Our very elderly aunt had been living in her own home as a widow for many years.
There were enough of her own children who lived nearby who could stop in to pay her a visit and tend to her needs without requiring any outside assistance.
We knew that one day she wouldn’t be able to stay in her own home, although no one wanted to admit it. What we didn’t foresee is that Aunt Jo would be scammed by a company impersonating her heating and cooling contractor. It all began when she received a phone call from someone claiming that her HVAC system was due for maintenance. She didn’t recognize the name on her caller ID and told them that her HVAC company was so-and-so. The caller then claimed that they had taken over her HVAC company’s maintenance programs and that her furnace was due for an inspection and cleaning. They told her that the inspection would cost fifty dollars and that a serviceman would be there the next day. Completely convinced, she agreed to the appointment and, as they promised, a man arrived the very next day. Naturally the scam artist was dressed in official-looking clothes, was friendly, and carried with him a shop vac and a toolbox. After our aunt led him to the basement, she busied herself upstairs until he was finished, which is when he presented her with the bill. She was shocked to see that the charge was for five hundred dollars! When she balked at the amount, he suddenly became quite intimidating and she felt that she had no choice but to write him a check to cover the bill. Once he left, she called her HVAC company to complain about the bill. Imagine her surprise when she learned that it was a scam!