Members of our own staff can attest: the older you get, the more you get weird phone calls from people trying to sell you things you don't need. And the messages can be scary, implying you're about to lose money or services or something else of value, unless you return the call.
Welcome to the world of senior financial exploitation, a world very familiar to the people of the Oregon Department of Human Services. DHS's division of Aging and People with Disabilities (APD) keeps an eye on, and warnings out, for scams and attempts to separate older people from their money.
Billie McNeely is an exploitation specialist at APD, and our guide for a tour of exploitation avoidance.
She gave a phone number to use, for the Aging and Disability Resource Connection in Oregon: 855-673-2372