L ate in life, my dad became a Mormon.
That may not sound all that surprising to you, but it was to me.
An avid reader, Dad was a student of religions, but he was not religious. I have no memory of ever seeing him inside a church, not even for a wedding or a funeral. When I asked him about this sudden life change, he had a simple answer. “I was lonely,” he said.
It turned out to be a great move. Living alone back in my home state of Ohio, he had a new group of friends to do things with who also listened to his stories and looked in on him.
That’s a story with a good ending. The bad side is that loneliness is also exploited, especially this time of year, a time when scammers like to target seniors.
Seniors are often targeted because they’re more inclined to listen to a pitch and to trust it. Many also have large accounts in the bank.
I was thinking about all this last week after talking with Dick Ptacek, 76, of Everett.
Ptacek had gotten a call that was most certainly a scam, and he wanted to warn others.
“It was a young lady with a pleasant sounding voice,” he said. “She said she was affiliated with my bank and it was her pleasure to let me know that I had won $400 in airline vouchers and some additional expense money. She wanted to get some additional information.”
Ptacek said she wouldn’t mail the offer to him and that when he started in with some questions, she hung up.
“It sounded too good to be true, and I thought, ‘I’m going to start asking her questions,’ ” Ptacek said. “As soon as I did, it was … click. She knew she didn’t have a live one, and she was going to go on to the next sucker.”
Ptacek and I assume she was trying to get some personal financial information from him so she could loot his accounts. That’s one type of scam. There are also many others.
An acquaintance of Ptacek’s in Lynnwood was suckered this past summer by a man offering to fix a roof. Ptacek said the workman wasn’t on the roof more than a couple of hours before he was driving the disabled man to the bank to get money for materials.
“After two weeks, he was into him for $22,000,” Ptacek said. “His intention was not to do any work, but to make it look like it so he could take him for more.”
Turns out the man had been fined for previous scams and couldn’t get a state license because he hadn’t paid the fine. The bogus contractor ended up walking away after it was clear that Ptacek and another friend of the man were aware of what was happening.
“He had just lost his wife and was lonely” and very trusting, Ptacek said of the Lynnwood man.
Holiday cheer can make any of us a little too trusting. So here are some things to look out for this season:
Home or auto repair scams: Just as happened to Ptacek’s acquaintance in Lynnwood, someone shows up at door and offers a great deal. You’re asked to pay in advance, and the work is either shoddy or never done. You can check to see if the individual is licensed by the state. But you’re better off hiring someone who is recommended by a friend or business associate.
Prize or sweepstakes fraud: Like Ptacek, you may get a phone call. Or you can get a letter, a fax or an e-mail offering a prize or winnings from a lottery you never entered. This is a big one against seniors, according to the Bureau of Consumer Protection.
Bad investments: You’re approached with an investment that guarantees an unbelievable return. Sellers take the money and run.
Charitable donations: Crooks invent charities that sound good but only line their pockets. Don’t just hand over money. You can check them out with the Better Business Bureau or at www.give.org.
I don’t want to be a Scrooge or a wet blanket, but it never hurts to do a little homework before you open your wallet.
Mike Benbow: 425-339-3459 or benbow@heraldnet.com.
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