MENTOR, Ohio — May is Older Ohioans Month.
As state agencies raise awareness about the scams seniors like Jack Hines face, the Mentor Police Department is beefing up its anti-scam efforts through prevention workshops at the senior center and assisted living facilities across the city.
"It's enlightening because you think, oh my gosh, that could happen, and it does happen. You have to be wiser,” said Hines.
In 2024, scammers made $4.8B off seniors according to the FBI.
I asked Lt. Rich Slovenkay with Mentor police about that moment when they realized the community needed this outreach.
"We were just seeing an increase in a lot of these scams targeted towards seniors and figured anything we can do to prevent some of them from being victimized would be beneficial," said Slovenkay.
Hines himself almost became a statistic after a phishing email landed in his inbox.
"I clicked on it and after you click you're like 'I'm dead,' and then I kind of like got out of it," said Hines.
After attending the awareness workshop, Hines said he is better equipped to recognize the scams targeting seniors.
"I get a lot of scams. I know they're scams," said Hines.
Hines, a widower who knows loneliness, makes him and others a target.
"Oh, somebody's paying attention to me and everybody wants to have some attention," said Hines.
Last year, the Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Securities saw a 22% increase in scam and fraud-related complaints from older adults.
However, that number is likely higher because many incidents aren't reported.
"I found that just having these sessions with the police department, I feel very, very calm and that I can talk to them, and they respect me and I respect them," said Hines.
The program manager at the Mentor Senior Center told me they're seeing an uptick in phone calls.
"Hey, is this toll scam true? Do I really owe money," said Renee Ochaya, Mentor Senior Center.
But the information from Mentor police is helping turn the tide.
"The seniors that were at the presentation could say, well, I knew right away that that was a scam because they mentioned it there," said Ochaya.
Hines, in his role as a greeter at the senior center, is sharing what he has learned to help keep his peers better protected.
He considers himself a first line of defense.
"Yes, and I have told my other greeters you know, be aware of what people are saying and what the talk is because sometimes it's important to ourselves that we can help," said Hines.
