How Seniors Can Avoid Scams: Protecting Your Money, Your Identity, and Your Peace of Mind Getting older comes with plenty of good things—more time for family, more freedom to enjoy life, and hopefully a little less rushing around. Unfortunately, it can also mean becoming a target for people who want to take advantage of your trust. Scammers have become incredibly creative. They may call, text, email, or even show up at your door. Some sound professional and convincing. Others create a sense of panic so you don’t have time to think. The good news? A few simple habits can make a big difference. Remember: You Don’t Have to Decide Right Away One of the biggest tools scammers use is urgency. “Your account will be closed today.” “Your computer has a virus.” “Your grandson is in trouble and needs money.” “Your payment is overdue.” Stop. Take a breath. You don’t have to make a decision just because someone tells you that you do. A legitimate bank, government agency, or business will generally give you a way to verify what is happening. Hang up and contact the organization yourself using a phone number from an official statement, card, or website—not a number the caller gives you. Be Careful With Unexpected Phone Calls If someone calls asking for your Social Security number, bank information, passwords, or credit card number, be suspicious. Even if the caller knows your name or some personal information, that doesn’t mean they’re legitimate. When in doubt, hang up. You can always call the company back using a trusted phone number. Don’t Click Just Because You Recognize the Name Scammers can make emails and text messages look as though they came from your bank, a delivery company, a government agency, or someone you know. Before clicking a link, ask yourself: Was I expecting this message? Is it asking for money or personal information? Is it creating fear or urgency? Does the email address or phone number look unusual? When you’re unsure, don’t click. Go directly to the company’s official website or call them using a number you already trust. Your Passwords Are Valuable Think of your passwords like keys to your house. Don’t use the same password for everything. Use strong, unique passwords whenever possible, and consider using a password manager to keep track of them. Turn on two-factor authentication for your email, banking, and other important accounts. It adds another layer of protection if someone gets your password. And never give your password or verification code to someone who calls you unexpectedly. Watch Out for the “Family Emergency” Scam One particularly emotional scam involves someone pretending to be a child, grandchild, or other family member. They may say they’re in jail, have been in an accident, or urgently need money. Before sending anything, call the family member directly or contact another relative who can verify the story. Don’t let fear make the decision for you. Never Be Embarrassed to Ask for Help Scammers count on people being embarrassed to admit they may have been fooled. There is nothing embarrassing about being targeted by a professional scammer. These people do this for a living, and they know exactly how to create pressure and confusion. If something doesn’t feel right, ask a trusted family member or friend to take a look. Two sets of eyes are often better than one. A Simple Rule to Remember Here’s a rule worth keeping next to your phone: STOP. DON’T RUSH. VERIFY. If someone wants your money, personal information, gift cards, cryptocurrency, or access to your computer, stop before doing anything. If they tell you to keep the situation secret, that’s another major warning sign. Protect Your Peace of Mind Avoiding scams isn’t about becoming suspicious of everyone. It’s about becoming comfortable with saying: “Let me think about it.” You don’t owe anyone an immediate answer. Your money is yours. Your personal information is yours. And your peace of mind is worth protecting. The next time an unexpected call, email, or text makes you feel worried or rushed, remember: a few minutes of caution can save you a lot of money—and a lot of heartache. And if you’re ever unsure, ask someone you trust before you act.
Kip and I were victims of a scammer several years ago. It cost us $2000.00Even guard dogs like ours don’t necessarily take the place of a security system.
So, apparently, I’m 70-ish. I say ish because somehow that makes it sound a little less official. There’s something funny about turning 70. You still feel like yourself on the inside, but every now and then you catch your reflection and think, Who is that older woman? Then you remember… oh yeah. Me. Being 70-ish is an interesting place to be.
Me at 60 and 80 (I’m now 74)
You’ve lived long enough to know that life rarely goes exactly as planned. You’ve experienced the highs, survived the lows, made mistakes, learned lessons, lost people you loved, and collected memories you wouldn’t trade for anything. And hopefully, somewhere along the way, you’ve learned that you don’t have to have everything figured out. At this age, I care a lot less about what people think of me. I’m not interested in impressing anyone. I’d rather be comfortable than fashionable, happy than right, and surrounded by people who make me laugh than people who make me feel like I have something to prove. I’ve also discovered that “going out” has changed meaning. Once upon a time, going out meant dinner, drinks, dancing and staying up way too late. Now, going out can mean dinner at 5:00, home before dark, pajamas by 8:00 and being absolutely thrilled about it. And honestly? That sounds pretty good to me. There are things about getting older that nobody warns you about. Your body develops opinions of its own. You can hurt yourself sleeping. You forget why you walked into a room. And you can spend ten minutes looking for your glasses only to discover they’re on your head. But there are also wonderful things about being 70-ish. You know who you are. You know what matters. You know which battles aren’t worth fighting. You appreciate a good laugh, a beautiful sunset, a phone call from someone you love and a day when nothing hurts. You stop taking ordinary moments for granted. And maybe that’s the greatest gift of getting older: realizing that ordinary is actually pretty extraordinary. At 70-ish, I still have dreams. I still have things I want to see, places I want to go, people I want to love, stories I want to tell and memories I haven’t made yet. I’m not interested in acting my age. I’m interested in living my age. There may be a few more wrinkles, a few more aches and a whole lot more life experience, but I’m still here. Still laughing. Still learning. Still loving. Still becoming. And if 70-ish has taught me anything, it’s this: Getting older isn’t about counting the years you’ve lost. It’s about making the years you have left count. So here’s to being 70-ish. We’re not old. We’re experienced. And we’re just getting started.
AI is wonderful!The real me last month with husband, Kip, daughter Heidi and husband, Joe and friends Janice and Ray
Lots of memories, feelings, happy thoughts and good stories come to me and my SANDERSON family when anyone mentions the Star Cafe on old Highway 16 in Murdo. I recently got to go there with a guy named Ralph after the School Reunion had wound down and we were all losing the ebb and flow of a high tide of emotions after people left the reunion festivities to go back to their homes around the country. The Star brought back the past.
In the 1960’s I went with my Mom, Aunt Loretta and Aunt Elna who were all taking their adorable petite Mom – my Grandma Sanderson – out for pie and coffee at Cafe 16. It was like being asked to attend the Battle of the Chefs 2026 in Malaysia with an afterparty for all the great food experts, except this was just pie and coffee at the most expensive and popular restaurant in all of Murdo, South Dakota. We all thought it was a special place to eat even though Mack’s was numero uno with delicious downhome food like ham and beans or hot beef sandwiches. Their gigantic homemade cinnamon rolls were to die for.
I felt included as a young 13 year old going out with my adult aunts, Grandmother and my Mom. I was special, worthy and old enough to be asked for that big people outing. But the best most loving part was seeing how Grandma Sanderson laughed as three of her four daughters joked around with her and made her giggle like a young girl. My aunts and Mom also gossiped freely, which was what you did in a small town back then. Grandma ate it up – the gossip – along with enjoying her cherry pie and coffee, which for a change she didn’t have to bake. You see, Grandma always loved lording it over on Grandpa that she knew new gossip before he did. What a day. I’ll never forget it.
Then fast forward to another trip to Murdo when we had moved to California and Mom and I visited there. Mom always had new dresses and shoes on these trips and looked all stylish that day.
Uncle Jeff took us to Cafe 16 for lunch because we were special. We walked through all the tables crowded with tourists and sat in an AC cooled back table. A young waitress served water which she promptly spilled down the back of my Mom’s lovely new summer frock. After apologizing and cleanup, we went on with our food orders, chatting and enjoying another great meet up with family.
So that’s why when Ralph set up a meeting at the Star Cafe with four seniors from Murdo on a bittersweet day in July of this year, the same day I was flying home, I jumped at the chance to attend. We talked about, what else, the good old days and funny stories they recalled. Ralph wrote it down old school style because he wanted to hear Sammy Seymour and his wife Marilyn tell about Ralph’s brother Paul and about some homeless guy and many other characters he had known. It was entertaining and brought to mind what this cafe had meant to me and my family and my past.
Part 2, Cafe 16, by Mary Francis McNinch
When I was growing up in Murdo, SD, Cafe 16 was the place to go if you were looking for the best atmosphere. It mostly catered to the thousands of tourists who traveled through Murdo each summer. Murdo was a good place to spend the night if you were traveling to the badlands and the Black Hills.
At that time, Highway 16 went right by Cafe 16. This was before Interstate 90 was built. Most of the motels sat along Highway 16, too.
Many Murdo girls put themselves through college by working at the Cafe summers during their high school and college years. Those waitressing jobs were coveted because the tips were fantastic! It was a hard job, but more than worth putting in the work.
I never applied for a job there because my parents had a motel along Highway 16 and I always worked there.
Cafe 16 became the Star Cafe sometime after the Interstate was built which went around Murdo. The tourist trade was still good because there were two exits into and out of Murdo.
Yes Cafe 16/The Star Cafe was an iconic place in Murdo. It still operates there today.
