FYI: Elderly are being targeted for phone scams:

The Durham Regional Police are telling seniors to be very careful regarding phone calls that sound too good to be true. 

An Elderly lady (91 years) was recently scammed out of $100’s of dollars by a telephone scam. 

It is very difficult for some of our seniors to believe or even imagine that people can do such things over the telephone. They trust that what they are being told is correct and above-board, and even if it sounds odd, they probably don’t like to ask too many questions.. 

The following advice is good for all of us to remember, but especially important for those who are more vulnerable.  If you have elderly folk in your life pass the advice on… 

• Don’t Answer your phone unless you know who is calling. If you don’t have call display with your phone company or on your phone, an investment in a small answering machine works just as well. If the phone rings and you aren’t expecting anyone to call, let the machine kick in to answer it. If the person on the other end of the phone knows you they will leave a message, if they hang up without leaving a message you don’t need to talk to them. 
• Tell family and friends that you do not answer your phone unless you know who is calling, and ask them to leave a message on the machine if it kicks in. If you are home you will pick up the phone, if not you will call them back later. 
• If you do get caught on the phone with someone trying to sell you something, as soon as you can interject and say politely NO THANK YOU, if they insist say it one more time and then hang up. 
• If you have call display and you see 1-800 1-866 or 1-888 come up when the phone rings, pick up the phone just enough for it to come off of the cradle and then hang it up. Don’t feel guilty… Don’t feel Bad.. It’s your phone you pay the bill… 
• Do not buy anything over the phone. 
• Do not give out any personal financial information over the phone, such as bank information, credit card information and income information, unless you have initiated such a conversation and know you are dealing with a trusted company. 
• Any suspicious phone calls you do receive or that you feel uncomfortable about, tell someone you trust about it/them especially before committing to anything or sending funds anywhere. 

And most of all, You pay the phone bill, you have the right to answer it when you want to, to who you want to. It’s in your house, and belongs to you, so don’t feel guilty, or bad if you don’t answer it.

Remember that when you want to purchase something you are the one that needs to go looking for it, you do not need someone calling your house, selling you something you don’t need or aren’t ready for. 

Source: Whitby This Week: March 8th Edition