Lawndale Tribune
AND lAwNDAle News
The Weekly Newspaper of Lawndale
Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 80, No. 25 - June 24, 2021
Celebrating Dr. Greg O’Brien
with a Surprise Retirement Party
Thank you, Dr. Greg O’Brien, CVUHSD Superintendent, for all the years of leadership and service to our community. You will be missed. We wish you much happiness in your retirement. Photo courtesy Centinela Valley Union High School District.
Seniors from page 2
per minute, to cybercriminals.
To protect your loved ones from financial
cybercrime, the first step is awareness. What
are the scams?
While fraud can come in many forms,
some criminal schemes are targeted at the
senior population, including:
• Romance scam: Fraudsters present
themselves as potential romantic partners
online to exploit their targets’ desire for
companionship - a desire that has grown
for many who have felt isolated through the
coronavirus pandemic - and eventually get
access to their money.
• Person in need scam: Criminals pretend
to be a loved one (e.g., a grandchild)
in immediate trouble and need of money
right away.
• Investment scam: Outreach with phony
investment opportunities.
• Fraud investigation scam: Criminals
pose as law enforcement officials, asking
for personal information or even money to
help with their investigation.
• Technology scam: Fraudsters appear to
be a technology support team member or
someone from a trusted financial institution
asking for remote access to fix a fabricated
technical or account issue.
Who Are
the Perpetrators?
When we think of fraudsters, we tend to
think of nameless, faceless people sitting
in the dark, halfway around the world. In
reality, a report by the Office of Financial
Protection for Older Americans found that
in 36% of cases, the victim knows the perpetrator
personally.
This is why caregiving should be a group
effort. Bring other loved ones into the conversation,
instead of leaving it in the hands of just
one person. Lean on the financial institutions
you keep your money with to be an extra
set of eyes and ears for you. For instance, at
Charles Schwab, we have teams dedicated to
identifying and dealing with fraud attempts.
How Can Caregivers Protect
Senior Loved Ones?
For caregivers, if you’re worried about
your loved ones, start with this checklist to
protect them:
• Talk about it. Have a conversation
about common scams. Discuss your loved
ones’ investment goals and attitudes toward
money so that you can recognize irregular
behavior.
• Designate trusted contacts. Make sure
financial institution reps know who to contact
on your loved one’s behalf in the event of
suspected exploitation, fraud or health issues.
• Get organized. Locate and safely store
important financial documents, such as wills,
trusts, powers of attorney, account statements,
insurance policies and beneficiary designations.
Even After You Put
Things in Place for Your
Loved Ones, Be Vigilant:
• Check in. Regularly review and update
important financial documents.
• Listen. Pay attention to what your loved
ones are saying and listen for worrying key
phrases, such as “people are asking me for
money,” “my bills are confusing to me” and
“I don’t understand financial decisions that
someone else is making for me.”
• Watch. Look out for red-flag behaviors,
including unusual or unexplained financial activity,
abrupt changes to documents, unpaid bills
or mail piling up, new friends or sweethearts
or confused behavior.
For more information on ways to educate
and protect yourself and senior family members
from fraudsters, visit schwab.com/schwabsafe/
security-knowledge-center. •
Film Review from page 2
audiences reactions (which they never did, to
be clear), it is telling that a constant need to
work against rejection fueled them to achieve
pinnacles of creative accomplishments that, who
knows, might not have happened otherwise.
Sparks’ prolific output would be for our collective
cultural benefit, as Ron (the songwriter)
and Russell (the voice) would create some of
the most genre-defining music of the ‘60s,
‘70s and ‘80s, which would go on to predate
electronic synth music like New Order and
Pet Shop Boys. So even if you’re not aware
of Sparks’ music (which you likely aren’t), or
don’t entirely “get” their music (which mass
audiences clearly didn’t–hence this doc), The
Sparks Brothers is a fantastically abounding
story about creative artists who were unafraid
to chart forward, to re-define themselves, to
change up the formula and evolve to new
places, which is a rare but necessary thing
for artists to do today. Sparks wanted to stay
true to their selves and never compromise on
their unique vision. So they chose to be the
best band that you’ve never heard of–until now.
135 minutes. ‘The Sparks Brothers’ is now
playing in theaters. •