Older Is Better Welcomes Bergen County Prosecutor for Discussion on Senior Safety!

Bergen County Prosecutor, Mark Musella, was the perfect presenter for Felician University’s Older is Better (OIB) program, titled Senior Scam on October 8.  “One of the priorities of my office is community engagement, and we try to speak to community members about topics that are interesting and timely, especially with regards to crime. Sometimes we can educate people and even prevent a crime before it happens,” the Prosecutor said to 18 seniors, who gathered for the talk at Obal Hall on Felician University’s Lodi Campus. The Prosecutor’s OIB talk on preventing crimes against seniors is timely because according to the Prosecutor, Bergen County has experienced an uptick in crimes against seniors due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Senior citizens are the target of various scams and fraud schemes by criminals,” said Prosecutor Musella. This is because they worked hard, made money, are friendly and trusting, which puts them at risk. “Criminals,” warned the Prosecutor, “are smart and sophisticated, and always try to stay ahead of the curve.” He said that senior citizens “must always be on guard because there are people out there who make a living by scamming and that’s all they do. They do it in person, on the phone, and on the computer.”

Prosecutor Musella then outlined the most common in-person scams such as the driveway/roof repair scam where criminals offer to make repairs, often doing either low-quality work or never finishing a job. He also warned of the utility company/distraction scam, where individuals pose as water, utility, or cable company employees to get inside a home under the guise of a made up “emergency.”  Prosecutor Musella told the group to, “never allow anyone into your home without independently verifying their credentials,” sharing that his own parents were scammed in this way. Mary Ann Colle of Wood-Ridge, admitted she sometimes allows people into her home saying, “The Prosecutor definitely said things that made sense, and I will not do it anymore.” Pat Zak from Garfield found the Senior Scam program extremely informative, and says she plans to take the warnings shared by Prosecutor Musella to heart. “I liked that he said, if confronted, keep asking questions. I don’t answer my door because you just never know.”

Phone scams are also common against senior citizens and Prosecutor Musella cautioned OIB participants about Social Security, IRS, romance, charity, and the “grandparent scam” where callers ask for bail money for a grandchild in trouble. The Prosecutor quickly reminded the seniors, “there is no bail in New Jersey.” He also warned them to limit the amount of information they give out. First-time Older is Better attendee, Suzanne Paul of Elmwood Park, said she will definitely, “Incorporate tips I learned from the presentation,” adding, “everyone was very welcoming, and it is so nice that Felician reaches out to the community and offers these programs.”

OIB member Terry Richardson was impressed the Prosecutor’s Office goes out of the way to engage with and help the community, and found the information, “Very pertinent, very relevant,” particularly because her husband was a victim of an email scam a few months ago. The Prosecutor’s Office has plans for at least 30 community outreach visits in Bergen County.

Older is Better meets Friday afternoons at 1pm in the 2nd Floor Lecture Room in Obal Hall on the Lodi campus. The nominal $3 attendance fee is being waived for the Fall 2021 semester. If interested in becoming an Older is Better member contact Bierka Paulino at Paulinob@felician.edu.or Aneta Wygonik at WygonikA@felician.edu.