Hburg Seniors recently had the privilege of having several officers from the Harrisonburg Police Department share how seniors can be more safe in the ever-changing atmosphere of how to separate people from their money (illegally!). All the following circumstances have happened in the Harrisonburg area in the recent past! Here are some tips.

1. Don't allow someone else to get a hold of your prescription drugs. They were meant for you.
2. Don't allow an out of towner to "seal" your driveway with what is actually oil or some other shiny stuff that will wash off with the first rain. Or pave your driveway with a thin coat of paving that will crumple under normal use.
3. Don't allow someone to paint your roof with watered down paint that won't last.
4. Don't let someone trim your trees or shrubbery that doesn't know what he is doing but charges like he does.
5. Say someone comes to your front door. A second criminal goes in your back door while you are distracted at the front door and takes things from your home.
6. Pretend emergencies. Someone notifies you by email or phone that a loved one or acquaintance is in trouble, but it's not true. Or they set up a fake accident along the highway to rip off innocent persons who then try to help but fall prey to the scammers.
7. Letters are sent in the mail asking for contributions, but they are scams.
8. Gleaning information from social media and other sources, putting it all together to steal financial assets or just harass you. Protect your key information like birth date, account numbers, and social security number so scammers can't use it to rip you off.

So be suspicious with people you don't know. Thieves will fool you into thinking they are honest if they possibly can. Verify everything, and have others like family or friends get involved when you are dealing with someone not verifiable.