Beware of new U.S. postal scam

Serving Our Seniors has received two calls from local residents telling us about a new scam that could have been financially devastating for them. Both callers told Serving Our Seniors they received a card in the mail, which was delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. The names and the addresses on the envelopes were correct. When the envelope was opened, there was a debit card for the recipient to use. What was different, however, is the name on the card was not their name. To activate the debit card, the potential scam victim is to call a phone number. One of the of retirees did call the phone number to activate the card. The phone call was answered by a person with a foreign accent. The retiree explained the name on the card is not the correct name. The person with the foreign accent replied, "Oh, give me your bank account information, and we will send you the correct card." The wise retiree hung up the phone. Kudos to both. They effectively avoided being ripped off financially and prevented having their identity stolen. If you have received such mail, do not respond to it. Instead, take the mail to the U.S. postal office in your community. Ask to speak to the postmaster and report this as mail fraud. If you do not wish to report it yourself, Serving Our Seniors will be happy to report it for you. You may drop your fraudulent mail by placing it in the secure repository box, outside of Serving Our Seniors office at 310 E. Boalt St., Sandusky. We will submit this information to the postmaster at the Sandusky Post Office, so it can respond to the fraud according to their protocols. Q&A Q: When will Serving Our Seniors go back to hosting public forums on aspects retirees ought to know? A: We are waiting to see that the prevalence/incidence of omicron continues to decline. Currently, Erie County's community level of COVID-19 omicron variant is "low," according to the CDC website. It will be interesting to see if it spikes in April due to the Easter holiday and the gatherings that occur as a result of the holiday. There are plans for the following public forums to take place in May: • 1-2:30 p.m. May 12 — Know Your Medicare Rights: But I'm Not Ready to Leave the Hospital • 1-2:30 p.m. May 27 — Know Your Medicare Rights: How to File a Formal Complaint Both forums will be at the Erie County Office Building of the third floor at 247 Columbus Ave. in downtown Sandusky. RSVPs are required to justify the time of the speaker. Reserve your seat by leaving your name, phone number and the name of the event you wish to attend by calling 419-624-1856 or emailing mail@servingourseniors.org. RSVPs are due no later than one week before the forum.