolve
disputes
with
businesses
and
assist
with
issues
like
other
exploitation,
identity
theft,
scams
and
persistent
telemarketing
calls.
We
greatly
appreciate
your
time
and
attention
to
this
matter
and
to
help
you
to
answer
the
important
question
of
how
do
we
better
protect
our
senior
residents
from
becoming
victims
of
fraud?
E
My
goal
today
is
to
provide
you
with
information
for
seniors
and
tell
you
about
the
resources
within
the
attorney
general's
office
to
educate
older
residents
to
put
this
problem
in
context.
A
recent
study
estimated
that
37
billion
dollars
was
stolen
from
older
Americans
through
fraud,
identity
theft
and
scams
in
2017.
E
Others
are
sometimes
targeted
by
unfair
and
business
deceptive
business
practices,
scammers
and
identity
thieves,
some
of
the
top
identity
theft
categories
and
2000
17
were
credit
card
fraud,
tax
and
government
scams
bank
account
fraud
and
utility
scams.
This
is
information
from
the
Federal
Trade
Commission
and
the
average
fraud
loss
was
four
hundred
and
twenty
nine
dollars
for
those
over
seven.
Sorry.
E
Four
hundred
and
twenty
nine
dollars
in
2017
for
those
over
seventy,
that
number
increases
to
six
hundred
and
twenty
one
dollars
and
by
eighty
over
one
thousand
dollars
on
our
elder
hotline.
There
are
several
common
scams
that
are
reported
and
although
we
may
be
familiar
with
these
scams,
we
need
to
keep
talking
about
them
because
we
still
get
calls
about
these
every
day.
E
Acting
as
a
grandchild
will
often
say,
hi
grandma
and
many
times
the
grandparent
will
say:
hi,
Johnny
and
there's
the
hook,
because
then
they
have
the
name
of
the
grandchild
and
they
will
keep
using
that
name
in
order
to
exploit
and
get
money
out
of
the
senior,
and
we
see
it
every
day.
I
got
a
call
a
couple
days
ago
about
this
happening,
so
it's
something
that
we
always
have
to
keep
aware
of
and
keep
telling
the
community
about
utility
scam.
E
Someone
calls
and
tells
someone
that
their
electricity
or
heat
will
be
shut
off
unless
they
go
out
and
purchase
gift
cards
and
what
the
gift
card
is.
They
have
to
purchase
the
gift
cards,
scratch
the
back
of
the
gift
card
and
call
back
and
give
that
number
to
the
person
so
that
their
heat
in
hot
water
is
not
shut
off.
E
Additionally,
the
National
Lottery
scam
has
been
a
problem
someone's
told
that
they've
won
a
national
lottery
and
that
they
need
to
pay
fees
or
taxes
in
order
to
get
this
money
there,
unfortunately,
sometimes
they're
sent
a
check
for
these
for
these
this
money
and
are
asked
to
pay
money
from
this
check.
So
the
money
goes
into
their
bank
account.
They
pay
the
fees
and
taxes
which
are
really
not
fees
and
taxes,
because
it's
a
scam
and
then
the
check
does
not
clear
so
there's
the
rete.
E
The
way
that
this
happens
is
that
the
banks
are
required
to
give
money
within
a
certain
amount
of
time,
so
they
have
to
make
those
funds
available.
However,
if
it's
a
fraud,
two
weeks
later,
the
fraud
department
could
let
the
person
know
that
this
money
didn't
clear
and
that
they
need
to
pay
back
this
money.
E
Additionally,
there's
a
Medicaid
cards
are
being
issued
right
now,
new
Medicaid
cards,
Medicare
excuse
me
Medicare
cards,
and
that
is
so
that
the
Social
Security
number
does
not
appear
on
the
card
any
longer.
However,
scammers
have
taken
advantage
of
this
knowledge
and
tried
to
scam
seniors
by
calling
them
and
letting
them
know
they
need
to
verify
the
information
and
that
information,
of
course,
is
your
social
security
number.
E
E
Luckily,
because
of
all
the
work
that
people
are
doing
around
this
state,
I've
heard
last
week,
we
were
at
the
mass
Council
on
Aging
doing
a
presentation,
and
we
heard
from
a
lot
of
people
that
they're
not
getting
as
many
calls
about
this
because
of
the
efforts
that
are
being
made
from
all
of
the
partners
in
this
work.
Another
scam
is
the
IRS
scam,
with
someone
complaint
claiming
to
be
from
the
IRS
indicates
that
you
owe
taxes
and
that
you
will
be
arrested
if
you
don't
pay
them
now.
E
So
a
lot
of
these
take
on
the
role
of
an
imposter
scam,
where
someone
is
pretending
to
be
someone
else
in
your
materials
that
you
can
look
at
after
we've
provided
some
materials
on
common
scams
as
well
as
something
that
we
would
like
to
see.
Every
senior
have
above
their
phone
to
talk
to
them
about
basic
information
on
what
to
do.
If
someone
asks
you
certain
questions
most
of
the
time,
it's
if
it's
a
telemarketer
or
someone
who
is
asking
you
for
money,
it's
in
order
to
get
money
hang
up.
E
The
phone
I
can
share
some
specific
examples
of
things
that
we've
been
working
on
at
the
office.
We
recently
assisted
an
elderly
couple
who
were
having
money
taken
out
of
their
checking
account
each
month
and
they
claimed
it
wasn't
authorized.
They
tried
to
call
the
company
and
tell
them
we
did
not
authorize
this
purchase.
They
were
told
that,
yes,
you
signed
up
for
a
free
trial
offer
and
because
of
that,
their
small
fine
print
in
it.
That
says
this
will
be
a
monthly
charge
unless
you
cancel
this
purchase
to
make
matters
worse.
E
The
company
said
we
can't
refund
your
money
and
we
can't
stop
the
recurring
charge.
They
contacted
our
office.
We
were
able
to
stop
the
recurrent
charge,
as
well
as
to
get
a
refund
for
this
elderly
couple.
These
types
of
free
trials,
sometimes
its
beauty,
creams
or
other
personal
care
products
its.
We
try
to
encourage
seniors
not
to
go
for
the
free
trial
offer,
because
often
this
is
a
way
for
the
either
one,
their
small,
fine
print.
That
requires
you
to
keep
paying
for
these
items,
even
if
you
don't
want
them
to.
E
We've
also
seen
headlines
about
consumers,
personal
information
such
as
names
and
Social,
Security
numbers
being
stolen.
Many
will
recall
the
Equifax
breach
we're
about
a
hundred
and
forty
five
million
Americans,
including
three
million
people
from
Massachusetts,
had
their
information
hacked
probably
many
people
in
this
room.
Today
we
were
the
first
state
to
sue
Equifax
for
failing
to
protect
consumers,
personal
information.
E
Sometimes
it's
sophisticated
computer
hackers.
In
other
cases,
your
personal
information
can
be
obtained
through
other
measures
such
as
sifting
through
your
mail
or
trash
or
pretending
to
be
a
friend
or
relative
over
the
phone.
In
some
cases,
cameras
use
technology
known
as
spoofing
to
look
like
it's
a
call
from
a
friend
or
the
area
code
is
the
same
as
yours,
and
the
local
code
is
the
same
as
yours,
so
you're
more
likely
to
pick
up
that
call.
E
Also.
We
still
have
door-to-door
scammers
that
can
pretend
to
be
home,
improvement
contractors,
a
magazine,
salesperson,
charity,
solicitors,
asking
for
donations.
We
tell
people
to
not
open
their
door
to
people,
they
don't
know,
don't
start
conversations
with
strangers,
knocking
on
your
door
and
if
you
suspect,
a
scam
call
the
police.
This
is
an
area
where,
if
you
hire,
if
there's
a
scammer
in
your
neighborhood,
the
local
police
can
be
called
and
they
can
be
there
in
a
short
amount
of
time
to
stop
this
person
from
scamming
an
elder
or
another
neighbor.
E
We
also
tell
people
if
they're
using
their
computer,
never
to
click
on
links
unless
you've
verified
the
sender.
We've
had
a
lot
of
people
scammed
by
that
that
think
that
the
when
a
technology
company
has
told
them
that
their
antivirus
software
has
needs
to
be
updated,
and
if
you
click
on
that
you've,
given
the
scammer
access
to
your
computer,
you
get
a
call
about
this,
and
those
people
can
take
the
personal
information
that
you
have
on
your
computer
once
they
have
access
to
your
computer.
E
So
we
tell
people
always
verify
the
person
that
sends
them
this
information
independently
of
any
type
of
message
and
don't
click
on
those
pop-up
messages.
Some
signs
that
you
might
be
know
that
you're,
a
victim
of
identity
theft,
you
get
bills
from
medical
providers,
even
though
you
did
not
receive
medical
care.
You
see,
withdrawals
from
your
bank
account,
you
don't
understand
and
we
tell
people
to
make
sure
they
check
their
statements.
You're
contacted
by
debt
collectors
regarding
unfamiliar
debts
or
the
IRS
informs
you
that
your
tax
return
was
filed.
E
Using
your
personal
information,
our
office
can
explain
how
to
file
a
complaint
with
the
Federal
Trade
Commission
file,
a
police
report
and
obtain
a
fraud,
alert
or
credit
freeze.
A
new
federal
law
requires
the
three
major
credit
reporting
companies,
Experian,
TransUnion
and
Equifax-
to
provide
free
credit
fees.
There
are
some
materials
about
that
in
their
folders
today,
free
credit
freezes
can
be
accessed
by
mail
phone
or
over
the
Internet.
E
It's
an
excellent
tool
to
prohibit
people
from
opening
new
credit
lines
in
your
name.
We
also
recommend
that
consumers
diligently
check
their
credit
report.
We
always
ask
people
when
we
do
outreach.
Have
you
checked
your
credit
report?
When
we
started
doing
this
around
June,
we
only
got
a
few
hands.
The
last
event
we
went
to
last
week.
Almost
everyone
raised
their
hand,
so
these
efforts
do
make
a
difference.
E
And
everyone's
entitled
to
a
free
credit
report,
and
if
you
get
one
of
the
three
every
four
months,
then
you
can
get
ones
throughout
the
year
and
it's
easy
to
do.
One
thing
to
note:
people
will
have
to
give
their
social
security
numbers
to
get
this
information.
That
was
a
barrier
before
we
started
talking
to
people
about
this
at
home.
Some
easy
measures
elders
can
use
shredding.
E
A
lot
of
organizations
have
shredding
events
throughout
the
state,
never
give
up
personal
information
like
credit
card
or
social
security
numbers
over
the
phone
or
through
text
messages
or
by
email.
Don't
use
public
computers
like
the
library
for
financial
transactions
and
don't
let
other
people
make
copies
of
your
license
or
government
identification
cards.
Ask
that
question.
Why
do
you
need
this
information?
E
We've
also
undertaken
a
variety
of
measures
to
tackle
this
problem,
because
our
division
saw
an
increase
in
the
number
of
calls
and
complaints
from
elders
in
an
increase
in
the
amount
of
money
that
was
taken
from
other
we've,
been
fortunate
to
obtain
a
federal
grant
to
establish
the
Massachusetts
elder
identity
theft
coalition
lucky
to
have
here
today,
Ludmila
Nosa
who's,
a
program
coordinator
for
this
coalition.
We
worked
with
the
Department
of
Justice
office
of
victims
of
crime
and
the
Identity
Theft
Resource
Center
to
work
on
this
national
identity
theft
of
victims
assistance
network.
E
Today,
30
partner
organizations
have
joined
the
coalition
and
our
goal
is
to
improve
the
outreach
and
capacity
of
victim
service
programs
and
address
the
needs
of
victims
of
identity
theft.
Members
include
state
agencies,
law
enforcement,
legal
aid
organizations,
local
consumer
programs
and
banking
organizations.
E
The
Commission
on
affairs
of
the
elderly
for
the
city
of
Boston
is
part
of
our
coalition,
as
is
the
Massachusetts
healthy,
aging
collaborative,
as
well
as
many
other
organizations
that
we
partner
with
we've
held
over
20
events
since
June,
and
what
we
do
is
train
seniors,
as
well
as
as
advocacy
organizations
and
organizations
and
coalition
members.
We
go
around
the
state
and
train
elders
to
prevent
scams
and
identity
theft
and
to
teach
them
what
to
do
if
they
have
become
victims
of
identity
theft.
E
We
also
train
advocates,
as
last
week,
we're
at
the
mass
Council
on
Aging
training
councils
on
Aging,
as
well
as
local
consumer
programs
and
other
advocates
on
how
to
assist
elders,
to
be
proactive
and
preventing
their
identity
from
being
stolen,
as
well
as
what
signs
to
look
for
that.
Their
identity
has
been
stolen
and
what
to
do
to
assist
them
after
having,
in
the
event
that
there
have
been
a
victim
of
identity
theft.
We
have
trained
over
a
thousand
elders
and
advocates
in
over
11
counties
of
the
state.
E
E
So
my
partner
division
also
partners
with
other
parts
of
the
attorney
general's
office
and,
for
example,
in
October
we
sued
a
competitive
electric
Chestatee
supplier.
We
allege
that
it
deceived
consumers
by
falsely
promising
to
lower
electricity
rates
and
instead
sign
them
up
for
expensive
contracts
and
ultimately
made
them
pay
millions
more
on
their
bills.
E
We
also
submitted
comments
to
the
federal
government
calling
on
telephone
companies
to
take
a
more
proactive
role
in
addressing
these
annoying
and
pervasive
robo
calls.
We
also
submitted
public
comments
to
assist
elders
when
they
take
out
a
reverse
mortgage
and
to
protect
spouses,
who
may
have
still
be
in
a
home
after
a
spouse
dies
when
they
have
a
reverse
mortgage.
E
If
you
get
a
robo
call,
just
hang
up,
don't
engage
with
the
scammer
seniors
can
also
call
either
our
consumer
advocacy
and
response
division
or
our
elder
hotline,
or
one
of
our
many
specialized
hotlines
within
our
office.
That
information
is
also
in
your
packet
I'm,
also
proud
to
say
that
my
colleagues
into
my
division,
the
consumer,
advocacy
and
response
division,
can
speak
eight
languages
and
we're
fortunate
to
have
staff
in
other
parts
of
our
office
that
are
fluent
in
additional
languages.
E
Thus,
our
consumer
team
can
ensure
people
for
whom
English
may
be
the
second
language
to
access
our
resources,
as
I
said
before,
I
brought
some
handouts
and
publications
prepared
by
our
office
and
other
information
that
address
many
of
our
consumer
issues.
I've
raised
today.
Thank
you
for
the
opportunity
to
appear
before
you
and
I
welcome
any
questions
that
you
may
have.
A
F
Name
is
Walter
lass,
COEs
and
I
am
with
the
cooperative
credit
union
Association.
It's
a
trade
organization
representing
credit
unions
in
the
states
of
Massachusetts,
New,
Hampshire,
Rhode,
Island
and
Delaware.
First
of
all,
I
want
to
applaud
those
who
are
sitting
with
me
at
the
panel
today
for
the
the
actions
they're
taking
on
behalf
of
seniors
I.
Think
today's
a
great
day
for
seniors
in
that
we're
raising
awareness
of
the
the
actions
being
perpetrated
against
them
by
scammers
and
fraud
fraudsters.
You
know
it
was
mentioned
that
the
industry
is
it's
thirty.
F
Four
billion
really
reported
in
losses
for
seniors
in
2017,
and
one
of
the
things
we
find
is,
and
it's
so
sad.
It's
so
sad
when
you
think
about
it,
because
a
lot
of
seniors
don't
report
the
losses,
they're
embarrassed
there
in
shamed.
So
it's
a
lot
more
than
34
billion
dollars.
That's
lost,
and
you
can
imagine
that,
given
the
fact
that
it's
thirty
four
billion
dollar
industry,
why
these
perpetrators
continue
to
do
what
they
do.
F
There's
specialists
they're
experts
at
what
they
do
of
getting
the
money
and
experts
at
using
the
most
sophisticated
technology
today
and
approaches
to
be
able
to
scam
the
money
from
seniors.
Well,
you
might
ask
and
wonder
why
credit
unions
are
involved
when
you
look
at
you
know,
organizations
that
are
with
the
attorney
general's
office
and
and
also
you
know,
service
providers
for
the
elderly,
and
basically
it
comes
down
to
the
background
of
credit
unions.
F
Our
business
model
is
one
that
it's
it's
a
cooperative
financial
business
model
and
it's
built
on
principles
and
values,
and
one
of
those
values
really
focuses
on
education
and
it's
education
of
the
members
and
education
of
the
community.
So
about
a
year
or
so
ago
our
board
of
directors
decided
to
launch
a
national
survey
to
get
more
information
and
data
about
scams
being
perpetrated
against
the
elders,
and
we
got
that
survey
back
and
the
board
itself
was
really
alarmed
at
the
results
of
what
it
saw.
F
The
data
that
that
came
across
over
two-thirds
of
familiar
caregivers,
caretakers
report
that
their
elder
relatives
had
been
targeted
by
a
fraud
or
scam.
So
this
is
maybe
about
a
fifteen
hundred
population
that
were
surveyed
out
of
that
group.
Over
two-thirds
said
that
their
elder
relatives
were
targeted.
Forty
four
percent
of
those
that
were
surveyed
said
that
the
elders
do
not
have
a
plan
in
place
if
they
fell
victim
to
a
scam
and
twenty
six
percent
of
all
adults
reported
having
their
financial
information
hacked.
F
Only
four
percent
of
elders
have
taken
a
financial
literacy
course
over
the
last
five
years
and
thirty
nine
percent
of
Americans
report
that
their
elders
are
not
at
all
or
only
somewhat
financially
literate,
so
that
prompted
the
credit
unions
to
say
we
need
to
take
some
action.
What
the
credit
unions
did
is
they
worked
with
a
firm
out
of
Washington
DC
to
create
a
software
platform
that
really
trains
the
users
in
recognizing
the
impact
recognizing
I
should
say
the
signs
of
elder
financial
abuse
and
also
knowing
what
to
do
in
response.
F
The
version
is
placed
on
our
website,
better
values,
better
banking,
comm
and
on
that
website,
this
free
version
is
available
to
anyone
in
the
community
any
caregiver
any
person
that's
dealing
with
the
elders
to
to
go
on
and
to
become
more
familiar
with
the
the
signs
of
elder
abuse
and
the
resources
available
in
the
community.
So
in
order
to
to
really
emphasize
that
that
commitment
of
credit
unions,
we
also
engaged
in
a
campaign
to
do
a
lot
of
radio
spots
in
the
four
states.
F
We're
in
a
number
have
already
been
airing
here
in
Boston
and
out
in
Springfield
in
Worcester
Market
we've
also
been
not
only
doing
the
radio
commercials
but
we're
doing
radio
interviews
and
and
we're
looking
to
continue
to
do
those
and
work
together
with
the
attorney
general's
office
as
well,
because
the
more
we
could
get
in
front
of
the
community
at
large
and
raise
awareness
about
this.
It
will
have
an
impact
that
I'm
happy
to
hear
that
in
the
work.
F
F
This
dilemma:
that's
facing
them,
and
not
only
that,
but
when
I
was
thought
of
when
I
was
listening
to
the
presentation
so
far
that
we
have
to
also
be
mindful
of
the
fact
that
today
in
social
media,
so
much
is
put
out
there
in
the
public
limelight
and
that's
where
a
lot
of
these
fraudsters
scammers
get
a
lot
of
information.
Oh
Johnny
is
icy.
F
Here
he's
on
vacation
down
in
South
Carolina,
and
then
you
find
out
that
the
grandma
says
have
a
good
time,
and
next
thing
you
know
the
grandmas
being
called
because
hey
Johnny
has
been
arrested
and
needs
to
be
bailed
out,
but
don't
don't
call
the
parents,
don't
he
does
he's
embarrassed
so
send
money.
You
know
that
kind
of
happens.
So
again.
It's
the
message
has
to
be
through
a
lot
of
these
programs
that
we're
doing
in
a
community
to
educate
seniors
about
the
resources
and
educate
them
with
tips
on
how
to
remain
safe.
F
What
we're
doing
is
we're
hosting
what
we're
calling
luncheon
learns
where
we
host
an
event
at
a
Senior
Center,
and
we
invite
the
other
community
leaders
to
come
in
and
join
with
us.
So
we
had
I
was
at
a
meeting
last
night
in
Chicopee
we
had
the
mayor
of
Chicopee
with
us.
We
had
the
Chief
of
Police
with
us.
The
district
attorney
was
with
us
some
caregivers
and
we
basically
spent
we
had
a
sellout
crowd.
F
We
had
more
than
150
folks
come
for
dinner
and
come
to
hear
the
presentation
and
to
get
some
information
about
protecting
themselves,
and
it
was
a
thorough
success
in
that
everyone
from
the
community
had
a
chance
to
tell
them
about
the
tell
the
seniors
about
the
resources
that
are
available,
that
they
and
after
free
that
they
could
access
to
help
protect
themselves
and
also
giving
them
tips
on
how
to
protect
themselves.
We're
looking
credit
unions
are
looking
to
continue
to
do
that
effort
as
we
move
in
toward
2019
and
beyond.
F
Well,
you
know
the
the
police
department
more
than
happy
to
accept
a
check
down
at
the
police
station
and
but
also
before
you
do
anything
verify
that
this
is
actually
legit
or
not,
rather
than
just
writing
a
check
and
putting
out
in
the
mailbox
where
you
know,
who's
gonna
come
and
take
it.
So
that's
also
important
that
verification,
the
education
and
the
partnership
is
there.
F
I
would
like
to
close
with
with
a
message
that,
when
you
think
about
it
today,
I
think
we
need
to
send
a
message
to
those
who
are
scammers,
those
who
are
fraudsters.
Those
who
we
find
a
lot
of
times
are
relatives
of
our
elders,
family
members,
who
are
looking
to
scam
a
loved
one
from
their
money.
We're
on
to
you.
There
are
a
lot
of
organizations
taking
action
to
protect
seniors,
to
raise
awareness
and
to
do
something.
F
A
You
thank
you
so
much.
Thank
you
all
for
all
of
the
work
that
you're
doing
I
just
have
a
few
questions
and
then
I
want
to
turn
it
over
to
our
sponsor
here
for
the
for
the
bulk
of
the
questions
and
then
we're
gonna
get
to
another
panel.
So
this
is
very
frustrating
to
hear
that
people
who
are
most
vulnerable
are
being
taken
advantage
of
and
when
I
think
about
elders
and
seniors
in
our
community
being
on
fixed
incomes
to
hear
you
know,
429
dollars
or
six
hundred
and
twenty
one
dollars
or
a
thousand
dollars.
A
I
can't
imagine
you
know
being
without
a
thousand
dollars
and
what
that's
doing
to
someone
on
fixed
income.
I
wonder
it
was
mentioned,
and
we
know
that
this
is
an
under,
because
people
are
not
reporting
because
they're
embarrassed
their
shame.
They
don't
want
to
admit,
they've
been
and
taken
advantage
of,
or
perhaps
they
think
nothing
will
come
of
it
if
I
report
it.
So
who
knows
what
the
real
numbers
are?
I?
Wonder
if
you
could?
You
mentioned
a
lot
of
scams
we
heard
a
lot
of
scams
mentioned.
A
Are
some
of
those
more
happening
more
frequently
than
others
and
and
the
methods
in
which
people
are
getting
to
our
seniors?
Is
it
more
through
calls?
Is
it
more
in-person?
Is
it
more
like
on
the
Internet?
Do
we
have
a
sense
of
how
that
pile
is
being
divided
in
terms
of
that
point
of
contact?
Okay,
so.
E
We
get
calls
every
day
at
our
office
about
new
scams
and
there's
always
a
new
scam.
For
example,
we
just
recently
started
getting
calls
about
people
saying
that
there's
a
new
law
regarding
signing
up
for
health
and
your
health
insurance
and
they're
gonna
help
you
to
sign
up
for
your
proper
health
insurance.
So
what
we'd
like
to
tell
people
is,
it's
there's,
always
a
new
scam,
but
there
are
certain
methods
that
are
followed
by
scammers.
E
Those
are
like
the
two
major
ones,
so
there's
certain
things
that
we
can
tell
people
that
all
of
the
scams
follow
and
by
doing
that,
and
if
you
want
to
just
take
a
look
at
that,
the
handout
that
we
gave
you
it's
called
over
the
phone
in
order
to
help
you
to
help
elders
right
in
their
homes,
and
they
can
just
look
at
this
this
one
material
and
know
what
to
do
so.
And
it's.
A
Not
going
to
be
the
point
of
contact,
is
it
mostly
someone
calling
on
the
phone
to
a
singer?
Is
that
mostly
someone
showing
up
at
their
door,
or
is
it
mostly
an
email
that
they
received
or
perhaps
they've
clicked
on
something
on
the
internet?
Or
do
we
not
have
that
information?
Do
we
do?
We
know
where
that
kind
of
point
of
contact
is
coming
from
when
it
comes
to
the
scams
like?
Is
it
mostly
phone
calls
I
would.
F
Say,
based
upon
the
experience
we've
had
when
we've
been
out
at
senior
centers
doing
these
presentations
is
that
it
does
cover
the
gamut
from
the
emails
to
the
phone
calls
to
the
in
person.
You
know
visits
at
the
front
door,
but
a
majority
it
seems
comes
across
by
telephone
and
I,
and
basically
the
remarks
that
we
get
back
from
seniors
when
we
hold
the
events
is
stop.
How
do
we
stop
the
calls?
You
know?
Obviously
the
you
know.
The
best
thing
is:
don't
answer
the
phone?
F
Let
it
go
into
the
answering
machine
and
then
you
could
see
what
it,
whether
you
want
to
talk
or
not
or
her
answer
it,
but
it
seems
like
that
is
the
the
number
one
gateway
that
folks
are
using
and
I
applaud
efforts
that
I
see
that
are
being
done
to
somehow
address
this.
You
know
what
the
Federal
Trade
Commission
about
the
numbers
I
mean
these
fraudsters
have
access
to
all
these
numbers
that
they
could
constantly
rotate
I.
A
F
E
It
can
vary,
and
it's
not
just
like
the
financial
effects.
It
does
take
an
emotional
toll
on
seniors
as
well
from
what
we've
heard
when
we
work
with
residents
service
coordinators
they've
had
people
that
have
been
a
very
distraught
at
having
their
identity
stolen.
So
what
we
tried
to
do
at
our
office
is
give
people
the
steps
that
they
can
take
to
start
to
recover
from
identity
theft
and
also
to
make
sure
we
give
them
the
resources
and
work
together
with
other
organizations
throughout
the
state.
E
In
order
to
have
them
resolve
that
identity
theft
problem,
we
can
work
with
them
on
the
steps
and
there
are
other
organizations
around
the
state
that
can
help
them
with
the
legal
part
of
the
like,
as
far
as
if
they
have
an
issue
relating
to,
and
they
have
legal
needs.
There's
an
organization
in
Massachusetts
that
can
assist
them
with
those
legal
needs
that
are
associated
with
identity
theft.
E
But
we
also
have
spoken
to
someone
who
does
something
similar
in
another
state
and
she
tells
us
that
it
can
take
up
to
a
year,
but
obviously
that
the
other
issue
is
that
sometimes
people
can
be
revitalized.
So
that's
something
to
be
aware
of
as
well.
So
if
someone
is
vulnerable
to
one
scam,
there's
a
chance
that
they
will
be
vulnerable
to
the
next
scam
as
well
or
identity
theft,
issues.
A
E
I
do
know
that
there
are
things
that
are
being
done
behind
the
scenes
and
that
there
have
been
instances
where,
for
example,
the
Federal
Trade,
Commission
and
other
organizations
and
have
been
able
to
take
down
a
scammer
in
another
country
and
close
down
an
entire
building
of
people
who
were
IRS
cameras
telling
people
that
they're
that
they
owed
money
to
the
IRS.
So
things
are
being
done
in
addition
to
the
things
that
our
office
is
doing
about
robocalls,
because
we
know
that
prevention
is
really
the
key
in
this
area.
A
It's
just
so
upset
like
I'm.
Just
so
angry
I
mean.
Can
you
imagine
the
fear
that
someone
is
feeling
when
the
IRS
is
calling
or
someone
pretending
to
be?
The
IRS
is
calling
to
say
that
they
owe
money
or
a
debt
collector
or
anything
that
something's
happened
to
someone
of
your
loved
ones
and
send
money.
It's
just
it's
outrageous
again.
I
have
a
few
more
questions,
but
I
do
want
to
turn
it
over
to
the
sponsor
and
keep
the
hearing.
Moving.
I
really
do
appreciate
the
the
work
that
you're
doing.
This
is
really
important.
B
Thank
You
counsel,
Janey
and
I
think
this
is
the
sheet
that
you
I'm
gonna,
take
a
picture
of
it,
we'll
post
it
on
social
media
I.
Think
it's
the
just
the
just
hang
up.
The
phone
is
probably
the
greatest
advice,
because
there's
not
only
when
you
hang
up
the
phone,
you
are
not
able
to
become
a
victim
of
a
scam
but
you're,
also
not
giving
any
additional
information
to
verify
the
telephone
number
or
you
know
who
you
are
and
who
the
phone
number
might
be
associated
with
it
with.
B
Is
there
so
I
know
you've,
there's
a
number
of
telephone
numbers
that
you've
shared
in
this
packet?
You
know
we
have
the
Commission
on
elderly
affairs
as
well
as
some
other
phone
numbers
it.
What
is
the
easiest
way
when
we're?
You
know
if
we're
gonna
many
of
our
seniors
across
the
city
of
Boston
watch
this
program
right
now
of
the
hearing,
I'm
surprised,
sometimes
how
many
people
actually
watch
it.
But
what
is
the
number
if
I'm
gonna
give
one
number
now
to
be
shared
widely?
What
is
that
phone
number
now.
B
E
So
it
depends
on
the
situation
if
there's
a
scammer
in
your
neighborhood
called
the
police
local
police
immediately,
if
you
feel
like
you're
in
danger,
call
the
police
immediately
9-1-1
to
the
extent
that
you
want
to
know
if
something
that,
let's
say,
you're
talking
to
someone
right
now
or
you
talk
to
someone
this
morning
and
they
want
you
to
call
back
and
give
them
the
number
from
the
back
of
a
card.
First
of
all,
please
don't
it's
probably
a
scam
or,
if
I'm
guessing
it
is
a
scam
and
we've.
E
Additionally,
you
can
call
our
office,
the
our
consumer,
advocacy
and
response
division
has
a
hotline,
and
if
you
are
worried
that
something
is
a
scam,
please
let
us
know
we
have
people
that
will
answer
the
phone
and
happy
to
talk
to
you
through
this
I've.
Had
someone
call
me
recently
on
the
hotline
and
tell
me
they
were
thinking
about
giving
this
money
for
taxes
and
fees,
because
they
were
sure
they
won
a
national
lottery.
So.
A
E
B
Thank
you
and
then
I'm
Melissa
through
the
city.
Is
there
a
way
to
loop
in
through
three
one
one?
So
many
of
our
seniors
know
to
call
3-1-1
to
report
a
number
of
different
things.
I
noticed
on
the
app
I
look
quickly
earlier
that
there
isn't
any
there's
an
other
category
which
a
senior
could
report
something
that
way,
but
if
they
were
to
call
3-1-1
what
would
happen
to
that
phone
call.
Sure.
D
So
if
they
senior
calls
three
one
one
and
defies
themself
as
an
older
adult,
quite
often
they
will
come
to
our
office.
The
phone
calls
will
come
to
our
office
and
then
the
advocates
that
are
community
service
advocates.
As
I
noted
earlier,
they
will
try
and
assess
the
situation
that
the
senior
is
going
through
and
then
guide
them
to
the
best
resource
possible.
Is
it
to
call
the
attorney
general's
office?
D
B
So
I
want
to
make
sure
if
they
were
to
call
3-1-1
that
there
is
information
available
to
make
those
other
connections,
because
on
the
1
and
1/2
pager
from
the
attorney
general's
office,
there's
lots
of
different
phone
numbers
for
different
reasons,
so
they'll
be
connected.
How
many
advocates
do
you
have
in
the
office?
We.
B
E
B
Thank
you
and
then
you
know,
one
of
the
things
that
we
talked
I
mentioned
in
my
opening
statements
and
I.
Think
that
we
will
all
agree
on
is
the
concern
around
any
of
our
older
adults
or
anyone.
That's
been
scammed,
regardless
of
age.
That
is
feeling
ashamed
of
being
of
being
taken
advantage
of
a
lot.
You
know
allowing
this
to
happen,
although
we
know
that
the
skin
scam
artists
are
called
artists
for
a
reason,
they're,
very
creative
and
how
they
get
their
work
done.
B
What
what
are
the
things
that
we
can
do
other
than
sharing
information
expressing
our
desire
for
people
to
come
forward
and
to
ask
for
help?
What
are
some
of
the
other
things
that
we
could
do?
I,
don't
know,
I,
think
it's
great
that
you've
got
so
many
bank
employees
trained
to
c4c
some
of
these
challenges,
but
we
talked
a
little
bit
about
that
and
the
stigma
that's
attached
with
this.
It's.
F
It's
surprising
because
I
think
that
the
whole
issue
of
embarrassment
is
something
that
holds
back
a
lot
of
seniors
from
from
taking
action.
You
know
what
we
find
that
when
I,
when
I
talk
to
seniors
on
on
this
particular
subject,
you
know
I
kind
of
bring
up
the
fact
that
all
of
us,
one
time
or
another
in
our
life,
have
maybe
given
five
dollars
or
ten
dollars
to
somebody
that
came
out
because
they
need
a
meal.
And
next
thing
you
know
they
take
the
money
and
they
run
off
and
go
to
the
liquor
store.
F
You
know
so
we
all
have
been
taken
advantage
of
somewhere
along
our
lines.
There's
nothing
to
be
embarrassed
about
if
you're,
a
senior
and
someone
who
is
an
expert
at
this,
get
you
to
write
a
check
for
a
hundred
dollars
or
a
thousand
dollars
or
whatever
there's
nothing
to
be
embarrassed
about.
You
know
if
anything
share,
it
come
forward
report
it
to
the
police
immediately
or
another
loved
one
or
a
credit
union.
F
That
would
be
very
helpful
to
to
try
and
guide
you
and
prove
send
you
in
the
correct
direction,
because
then
you're,
preventing
it
from
occurring
to
someone
else
and
I
think
the
more
that
we
could.
We
could
encourage
that
I.
Think
it's
important.
The
other
thing
too,
that
came
across
was
that
you
know
my
wife's
grandmother
is
like
92
93
years
old.
She
lives
in
a
senior
home
by
herself.
She
gets
a
call
and
she
engages
with
this
person
on
a
daily
basis,
but
she's
smart.
F
F
So
that
they're,
not
so
lonely
so
that
they
don't
resort
to
taking
phone
calls
from
scammers
and
you
know,
engage
with
them,
because
these
people
are
professionals
and
they
will
overt,
they
have
plenty
of
patience.
Six
months,
seven
months
later,
they'll
wear
you
down
and
they'll
get
some
information
from
you
that
they'll
be
able
to
take
their
money.
So
it's
so
important
that
I
think
we
continue
our
efforts.
I
think.
B
And
this
is
for
any
of
you,
but
support
and
training
for
any
of
our
senior,
whether
it's
housing
or
nursing
homes
or
places
where
larger
groups
of
seniors
might
be
education
for
staff
to
be
aware,
because
sometimes
the
fraud
is
with
a
family
member
I.
Think
too
often
the
fraud
is
with
the
family
member
someone
known
to
to
our
to
an
older
resident,
but
then
also,
sometimes
the
fraud
happens
with
the
caregiver
of
that
facility.
What
what
sort
of
education
or
resources
are
we
providing
places
where
seniors
are
often
so.
E
With
our
Massachusetts
elder
identity
theft,
Coalition,
one
of
our
goals
is
to
Train
advocates
to
assist
elders.
So
one
of
the
things
we
teach
them
is
certain
signs
to
watch
out
for
that
someone's
might
have
being
financially
exploited
like
if
they
recently
changed
their
power
of
attorney
or
maybe
they're
starting
to
go
to
the
bank
and
take
out
money
and
I.
Don't
have
money
for
things
like
they
used
to
come
for
the
coffee's,
but
they
don't
seem
to
have
those
funds
available,
or
they
just
seem
confused
about
things
like.
E
No
problem
so
people
who
work
in
buildings
with
elders,
and
sometimes
it's
public
housings.
Sometimes
it's
not
who
are
there
to
assist
the
residents
with
different
things
like
paperwork
or
how
to
go
out
and
do
certain
have
certain
services
so
they're
in
the
buildings
and
they
work
directly
with
others
in
order
to
assist
them
with
with
just
day-to-day
living
issues.
E
Also
gone
out
to
protective
services,
we
worked
recently
had
an
event
at
Worcester,
where
we
trained
protective
services
on
how
to
watch
for
signs
as
well
and
as
well
as
scams
and
what
to
do.
If
you
see
another
who
may
have
had
their
victim
there,
their
identity
stolen.
So
we're
also
get
trying
to
get
out
to
all
different
parts
of
the
state
to
train
these
Protective
Services
workers.
F
F
Sabe
I
might
add
to
the
resource
that
creditors
have
Cu
senior
safe
guard,
that's
freely
available
on
the
website,
better
values,
better
banking
comm
is
geared
in
a
way
for
for
anyone
any
caregiver,
in
any
circumstance,
to
gain
more
knowledge
and
familiarity
with
the
science
of
scamming
and
fraud
and,
of
course,
the
resources
that
are
available
from
in
the
community.
Great.
B
I
look
forward.
Thank
you.
Everyone
for
sharing
your
information
today,
I
look
forward
to
bringing
mrs.
as
an
at-large
councillors
the
district
councillor.
We
spend
a
lot
of
time
in
our
communities
in
our
neighborhoods
at
different
meetings.
I,
look
forward
to
sharing
a
lot
of
what
I've
learned
today
and
over
the
last
few
months
with
all
of
our
residents
clink,
it's
important
again
for
everyone
to
have
this
awareness
and
knowledge.
Thank.
A
A
E
We
definitely
do
see
this
and
that's
why
one
of
the
things
we
recommend
it
is
the
opt-out,
because
that
will
stop
you
from
getting
some
of
the
things
that
might
otherwise
come
that
are
illegitimate.
However,
there
are
scams
out
there
as
well
and
we
do
get
information
from
the
US
Postal
Inspection
Service
at
our
office.
E
They
will
from
time
to
time
let
us
know
of
a
scam,
that's
going
on
through
the
mail
and
we
make
sure
that
we're
aware
of
those
scams
and
that
we're
making
sure
that
we
keep
elders
about
what
scams
are
out
there.
But,
yes,
if
you
get
a
check
in
the
mail,
sometimes
a
check
in
the
mail
could
be
look
like
it's
from
your
bank.
You
probably
can
answer
questions,
but
that's
more
than
I
can
or
it
could
look
like
a
government
agency,
and
sometimes
it
will
just
be
a
little
bit
off.
E
We
get
calls
and
we're
happy
to
take
calls
about
this.
This
question:
if
someone
has
a
question
about
whether
something's
legitimate,
but
the
rule
as
before,
is
always
independently
verify.
Where
did
this
come
from?
Don't
use
the
number
on
the
flyer
or
the
mail
and
make
sure
that
it
is
from
the
person
who
it
says
it's
from,
because
there
are
those
scams
out
there
and
we
continue
to
get
those
gams
if
you
were
to
cash
one
of
those
checks
and
you
can
end
up
being
in
a
harder
situation.
F
Right,
I
think
it's
also
very
important
that
in
no
circumstances,
if
you
get
something
in
the
mail-
and
it's
it's
like
say
from
a
utility
and
it's
fraudulent,
whatever
it
could
be-
is
not
to
call
back
at
the
phone
number
that's
on
that
letter
or
on
that
postage.
Yet
that's
coming
to
you
because
that's
fraudulent
as
well
call
back,
go
and
get
the
actual
number
of
the
agency
and
call
back
and
verify
there.
But
again
it's
always
that
constant
verification
that
that's
needed.
No
circumstances.
A
F
A
B
Am
what
about
when
someone
receives?
What's
a
legitimate
check
and
it's
to
purchase
the
home
and
the
senior
may
or
may
not
fully
understand
how
how
impactful
it
is
if
they
did
cash
that
check
or
bring
it
to
their
bank
of
and
all
of
a
sudden
they've
entered
into
some
sort
of
contract
to
sell
their
home,
whether
it's
immediately
or
in
the
future.
Well,.
E
In
that
case,
if
it's
a
scammer,
please
call
our
office
immediately.
Cuz
I'm.
We
are
very
cognizant
of
unfair
and
deceptive
business
practices
and
we
will
walk
anyone
through
the
steps
that
it
takes
or
refer
them
to
the
proper
authorities
or
legal
counsel.
In
that
case,
so
just
one
more
thing:
I
want
to
make
sure
that
I
mentioned
today
is,
if
you
do
suspect,
any
type
of
elder
abuse
and
financial
abuse
is
elder.
A
It's
very
important
work
and
we
need
to
all
be
getting
this
information
out
for
our
elders
for
our
seniors
to
make
sure
that
they
don't
fall
prey
to
people
who
are
taking
advantage
and
are
looking
to
hurt
them
I'm
going
to
invite
the
next
panel
certainly
invite
you
to
stay
if
you're
able
to
hear
from
the
next
panel,
but
now
we
will
have
coming
a
will
de
medina
from
Mission
Hill
Elinor
Lovejoy
from
Dorchester
and
Barbara
Defoe
from
Roxbury.
Thank
you
again.
Thank
you.
A
G
A
G
G
There
was
another
one.
The
IRS
had
called
or
someone
from
the
IRS
saying
that
the
cops
were
gonna
come
and
get
me
because
I
didn't
pay.
My
taxes
I
immediately
just
hung
up
the
phone,
because
I
knew
that
one
was
a
scam
other
than
that.
You
know,
basically
just
the
calls
that
come
through.
If
I
don't
know
the
number
I
take
in,
don't
answer
it.
But
there
was
one
thing:
my
son
told
me
he
said
mommy,
even
if
it
has
a
six
one,
seven
number
and
you're
not
sure
of
it.
A
G
With
the
ladies
in
my
buildin,
the
seniors,
my
buildin
I've
told
them
from
time
to
time
and
I've
explained
it
to
the
resident
coordinator
of
our
building,
and
she
had
said
you
know
that
they
were
gonna.
They
were
trying
that
if
it
happened
again
to
call
the
police
station,
you
know
and
give
him
the
number
that
they
had
called
from
and
but
I
didn't
get
it
anymore.
I
thank
God,
miss.
H
H
So
I
was
going
to
look
for
something
that
I
need
window
shopping,
but
somebody
was
on
the
car
and
she
won't
tell
horn,
and
so
that
was
my
cut
mother
and
she
told
me
what
happens
to
her
that
she
has
to
go
to
the
bank,
because
somebody
was
calling
her
to
make
a
money
order
to
go
to
stop
it
sure
to
buy
a
green
car
with
the
green
card.
Cheat
on
me
today
cause
I'm
at
495
when
she,
as
they
were
going
to
send
the
money,
the
pesos
say,
make
a
personal
money
order.
H
So
that's
when
she
wake
up
and
she
went
to
the
bank
and
canceled
her
account
number
and
when
I
was
in
her
house,
somebody
call
I
pick
at
out
the
phone
and
they
say
this
is
also
we
still
waiting
for
the
amount
and
then
I
hung
up
other
person.
So
she
can
sell
all
her
account.
They
went
from
Bangkok
American
and
the
credit
union
and
on
Kingdom
so
from
there
and
nothing
happened.
I'm.
I
Thanks
for
having
us,
where
do
I
start,
I
have
calls
and
I
remembered
a
couple
of
times.
I
was
very
nervous,
of
course.
When
you
get
these
calls,
because
you
don't
know
what
to
do
and
you
get
very
excited
so
I
shared
it
with
my
children
and
then
I
decided
that
time
well,
I
need
to
find
out
more
about
it.
So
I
the
person
said
that
ability,
if
you
don't
pay,
you
know
the
IRS
is
gonna.
Come
after
you
and
go.
I
You
know
if
the
people
who
owe
things
and
that
it
was
probably
a
scam,
and
so
they
gave
me
a
telephone
number
and
asked
me
if
I
got
the
call
again,
you
know
to
call
them
and
give
them
the
number
that
I
got
the
call
from
and
so
I
did
that
a
couple
of
times
and
unfortunately,
then
they
cook
they
call
from
one
number.
Then
they
change.
I
You
got
a
different
number
and
call
you
again,
but
I
was
able
to
take
those
two
numbers
that
I
got
had
gotten
and
I
called
the
IRS
and
I
gave
them
the
number.
They
never
said
anything
back
to
me
so
I
don't
know
what
they
did
with
it,
but
you
know
I,
don't
get
those
calls
as
frequently
as
I
had
been
before.
I
The
other
thing
is
that
I
remember
getting
on
my
iPad
charges,
saying
that
I
had
ordered
something
and
that
I
needed
to
click
on
it
as
PDF
file
and
because
I'm,
not
that
much
computer,
savvy
I'm
afraid
to
click
onto
things.
So
I
did
not
click
on,
but
I
keep
getting
them,
and
so
what
I
did
was
I
call
Apple
customer
service
and
I
explained
to
them
what
was
happening
so
they
gave
me
a
number
and
not
a
number.
I
I
Another
thing
that
I've
gotten
is
that
FedEx
recently
I've
been
getting
emails
from
fetch,
something
called
FedEx
that
my
package
they
weren't,
able
to
deliver
my
package
well
I,
don't
order
anything
through
FedEx,
so
I,
don't
know
why
you
know
I
would
get
something
from
them
and
there's
always
something
that
you
click
on
or
some
other
site
that
you're
supposed
to
go
to
and
I
guess
give
you
information
of
whatnot.
So
basically
I've
just
been
ignoring
those
but
I'm
concerned.
I
I
I'm
not
calling
myself
my
phone
calling
me,
you
know
so
I
don't
answer
those.
The
other
thing
is
that
recently
and
I
haven't
had
a
chance
to
check
that
one
out
I've
gotten
an
email
from
Bank
of
America
and
bank
over
there
telling
me
that
someone
was
trying
to
get
into
my
account
my
online
account.
I,
don't
have
an
online
account
at
Bank
of
America
I
do
have
them.
You
know
an
account
there,
but
not
online
gonna
do
anything
online
as
far
as
finances
is
concerned,
because
I
don't
know
how
to
do
it.
I
Basically
and
I,
don't
trust
it.
You
know
if
I
have
anything
to
do
I,
let
my
daughter
take
care
of
that
for
me.
So
those
are
the
things
that
have
been
you
know
coming
in
and
so
I
just
concerned,
but
one
other
thing
that
that
bothers
me
and
someone
mentioned
earlier
about
family
and
I-
have
a
friend
whose
family
scammed
them
out
of
$3,000.
She
definitely
could
not
afford
it.
She
found
out
who
took
money
out
of
her
account
and
because
it
was
a
family
member,
she
doesn't
want
to
do
anything
about
it.
I
I
told
her.
You
know
what
you
need
to
do
is
call
the
police
and
you
know
and
have
them
arrested,
but
because
it's
a
family
member,
this
person
has
gotten
or
gotten
away
with
that,
and
it's
so
unfortunate
that
you
know
we
are
at
the
point
where
we
can
become
enablers
for
people
and
even
in
our
families.
You
know
to
scam,
it's
a
scam,
the
other
other
people
and
so
what
I
also
sorry
to
say.
I
But
sometimes
people
come
by
your
house,
so
they
may
clean
your
yard
or
they
do
something
and
then
they're
not
going
your
door
I
want
you
to
pay
for
it.
You
know
to
me:
that's
a
shakedown
or
a
scam,
and
so
those
are
things
to
I.
Think
seniors
need
to
be
aware
of.
You
know
that
time
when
people
can
do
work
for
you,
then
you
because
you're,
honest
person,
you
think
the
person
is
doing
a
good
favor,
that
you
know
okay.
I
I
You
know
so
that
there's
no
connection
with
with
the
person
who's
on
the
other
end,
who's,
trying
to
scam,
someone
and
and
I
really
appreciate
the
fact
that
you
were
trying
to
do
something
about
it,
because
there's
so
many
people
who
have
been
victims
of
scams,
whether
it
be
a
family
member
or
someone
from
the
country
or
out
of
the
country,
and
thank
you
so
much
for
allowing
us
to
be
here
today.
Well.
A
Thank
you
so
much
that
was
a
very
thorough
presentation.
I
really
appreciate
you
all
sharing
your
personal
stories.
You
know
I've
my
my
phone,
my
house
phone
has
called
my
house,
but
I,
don't
know
how
that
works.
I
worry
about
my
mom,
who
is
super
nice
and
engaging,
and
you
know,
may
want
to
talk
to
someone,
and
so
it's
really
important
that
we
all
know
these
strategies
and
that
we
have
the
information
that
we
need
to
resist.
You
know
falling
prey
to
that
or
you
know
knowing
what
to
do.
A
B
B
B
What
are
the
some
of
the
ways
that
we
can
encourage
seniors
who
have
been
victims
of
scams
to
come
forward
that
maybe
you're
embarrassed
to
share
as
willingly
as
you've
all
shared
today
in
the
follow-up
calling
the
police
are
calling
the
phone
numbers
to
report
it
or
checking
in
with
somebody
else
to
report
it
checking
in
with
a
friend
to
ask
for
advice.
How
can
we
support
seniors
and
coming
forward
with
any
of
the
scams
they
made
me
face
because.
G
That's
it's
not
easy
because
a
lot
of,
like
you,
said
a
lot
of
the
seniors,
they're
afraid
to
come
forward
if
they've
been
scammed,
but
in
our
building
we
try
to
talk
to
all
of
the
seniors
like
we
have
coffee
hour
and
at
Coffee
Hour
everybody
gets
together
and
they
say
what
happened
on
what
didn't
happen,
and
if
somebody
has
a
problem,
we
try
to
draw
it
out
from
them,
but
it's
not
easy
when
they
don't
want
to
talk.
You
know
I,
can't
think
of
an
way,
though,
to
do
that.
B
A
You
know,
take
that
phone
call
or
click
that
button,
and
it's
not
your
own
fault,
I
mean
it's
the
the
the
scam
artists
whose
taking
advantage,
and
so
the
more
that
we
talk
about
it,
the
more
that
we
can
help
spread
the
information
about
what
we
shouldn't
engage
in
in
terms
of
taking
that
call
or
cooking
that
that
button
or
cashing
that
check,
but
also
it
helps
to
kind
of
spread
the
information
because
I
know
I've
gotten
checks
in
the
mail.
My
house
number
has
called
my
house,
which
is
freaky
and
scary.
A
It
was
like
The,
Twilight
Zone,
but
you
know
I
know
enough
not
to
engage,
but
there
are
others
who,
for
whatever
reason,
it
sounds
real
and
so
people
kind
of
engage
and
we've
just
have
to.
Let
folks
know
that
they're
one
if
something
like
this
does
happen,
that
there
are
resources
available,
and
we
had
the
panel
right
before
you
who
talked
about
all
the
wonderful
work
that
they're
doing,
but
also
the
more
that
we
can
just
share
with
each
other.
You
know
other
seniors
in
our
network.
A
I
With
you,
I
belong
to
a
group
called
the
golden
jet-setters
at
my
church
and
so
the
more
we
talk
about
these
things,
the
better
it
becomes
the
easier
becomes
because
most
of
times
we
feel
isolated
and
stupid
that
we've
been
taking
advantage
of
that.
Nobody
wants
to
feel
that
way,
and
so
I
think
that
with
our
group
we
try
to,
you
know,
engage
in
different
things
and
then
sometimes
you
bring
it
up.
I
You
know
casually
and
then
just
to
get
the
conversation
going
and
I
believe
that
is
as
if
you
do
that,
often
enough
that
people
begin
to
get
comfortable.
At
least
you
know
admitting
that
they
have.
You
know
had
this
problem,
because
a
friend
that
that
told
me
about
it
was
quite
a
while
before
she
even
mentioned
it
to
me
and
I
just
happened
to
say
something
and
then
she
got
quiet
and
then
she
said,
never
said
that
anything
to
burn
and
burn
about
this.
But
this
is
what
happened.
I
You
know
it
broke
my
heart,
you
know
so
I'm
thinking.
If
we
had
been
maybe
closer
friends,
I
had
a
greater
I
guess
relationship
a
closer
relationship.
Then
maybe
we
could
have
done
something
about
it
earlier,
but
because
it's
a
family
member,
you
know
it's
very
hard
and
sometimes
we
have
to
have
that
tough
love
and
we're
afraid
to
do
the
tough
love,
I
think.
A
You've
been
a
great
friend,
the
fact
that
she
felt
like
she
could
confide
in
you
is
a
testament
to
that.
I
think.
The
other
thing
we
have
to
remember
is
that
these
scammers
are
criminals
and
they
are
doing
crime.
This
is
a
crime,
and
so
we
should
never
blame
the
victim
of
a
crime.
It
is
those
are
the
individuals
who
are
doing
something
wrong.
It
is
not
the
person
who
cashed
the
check
or
took
the
call
that's
doing
something
wrong
so.
B
A
You
thank
you
very
much.
Thank
you
so
before
we
wrap
up,
I
do
have
to
hit
this.
This
is
a
docket
number
0
165.
This
was
an
order
for
a
hearing
regarding
Elder
scamming,
our
sponsor
here
I'm.
So
sorry,
George
I,
want
to
thank
all
of
the
the
panelists.
You
guys
have
been
amazing.
Sharing
your
stories
our
earlier
panel,
thank
you
for
being
here
and
for
all
the
work
that
you're
doing
this
hearing
is
now
adjourned.