Letters to the Editor - The Lakeville Journal - 6-1-23

Combating scam calls to ensure safety for Connecticut seniors

I recently witnessed the potentially devastating impact of scam calls on seniors. Like many others from their generation, my parents feel more comfortable and secure using a landline. Unfortunately, this choice exposes them to a relentless stream of undesired and deceitful calls that exploit their vulnerability.

A staggering 85% of landline calls (www.joinimp.com/blogs/news/landline-landscape-2022-q-4-report) are now unwanted or spam. My parents have become frequent targets, facing relentless intrusion into their daily lives. Recently, they narrowly avoided falling victim to a caller who requested their bank details under the guise of verifying their account. It was a close call that spurred me into action.

After extensive research, I promptly added their number to the Do Not Call list and began exploring options for a spam call blocker. However, my journey revealed a stark truth: there needs to be more resources to educate and protect seniors effectively in the face of this growing menace. And it’s a more significant issue than you think, with half a million seniors in Connecticut (www.communityphone.org/landline/ct#landline-usage-statistics) still relying on a landline today.

The consequences of these scams are not limited to emotional distress; they also result in significant financial losses. The FBI’s Elder Fraud Report of 2022 (www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2022_IC3ElderFraudReport.pdf) revealed that a staggering $33,660,316 was lost due to scams, and 908 senior victims over 60 in Connecticut alone were targeted. On average, seniors lose $500 or more when they fall victim to these malicious schemes.

State and local authorities must step up and take bold, decisive action to address this urgent issue. Our seniors are counting on us. It is high time we allocate the necessary resources to develop robust educational programs that equip them with the knowledge and tools they need to protect themselves.”

Seth Kavanaugh

Millerton

Arlington, Va. (Sept.19, 2003) As the winds from Hurricane Isabel swept over Arlington National Cemetery, the soldiers who guard the Tomb of the Unknown  Soldier were given, for the first time in history, permission to abandon their posts.

Storm-Warned

“The hell I will,” I hear him grunt,

(my sentry pacing overhead,)

such offered refuge, an affront,

to him, who’s charged to guard the dead.

Roots lift, the wind is holding sway

on fields familiar, once, with plow;

my guard keeps vigil, kneels to pray,

though nothing more could harm us now.

For decades it has been the same,

the task, an honor they bestow:

to guard this tomb that bears no name

for each of us of who lies below.

Five hundred thousand of us fought,

that winter, nineteen forty-four;

the Ardennes, once a peaceful place

now hell, to some, for evermore.

Four Score of years have gone around,

the horror — picture if you can:

our boys strewn bloodied, on the ground,

that darkest Christmas known to man.

My Ma and Pa — for ages gone,

their rented hearts long in them lay,

such hopes for me, their only son;

they’d heard the news on New Years Day.

But we are blessed who share this tomb

where Earth’s great arms embrace each son.

You need not weep — the soil’s our home;

we are together; we are one.

Betsy Sprague
Salisbury