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Scam of the Month - February 2012
Here are the top scams for 2011, courtesy of Metro Nashville Police Department:
1.) Job Scams. Sometimes a job application is done online and then an interview is conducted over the phone. If the next step is a request from the company for the information needed to do a credit check before you can get the job, this may be a scam that will get your identity stolen.
2.) Sweepstakes Scams. You receive an email stating that you have won a large amount of money for a contest you don’t remember entering. You are asked to click on a link—which could infect your computer with a virus and possibly gain personal information.
3.) Social Media. Scammers will create emails or websites that look exactly like social media sites such as Facebook. The “new” site may ask for personal information when you register or infect your computer if you click for an “upgrade.”
4.) Home Improvement Scams. These scammers go door to door and offer home repairs. They ask for money up front and may be gone without doing any work.
5.) Check Cashing Scams. This scam may start out at a legitimate site such as Craig’s List. Someone purchases an item you are selling and sends a check for more than the cost. They ask you for the difference to be wired through Western Union. When the check you received clears a few days later, the check bounces and you are out the amount that was wired.
6.) Identity Theft in Motels. The victim is a customer in a motel/hotel and gets a call in the middle of the night from someone claiming to be working at the front desk. He says the computers have crashed and the motel needs your credit card information again. The scammer’s hope is that since you are half asleep you will give the caller your information so you can go back to bed.
7.) Financial Scams. The scammer pretends to be a governmental agency or a financial company who is willing to assist the victim in reducing debt or refinancing a property. Most of the scammers will ask for an upfront fee, and then do nothing.
More Than 1 in 4 People With Disabilities Live In Poverty
In an Article by Shaun Heasley, the lines of poverty were examined for people living with a disability. These surprising statistics were released by the United States Census Bureau.
The Bureau reported that 28 percent of persons with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 64 lived in poverty in 2010. Yet the poverty rate for people without disabilities peaked at only 12.5 percent. This averages out to about 46.2 million Americans living in poverty. Although this is somewhat of a disturbing figure, the numbers for disabled Americans living in poverty is more dreadful.
Even more shocking was the concept that men living with a disability made $41,500 as a median salary. Women, on the other hand, earned a median salary of $32,000.
Having a disability does not mean a person will live in poverty. However, the Census Bureau reported that persons with a disability will likely live below the poverty level.
www.disabilityscoop.com/2011/0914/more1-in-4-poverty/13952
Number of Americans With a Disability Reaches 54.4 Million
Special to Huntingtonnews.net
Washington, DC (HNN) -- About one in five U.S. residents — 19 percent — reported some level of disability in 2005, according to a U.S. Census Bureau report released Thursday, Dec. 18, 2008. These 54.4 million Americans are roughly equal to the combined total populations of California and Florida.
Both the number and percentage of people with disabilities were higher than in 2002, the last time the Census Bureau collected such information. At that time, 51.2 million, or 18 percent, reported a disability.
Among those with a disability, 35 million, or 12 percent of the population, were classified as having a severe disability, according to Americans With Disabilities: 2005.
Nearly half (46 percent) of people age 21 to 64 with a disability were employed, compared with 84 percent of people in this age group without a disability. Among those with disabilities, 31 percent with severe disabilities and 75 percent with non severe disabilities were employed.
People with difficulty hearing were more likely to be employed than those with difficulty seeing (59 percent compared with 41 percent).
A portion of people with disabilities — 11 million age 6 and older — needed personal assistance with everyday activities. These activities include such tasks as getting around inside the home, taking a bath or shower, preparing meals and performing light housework.
Other important findings:
-- Among people 15 and older, 7.8 million (3 percent) had difficulty hearing a normal conversation, including 1 million being unable to hear at all. Although not part of the definition of disability used in the report, 4.3 million people reported using a hearing aid.
-- Roughly 3.3 million people, or 1 percent, age 15 and older used a wheelchair or similar device, with 10.2 million, or 4 percent, using a cane, crutches or walker.
-- Nearly 7.8 million people age 15 and older had difficulty seeing words or letters in ordinary newspaper print, including 1.8 million being completely unable to see.
-- More than 16 million people had difficulty with cognitive, mental or emotional functioning. This included 8.4 million with one or more problems that interfere with daily activities, such as frequently being depressed or anxious, trouble getting along with others, trouble concentrating and trouble coping with stress.
-- The chances of having a disability increase with age: 18.1 million people 65 and older, or 52 percent, had a disability. Of this number, 12.9 million, or 37 percent, had a severe disability. For people 80 and older, the disability rate was 71 percent, with 56 percent having a severe disability.
-- Among people 16 to 64, 13.3 million, or 7 percent, reported difficulty finding a job or remaining employed because of a health-related condition.
-- Among people 25 to 64 with a severe disability, 27 percent were in poverty, compared with 12 percent for people with a nonsevere disability and 9 percent for those without a disability.
-- Median monthly earnings were $1,458 for people with a severe disability, $2,250 for people with a nonsevere disability and $2,539 for those with no disability.
-- Parents reported that 228,000 children under age 3, or 2 percent, had a disability. Specifically, they either had a developmental delay or difficulty moving their arms or legs. In addition, there were 475,000 children 3 to 5 years, or 4 percent, with a disability, which meant they had either a developmental delay or difficulty walking, running or playing.
-- There were 4.7 million children 6 to 14, or 13 percent, with a disability. The most prevalent type was difficulty doing regular schoolwork (2.5 million, or 7 percent).
The Survey of Income and Program Participation produces national-level estimates for the U.S. resident population and subgroups, and allows for the observation of trends over time, particularly of selected characteristics such as income, eligibility for and participation in transfer programs, household and family composition, labor force behavior and other associated events.
Credit Card Scam Alert
Visa / MasterCard FRAUD
Royal Bank received this communication about the newest scam. This is happening in the Midwest right now and moving.
This one is pretty slick since they provide YOU with all the information, except the one piece they want.
Note, the callers do not ask for your card number; they already have it.
This information is worth reading. By understanding how the VISA & MasterCard telephone Credit Card Scam works, you'll be better prepared to protect yourself. One of our employees was called on Wednesday from 'VISA', and I was called on Thursday from 'MasterCard'.
The scam works like this:
Person calling says - 'This is (name), and I'm calling from the Security and Fraud Department at VISA. My Badge number is 12460, Your card has been flagged for an unusual purchase pattern, and I'm calling to verify. This would be on your VISA card which was issued by (name of bank). Did you purchase an Anti-Telemarketing Device for $497.99 from a marketing company based in Arizona ?' When you say 'No', the caller continues with, 'Then we will be issuing a credit to your account. This is a company we have been watching and the charges range from $297 to $497, just under the $500 purchase pattern that flags most cards. Before your next statement, the credit will be sent to (gives you your address), is that correct?' You say 'yes'.
The caller continues - 'I will be starting a Fraud Investigation. If you have any questions, you should call the 1- 800 number listed on the back of your card (1-800-VISA) and ask for Security. You will need to refer to this Control Number. The caller then gives you a 6 digit number. 'Do you need me to read it again?'
Here's the IMPORTANT part on how the scam works - The caller then says, 'I need to verify you are in possession of your card'. He'll ask you to 'turn your card over and look for some numbers'. There are 7 numbers; the first 4 are part of your card number, the last 3 are the Security Numbers that verify you are the possessor of the card. These are the numbers you sometimes use to make Internet purchases to prove you have the card. The caller will ask you to read the last 3 numbers to him. After you tell the caller the 3 numbers, he'll say, 'That is correct, I just needed to verify that the card has not been lost or stolen, and that you still have your card Do you have any other questions?'
After you say no, the caller then thanks you and states, 'Don't hesitate to call back if you do', and hangs up. You actually say very little, and they never ask for or tell you the card number. But after we were called on Wednesday, we called back. Within 20 minutes to ask a question. Are we were glad we did! The REAL VISA Security Department told us it was a scam and in the last 15 minutes a new purchase of $497.99 was charged to our card. We made a real fraud report and closed the VISA account. VISA is reissuing us a new number.. What the scammers want is the 3-digit PIN number on the back of the card. Don't give it to them. Instead, tell them you'll call VISA or Master Card directly for verification of their conversation..
The real VISA told us that they will never ask for anything on the card as they already know the information since they issued the card! If you give the scammers your 3 Digit PIN Number, you think you're receiving a credit; however, by the time you get your statement you'll see charges for purchases you didn't make, and by then it's almost too late and/or more difficult to actually file a fraud report.
What makes this more remarkable is that on Thursday, I got a call from a 'Jason Richardson of MasterCard' with a word-for-word repeat of the VISA Scam. This time I didn't let him finish. I hung up! We filed a police report, as instructed by VISA. The police said they are taking several of these reports daily! They also urged us to tell everybody we know that this scam is happening. I dealt with a similar situation this morning, with the caller telling me that $3,097 had been charged to my account for plane tickets to Spain , and so on through the above routine..
It appears that this Is a very active scam, and evidently quite successful.
Please feel free to pass this on to all your family and friends.
Scam of the Month - Don't Take This Call
Helping Seniors Targeted for Telemarketing Fraud
How can you tell if an older relative, friend or client may be a target for telemarketing fraud? Here are some warning signs:
-The person receives a lot of junk mail for contests, "free trips", prizes and sweepstakes.
-The person gets frequent calls from people offering valuable awards, great money making opportunities or charitable donations.
-The person has lots of cheap items such as costume jewelry, watches, pens and pencils, small appliances, beauty products, water filters or other products that he or she either purchased in order to "win" something or received as so-called "valuable prizes".
-The person has made numerous checks or withdrawals for escalating amounts of money to unfamilira, out-of-state companies.
-The person begins to act very secretively about phone calls.
-The person is having payments picked up by private courier services or wiring money to companies.
-The person is having sudden problems paying bills or buying food or other necessities.
Articles of Interest Regarding Alzheimer's
Women Bear Greatest Burden of Alzheimer's
"Survey finds they're more likely than men to have Alzheimer's or take care of someone with the diesease" (By Mary Elizabeth Dallas, HealthDay News, July 18, 2011) Click Here
Studies Evaluate the Association Between Physical Activity and Lower Rates of Cognitive Impairment
"Engaging in regular physical activity is associated with less decline in cognitive function in older adults" (By Lori Shanks, JAMA and Archives Journals, July 19, 2011) Click Here
Over Half of Alzheimer's Cases May Be Preventable, Say Researchers
"Over half of all Alzheimer's disease cases could potentially be prevented through lifestyle changes and treatment or prevention of chronic medical conditions"
(By Steve Tokar, University of California - San Francisco, July 19, 2011)
Click Here
Keeping Up Your Overall Health May Keep Dementia Away
"Improving and maintaining health factors not traditionally associated with dementia, such as denture fit, vision and hearing, may lower a person's risk for developing dementia"
(By Rachel Seroka, American Academy of Neurology, July 13, 2011)
Click Here
COA (Counsel On Aging) SCAM of the Month - June 2011
Stopping Telephone Scams
If you have a telephone, chances are you’ve been called by a telemarketer. Most phone sales pitches are made on behalf of legitimate organizations. But some are frauds.
Here’s how to help stop telephone scams
♦ Resist high pressure sales tactics. Legitimate businesses respect the fact that you’re not interested.
♦ If you don’t want the seller to call you back, say so. If they call back, hang up. They are breaking the law.
♦ Take your time. Ask for written information about the product, service, investment opportunity, or charity that’s the subject of the call.
♦ Before you respond to a phone solicitation about a financial investment, talk to a friend, family member or financial advisory.
♦ Hang up if you are asked to pay for a prize. Free is free.
♦ Don’t send money—cash, check or money order—to anyone who insists on immediate payment.
♦ Keep information about your bank accounts and credit cards to yourself—unless you know who you’re dealing with.
♦ Check out the company with your local consumer protection office—before you pay.
♦ It’s against the law for telemarketers to call before 8:00am or after 9:00pm. Hang up if they do.
If you suspect a scam, call law enforcement personnel.
Source: Federal Trade Commission, Office of Consumer & Business Education
Council on Aging of Greater Nashville | 95 White Bridge Road, Suite 114 Nashville, TN 37205 | 615-353-4235
info@councilonaging-midtn.org | www.councilonaging-midtn.org
911-S.A.F.E.R.(Special Advisory For Emergency Responders)
Wilson County 911 is now providing a confidential, potentially life-saving, free service for Wilson County residents and businesses. A special advisory of your choice, entered into their database, will appear when 911 is called from the applicable wired and/or wireless phone. The inclusion of these confidential advisories will aid emergency responders in their delivery of efficient emergency services and contribute to improved safety for you the caller and the emergency responder.
Any Wilson County resident or business interested in participating in the 911-SAFER program, please go to their website Click Here For additional information, or to submit your advisory by phone, call 615-449-7155, M-F, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
This program is also provided for Davidson County, it is called SMART911.
Cooking and Shopping Made Easier and Healthier for Blind Americans
Posted by Kareem Dale, Special Assistant to the President in the White House Office of Public Engagement on February 16, 2011
In its first year, Let’s Move! taught us to pay attention to what we eat. We’ve learned that choosing a bowl of whole-grain cereal with non-fat milk over cheesy biscuits and bacon is a great way to kick off a healthy, energized day. We’ve realized that many times we are offered portions that are bigger than necessary, and we’ve tested delicious, perfectly-proportioned recipes to make at home. And, with the release of 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans last month, we were reminded that consuming less sodium, fats, added sugars and refined grains is essential to a healthy lifestyle.
But, for millions of blind or visually impaired Americans, reading the nutrition information and cooking directions printed on the boxes, cans, jars, bottles and bags at the grocery store has been all but impossible---at least it was before the launch of directionsforme last month.
Directionsforme is an accessible and user friendly website that contains nutritional and product information for over 350,000 foods and appliances. Created by Horizons for the Blind, directionsforme is helping millions of Americans like me to plan healthy menus, cook at home and to pay attention to the foods we consume. A study published in August 2010 by a group of Columbia University professors showed that people who regularly read the nutrition facts labels on the food that they buy have significantly healthier diets and consume less calories, fat, sugar and sodium than those who don’t read the labels.
Thanks to directionsforme, blind grocery shoppers can now plan their trips by carefully selecting foods and brands whose nutrition information they have read and compared. A busy mom who wants to buy healthy snacks can use the website to find out which brand of peach fruit cups has no added sugar and an aspiring Italian chef can find out the appropriate serving size for his favorite brand of pasta.
Directionsforme is also helping American families eat healthy meals together at home, another key component of the Let’s Move! initiative. Planning menus and cooking at home is a fun and healthy way to bring the family together. For sighted cooks, using a microwave to steam broccoli or pureeing vegetables in a blender is as easy as a glance at a user’s manual and the push of a button. Directionsforme now makes those time-saving appliances available to visually impaired chefs with accessible package information for thousands of products.
Let’s Move! has always been committed to including people with disabilities in its healthy lifestyle outreach, whether by cheering on the American athletes at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver or recognizing the students with disabilities who earned Presidential Active Lifestyle Awards with a special ceremony at the White House. Now, with the accessible nutrition information and appliance instructions on the directionsforme website, blind Americans can more easily pay attention to the food they eat and fully participate in the Let’s Move! call for healthier meals and healthier families.
Click Here
Jury Duty SCAM
SCAM of the Month May 2011
Most Americans, especially older adults, want to be good citizens. Unfortunately, scammers are taking advantage of this sense of responsibility.
The caller claims to be a Jury Duty Coordinator and asks why the person did not report for the jury duty summons that was sent and states that an arrest warrant is being issued.
To read the entire article Click Here
When Families Fued, Elderly Parents Lose
Family caregiving doesn’t typically run smoothly when brothers and sisters caring for seniors can’t agree. Three key factors, more than any others, will influence if relationships between the adult children will deteriorate, and whether the quality of care to the parent will be compromised, according to research conducted for the Home Instead Senior Care® network. Those factors are the adult children’s ability to make important decisions together; their ability to divide the caregiving workload; and their level of teamwork.
To read the entire article Click Here
A Passion for Accessibility
This is a great article shared by TN Disability.....
At age 25, Bryan Duarte never thought he’d be at home raising six-month-old twin sons and two daughters, two and nine, using all his senses except sight. He looks after preparation of meals, naps, diaper changes and playtime – all while working on his passion of accessibility for the vision impaired.
Accessibility is a new interest for Bryan, because he hasn’t been sightless his entire life. At 18, he was blinded in an ATV accident in Arizona. While riding with a friend on the back of the vehicle one night, he came upon an unmarked culvert that literally caused a head-on collision.
“Luckily, my head was there to break the fall,” he jokes. His friend walked away with only scratches and bruises, but Bryan suffered many injuries including a broken kneecap, shattered foot, wounds to his arms, and most detrimental, a cracked skull.
“I had a ridiculous amount of stitches in my head and went completely blind in both eyes, but by God’s grace, I left the hospital in 16 days, which was really good because they didn’t think I was going to leave.”
Over the next months, after suffering through physical rehabilitation, Bryan became frustrated, angry and depressed and realized he had to do something. “I got in touch with Vocational Rehabilitation and went through training that taught me how to walk with a cane and do household things, and then I enrolled at Central Arizona Community College. I didn’t really think about the fact that 90 percent of college is reading, and I had no idea how I was going to get my textbooks.”
“There needs to be more tools like programming languages that will make the blind more employable in the computer and technology fields."
Thankfully, a friend introduced him to RFB&D’s audiobooks. “I was blown away!” he says. “The part that got me was how easy to use they are. Being able to jump by page, to put in bookmarks and reference back to them, use the table of contents, get to the glossary. . .They describe the pictures and diagram, and when there is a word you might not be able to spell, they spell it for you! It is amazing, honestly!”
Bryan goes on to explain how having that much navigation is critical during open-book tests and quizzes. “As a sighted person, I would just skim-read, but for a blind person, you can’t skim read even if you read Braille, so being able to reference back to things with bookmarks and have that form of a textbook is crucial.”
Today, Bryan is thriving in his passion for accessible technology for the blind. He is writing a blog called Accessibility Insights, helping out at Arizona State University’s Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing and working on a grant application to raise money to create a microprocessor that will give the blind the independence to do programming.
“There needs to be more tools, like programming languages, and things that will make the blind more employable in the computer and technology fields. I’m dedicated to making things more accessible.”
Recently in his blog, Bryan wrote a helpful how-to piece about the new RFB&D ReadHear software, which he uses on his Mac. He also uses a Victor Reader Stream to listen to RFB&D books. Lately, he’s been reading books on HTML coding, the stock market and on how to self-patent – all in his effort to work in the technology field in the future.
Bryan is also very active in martial arts, beep baseball and, of course, helping his wife raise their four children. Since his accident, he has journeyed to Colorado Center for the Blind, Metropolitan State College of Denver and he’s earned a Colorado State Scholarship through the National Federation of the Blind. Eventually, he wants to complete his college degree.
“With college, you can do anything; you learn, you grow, you develop, you gain independence. You see that you can be successful in things. And without RFB&D. . .well, that’s almost impossible. It's the place to support because their volunteers do great work. I don’t know if there is another word for it but amazing! Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart and I love you. It’s a true blessing what you do for your members.”
Be a Santa to a Senior was a Success!
On behalf of the staff at Home Instead Senior Care, I would like to thank everyone who helped make our holiday community service program, Be a Santa to a Senior, such a success.
With support from generous shoppers and Mid-Cumberland Human Resource Agency Meals on Wheels, SCAN(Senior Citizens Awareness Network), Lebanon Senior Center, Greater Nashville Regional Council, Wilson County Community Help Center, Vista Points Special Needs Trust, Friendship Christian School, Girl Scouts in Wilson County and Fifty Forward and CedarStone Banks, CVS Pharmacy, Star Physical Therapy, Summit Medical Center, Summit Convenient Care at Lebanon and Summit Imaging at Lebanon, Elmcroft of Lebanon Assisted Living and Memorycare, Southern Manor Living, Rutland Place, Belk, and Andy Wright, we were able to collect more than 1000 gifts.
Thanks also go to the many volunteers who gave of their time to collect, wrap and deliver the gifts to 955 area seniors who may otherwise have been overlooked this holiday season.
Thanks to ALL those who helped us brighten the holidays for seniors and truly making a difference in our community.
Sincerely,
Maggie Julian
Home Instead Senior Care
The Strength Coach
Greg is such a great guy! He will provide you with the inner strength tools you need to be successful. He is a recognized speaker that would be a great addition to your next big event! Check out his website and add him as your friend on Facebook. http://www.thestrengthcoach.com
A Must See....
There are many good nonmedical home health agencies, Mrs. Mary just lives at one that she is quite fond of and would like to share with the world.
Visit this link to watch her comical approach to aging:
http://www.caregiverstress.com/2010/07/a-reminder-that-laughter-is-the-best-medicine/
COA Scam of the Month - February 2011
Tax refunds and identity thieves
Many seniors have already put together their tax documents for 2010 in preparation of filing a return. This is also the time that identity thieves can file fraudulent tax returns using stolen Social Security numbers. It is possible that the thief will receive a refund before you even have filed your return.
Be alert and protect yourself. Here's how:
Never respond to unsolicited emails from the IRS. The IRS never initiates communication with taxpayers through email. If you receive an email claiming to be from the IRS, forward it to phishing@irs.gov.
Choose your tax-preparer carefully. Be wary of individuals who claim to be able to find all sorts of tax loopholes. They may only be after your sensitive financial information. Instead choose a tax preparer that is recommended or that is from a reputable company.
Shred, shred, shred! To be on the safe side, shred every piece of paper you place in the trash. Thieves are very clever at getting the information that they want from papers that don’t appear to have sensitive data.
Sources: AAA and LifeLock
Everest Adult Daycare is a newly established facility that provides daycare to the elderly, in the Tennessee area. The mid-sized adult care facility serves the elderly population from the age of 65 and older. The services provided are arts, crafts, exercises, story-telling, bible study, movies, field trips and good home cooked meals within the individual's diet plan.
The facility is owned and operated by a registered nurse who has twenty years experience in caring for elderly individuals. The staff includes certified nursing technicians and licensed practical nurses who have many years of experience in long term care and who are CPR certified.
Contact numbers are: 615-593-8600 from 7:00 A.M. until 6:00 P.M.
and after 6:00 P.M. 615-424-0505.
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