hopefully Rob considers taking up any offers to help.
While noting that anyone can fall for a scam, the combination of wealth and susceptibility suggests a kupuna may have been targeted.
Maybe another consideration is for the financial institutions (legitimate ones) to institute some type of "double check" when faced with a kupuna making a large non normal withdrawal. Government regulation perhaps? Typically, someone with a few hundred grand in liquid cash does not just keep that in their simple interest passbook savings account or no fee checking account. Generally, those funds, if properly managed, would be in annuity or likewise type of accounts that normally are not accessible for immediate withdrawal, which begs the question as to what point does wealth accumulation as one ages become in some form regulated for the protection of the individual? I highly doubt a scammer is going to wait several days/weeks for a kupuna to have to fill out a withdrawal request from an annuity and wait for the funds to be deposited. But having a few hundred grand in an account that all one needs to have is a routing number and account number to suck the money to zero, in today's hi-tech world, is simply unimaginable.
Now, I am not saying that a person should not allowed to spend their money as they see fit, but, as a good example, one of my neighbors, we'll call her Myrtle, calls me the other day all in a panic. "They are going to arrest me!" she claims. "For what," I ask. "Unpaid traffic violations" she says." I tell her, "Myrtle, Myrtle, I says, you don't own a car or have a driver's license." "Oh, you know, you're right. But why would someone do that to me?" "I'm still worried, what if they arrest me?" I told Myrtle that if they do arrest her, I'll be there to bail her out, but, if they arrest her on a Friday, she will have to wait until Monday to get bailed out!
Maybe, those who are more "tech savvy" here on the Big Island and elsewhere in the State, could put together a community outreach programs that can help our kupuna navigate and educate them against falling for these types of scams? Seems to me that would be a better use of their tech skills versus putting up blinking flashing 1990's HTML code on a tech damaged PunaWeb.
As for Rob and the PunaWeb problem, I'd suggest it is time he demand to speak to his webmaster's manager! Or at least a strongly worded email versus accepting help from one or two somewhat questionable helpers!
While noting that anyone can fall for a scam, the combination of wealth and susceptibility suggests a kupuna may have been targeted.
Maybe another consideration is for the financial institutions (legitimate ones) to institute some type of "double check" when faced with a kupuna making a large non normal withdrawal. Government regulation perhaps? Typically, someone with a few hundred grand in liquid cash does not just keep that in their simple interest passbook savings account or no fee checking account. Generally, those funds, if properly managed, would be in annuity or likewise type of accounts that normally are not accessible for immediate withdrawal, which begs the question as to what point does wealth accumulation as one ages become in some form regulated for the protection of the individual? I highly doubt a scammer is going to wait several days/weeks for a kupuna to have to fill out a withdrawal request from an annuity and wait for the funds to be deposited. But having a few hundred grand in an account that all one needs to have is a routing number and account number to suck the money to zero, in today's hi-tech world, is simply unimaginable.
Now, I am not saying that a person should not allowed to spend their money as they see fit, but, as a good example, one of my neighbors, we'll call her Myrtle, calls me the other day all in a panic. "They are going to arrest me!" she claims. "For what," I ask. "Unpaid traffic violations" she says." I tell her, "Myrtle, Myrtle, I says, you don't own a car or have a driver's license." "Oh, you know, you're right. But why would someone do that to me?" "I'm still worried, what if they arrest me?" I told Myrtle that if they do arrest her, I'll be there to bail her out, but, if they arrest her on a Friday, she will have to wait until Monday to get bailed out!
Maybe, those who are more "tech savvy" here on the Big Island and elsewhere in the State, could put together a community outreach programs that can help our kupuna navigate and educate them against falling for these types of scams? Seems to me that would be a better use of their tech skills versus putting up blinking flashing 1990's HTML code on a tech damaged PunaWeb.
As for Rob and the PunaWeb problem, I'd suggest it is time he demand to speak to his webmaster's manager! Or at least a strongly worded email versus accepting help from one or two somewhat questionable helpers!