Michigan’s attorney general told a group of Grand Haven senior citizens Friday morning that they were the “most vulnerable” target of financial scams.
“Seniors grew up during a time when this didn’t used to happen,” said Dana Nessel, who prioritizes elder abuse awareness and prevention. “They’re just more trusting than other generations.”
Around 75 people gathered at Four Pointes Center for Successful Aging to listen to Nessel. She covered all types of scams that seniors should look out for: consumer scams, when companies price items way higher than they should be; the “grandparent scam,” when scammers use real personal information found through social media to pretend as if they are someone’s relative asking for money; home disaster and improvement scams; utility imposter scams; and Social Security scams.
“They all have the same basic ingredients,” said Nessel, noting that if the request is “urgent” – meaning you have to respond immediately – or if the person is asking for only cash or a gift card, it is likely a scam.
Some are seasonal, Nessel said, and come in the form of tax scams or catfishing on a dating app close to Valentine’s Day.
“Like any other population, seniors are looking for love in all the wrong places,” the attorney general said, gaining a laugh from the crowd. She warned both men…
