Off the News: Be extra vigilant of scammers targeting seniors

Hawaii’s kupuna are frequent targets for fraud and scams. This week, an Oahu grand jury returned an indictment charging a Kaneohe woman with first-degree theft in connection with an apparent scam through which she befriended then stole $300,000 from an elderly woman who had been diagnosed with senile dementia.

Pointers on how to guard against fraudsters is available at the city’s Elderly Affairs Division, which is part of the Department of Community Services; the state’s Executive Office on Aging; and the nonprofit National Council on Aging. Also, the AARP’s Fraud Watch Network now features information about an array of holiday season swindles: AARP.org/money/scams-fraud.