The basic story seemed plausible enough: a Chicago woman’s grandson got on the phone and said that he was in jail because he caused a car accident because he was texting while driving. Kids today definitely do that, right? The problem was that the “grandson” was an impostor, there was no accident, and he didn’t have a lawyer who was collecting iTunes gift cards to cover his bail. [More]
elderly
Hasbro’s Latest Venture Brings Toy Cats To Life To Be Companions To The Elderly
By 11.19.15
If you’re still searching for the purr-fect gift for your grandparents (or other elderly loved ones) and think they might enjoy a little four-legged company, without the hassle of scooping kitty litter, then you might be the perfect candidate for Hasbro’s new line of “companion pets.” [More]
Hero Nurses Save Grandparents From Wiring Thousands Of Dollars To Scammers
By 10.7.14
Visiting nurses can make the lives of their patients easier and healthier, but “stopping scamsters who prey on the elderly” isn’t in their job description. Yet that’s exactly what two visiting nurses in Connecticut did in the last few weeks, both on their own time and while they were working. They weren’t afraid to butt in and save the near-victims thousands of dollars. [More]
Mysterious Rockin’ Grandma Awes Music Store Staff On Drums, Disappears
By 7.19.13
A music store in Wisconsin claims that an elderly woman came into the shop to try a drum set and became an Internet viral video star. Who is she? Where did she learn to play? Will she join my band? All of these questions remain unanswered so far. All we have are two videos of her totally rocking out. [More]
Feds Shut Down Telemarketing Scam Aimed At Elderly
By 3.11.13
It’s bad enough to call up an elderly person and mislead him or her into paying a pile of cash for a medical alert service they don’t need or want. But what takes one Brooklyn-based telemarketing scheme to the next level was its alleged tendency to bill consumers thousands of dollars for something they never ordered. [More]
Housing Administrator Figured Elderly Residents Would Get Used To Colder Apartments Eventually
By 11.8.12
The very young and the elderly have bodies with needs that are much different from those of us somewhere in between, including the need to be warm. Elderly residents at one Boston Housing Authority public housing complex are feeling the chill after a renovation project changed up the heating system and they’re none too pleased. One BHA authority said at first that they’d just get used to it, eventually. [More]
Medicare Drugs Should Cost A Little Less Next Year
By 8.5.11
Good news for Medicare enrollees who are on fixed incomes and counting pennies as well as pills: The price of prescription drug premiums in the program are expected to slightly dip next year. [More]
AT&T Charges Your 82-Year-Old Grandma A $150 ETF
By 4.26.11
One might think that a recently-widowed 82-year-old woman moving in with her grandson in another state would be have a valid reason for AT&T to waive the early termination fee on her phone and Internet package. Not so! Reader Chris is the grandson in this situation, and he helped his grandmother get the $150 ETF waived. AT&T has finally cooperated: they think. [More]
70-Year Old Gunman, With Cane And O2 Tank, Fails To Rob Store
By 7.15.10
A man in his 70’s shambled into a tony Manhattan clothing store this week with a cane and pulling an oxygen tank, then pulled out a gun and said it was a stickup. [More]
How Do I Get Phone Scammers To Stop Hassling Granny?
By 6.30.10
Cassandra is looking out for her fiance’s grandmother, who is savvy enough to know the people who call her and say she’s won a bunch money are liars. [More]
How Do I Protect My Gullible Grandma From Psychic Scams?
By 3.10.10
Last week, Jon wrote to us asking how he can help protect his grandmother from falling for any more direct mail scams. She’d answered a piece from psychic Maria Duval, and subsequently her mailing address was sold to all sorts of scammers who thrive on easy marks. We suggested filing a prohibitory order via the USPS, but the core problem remains: how do you convince someone who wants to believe in psychics that she’s being lied to? [More]
75-Year-Old Woman Attacks Convenience Store Robber
By 2.17.10
A man tried to rob a convenience store in Massachusetts while a 75-year-old woman was at the counter buying something. This did not please her. Unfortunately I can’t embed the video directly, but click through to Fox 8 News to watch the woman go all ninja with the price scanner gun. Never anger an old lady with a babushka! [More]
Septuagenarian Couple Scammed Inns And Hotels For Four Years
By 2.8.10
The next time you stay at a bed and breakfast and you see a kindly old couple lingering in the common room after breakfast, be suspicious! The Wolffs have been scamming inns, hotels, rented homes, and bed & breakfasts since 2005, reports the Boston Globe. They offer to pay via check, and until recently–when they stayed in one place so long that they were still around when the check bounced–nobody ever thought they might be pulling a fast one. They’re due in court this month for defrauding several inns over the past summer. [More]
Greyhound Leaves 88-Year-Old Outside Of Locked Station In 38°F Weather
By 1.7.10
Greyhound left an 88-year-old woman, along with around 30 other passengers, standing outside a locked bus station on Thanksgiving Day on a trip from Chicago to Detroit. Roxanne, who was one of the abandoned passengers on the sidewalk that morning, says that was just the final insult after an entire day of failure on Greyhound’s part. She sent a complaint to Greyhound’s executives on December 5th, but it was returned. Here is her summary of what happened. [More]
82-Year-Old Receipt Checker Chases Thief
By 11.19.09
This security footage from a BJ’s Wholesale in Florida shows a man trying to steal two computers, and the store’s elderly greeter/receipt-checker giving chase. Almost all the good stuff happens off screen, so you’ll have to imagine the awesome karate moves that probably ensued. It’s retail crime fighting in action!
American Medical Alarms Sends Elderly Neighbor To Investigate Next Door
By 10.21.09
Is it okay for an alarm company to ask a neighbor to check on its customer? By sending a 70-year-old woman over to check on their 80-something-year-old customer, American Medical Alarms may have helped prematurely end a robbery/beating in progress. On the other hand, they asked a 70-year-old woman to go investigate an emergency next door—basically turning her into a potential Red Shirt. As the heroic neighbor’s daughter points out, “They should have already considered the possibility that something like this could happen, and have policies in place to prevent it.”
Pizza Hut Manager Attacks Old Man
By 10.5.09
A 27-year-old Pizza Hut manager in Winnipeg, Manitoba, went bonkers last Friday and dragged a 76-year-old customer to the ground over a payment dispute. The manager was arrested, and the customer returned the next afternoon to dine, because he is afraid of nothing.
These Places Are So Cheap They May Actually Allow You To Retire There
By 9.30.09
U.S. News & World Report names the 10 “Best Affordable Places To Retire.”
