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Lackawanna County restaurant inspections March 8-14: Which facility was found to be ‘dirty, dusty and in need of cleaning’?

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No lead found in water tested by Wilkes-Barre Health Department

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; When Sarah Derhammer&#8217;s husband died in 2011, she notified her credit card companies promptly.</p><p>Thank God she did.</p><p>Derhammer testified Monday at a field hearing held by U.S. Sen. Bob Casey at the Luzerne County Courthouse to take action on preventing seniors from becoming victims of ruthless scams.</p><p>&#8220;My husband&#8217;s identity was stolen after he had passed away,&#8221; Derhammer said. &#8220;If I didn&#8217;t make those calls to let our credit card companies know my husband was deceased, I would have been in serious financial trouble.&#8221;</p><p>Casey, D-Scranton, was joined by Pennsylvania Department of Aging Secretary Teresa Osborne, Luzerne County District Attorney Stefanie Salavantis and Luzerne/Wyoming County Area Agency on Aging Executive Director Mary Roselle.</p><p>The hearing explored ways to protect seniors in recognizing signs of a scam and how to find and prosecute individuals responsible for perpetrating these crimes. Over 18,000 calls were received in fiscal year 2012-2013 of those requesting protective service &#8212; some $2.9 billion by seniors has been lost annually.</p><p>Casey, a member of the Senate Special Committee on Aging, also discussed a new bill he is introducing called the Senior Investor Protections Enhancement Act. The bill would provide expanded protection to seniors by increasing maximum fines on those targeting older citizens with financial scams.</p><p>Derhammer said she worked for Kentucky Fried Chicken for 15 years and Long John Silvers for 12 years. Her husband, Melvin, worked for Acernese Trucking for over 23 years.</p><p>&#8220;So, we worked hard to pay our bills and keep good credit to provide for our family,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Derhammer said, in November 2015, she received a phone call from her credit card company, informing her someone was using her husband&#8217;s card and had racked up thousands of dollars in charges to the account.</p><p>&#8220;Luckily, when my husband passed, I informed the credit card company of his passing so they contacted me about the suspicious activity,&#8221; Derhammer said. &#8220;The company was wonderful in helping me through the investigative process, which took approximately four months.&#8221;</p><p>Derhammer said the individual was caught and she was not held responsible for any of the charges. Unfortunately, she said, many people who fall victim to identity theft don&#8217;t get off that easy.</p><p>Derhammer said the thief knew everything about her husband and family &#8212; how long they were married, how many children they had. The thief even called the credit card company when the account was frozen to see why the card had been declined.</p><p>As he gaveled the hearing to order, Casey said the purpose of the hearing was to &#8220;confront a very difficult challenge &#8212; scams against seniors.&#8221; He said the problem is nationwide, noting Pennsylvania is home to some two million senior citizens and Luzerne County&#8217;s population is 19 percent elderly.</p><p>&#8220;It&#8217;s an outrage,&#8221; Casey said of the scams. &#8220;They prey upon seniors who often are in vulnerable situations.&#8221;</p><p>Casey said the scams have bilked innocent people out of billions of dollars a year. He said in 2012-13, more than 18,000 scam calls were reported. Scams come via telephone, the Internet and in person.</p><p>&#8220;The scammers are relentless,&#8221; he said, stressing the need for awareness, education and prevention.</p><p>Osborne offered one simple remedy for the problem.</p><p>&#8220;Just hang up,&#8221; she said about how scammers should be treated. &#8220;Then tell your children or, if you don&#8217;t have children, tell somebody you trust, like law enforcement.&#8221;</p><p>Salavantis has assigned one of her nine detectives to investigate elder abuse at all levels. She said the scams have become more sophisticated and increasingly difficult to detect, often being internationally driven.</p><p>The most popular scam in Luzerne County has been the &#8220;sweepstakes scam.&#8221; A caller from out of state tells the person they have won the lottery, but to receive the winnings, they must first pay taxes up front.</p><p>Salavantis said other scams involve impersonating government agencies and the &#8220;grandparents&#8217; scam&#8221; where the caller claims to be a grandchild in trouble and in need of money quickly.</p><p>Following the hearing, Casey said he felt more awareness of the scams is needed.</p><p>&#8220;We have to find ways to work together to put more attention on this problem,&#8221; he said.</p><p>Casey said a past investigation revealed many seniors targeted by such unscrupulous salesmen have lost their life savings because they were steered toward investment instruments unsuitable for them, given their retirement needs and life expectancy.</p><p>Casey offered two hotline numbers to report scams: 855-303-9470 and a Pennsylvania hotline number, 800-490-8505.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">U.S. Senator Bob Casey holds a field hearing at the Luzerne County Courthouse on the issue of senior citizens being scammed. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL032216seniorscams1.jpg</photo0><caption0>U.S. Senator Bob Casey holds a field hearing at the Luzerne County Courthouse on the issue of senior citizens being scammed. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL032216seniorscams2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Teresa Osborne of the PA Dept. of Aging discusses the issue of seniors being scammed. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL032216seniorscams2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Teresa Osborne of the PA Dept. of Aging discusses the issue of seniors being scammed. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL032216seniorscams3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Members of the audience clap for Senator Robert Casey as he begins a discussion on Senior Scams. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/03/web1_TTL032216seniorscams3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Members of the audience clap for Senator Robert Casey as he begins a discussion on Senior Scams. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Sen. Casey leads program to help senior citizens avoid becoming scam victims