The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Don’t get tricked by a charity scammer during the COVID-19 pandemic

Fraudsters are always busy trying steal your money. When a new emergency comes along, they look in their bag of tricks and repurpose scams that have worked in the past or they dream up something new. With social media reaching so many people and even the ability to text millions, consumers need to alert to avoid be taken advantage of.

To help people make their own wise giving decisions on charities addressing the coronavirus outbreak, the BBB Wise Giving Alliance offers these tips to avoid scams:

FTC bans three defendants from selling student debt relief and telemarketing

Three defendants in a student loan debt relief scheme have been ordered to pay millions to resolve Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived consumers by promising to reduce or eliminate their student loan debt.

A federal court found that Brian Colombana, Impetus Enterprise Inc., and Fig Tree & Co. deceptively marketed student loan debt relief services, tricked consumers into paying illegal upfront fees, and failed to deliver the promised debt relief.

The court entered judgments against the defendants of nearly $11 million. They’re banned from selling debt relief products and services and telemarketing.

Baby boomers are being impacted by COVID-19

Like most people for now, the coronavirus is turning my life upside down.

I wanted to get my new glasses Monday, but a delay caused an error in one of my glasses prescriptions, I’m getting regular glasses and computer classes, screwed everything up. By the time the ophthalmologist’s office said they had faxed the correct prescriptions to Costco, Costco had closed its optical department.

So, instead of shopping at Costco, I went to my local co-op and Safeway to stock up again. I wore my face mask and disposable gloves.

In addition to the canned goods shelves being nearly bare, the sugar and flour shelves at Safeway were empty, too.

People age 60 and older are to stay home, Washington State Governor Jay Inslee said. So that’s what I’m doing now.

The baby boomers in our blogging group are being impacted by the coronavirus. They’re writing about:

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

Last week, I looked up when Saint Patrick’s day was so I could write this greeting.

However, with the pandemic crisis, I forgot all about it. I went out yesterday to the credit union and to my local food co-op and Safeway to stock up on more food. When I got home, I followed the Consumer Reports recommendations for washing off my groceries, a time consuming process. Then I wrote about how to do it, also time consuming.

About an hour ago, I saw the governor of Washington state, Jay Inslee, on television wearing a green tie. Strange, I thought. Then, I remembered. It’s Saint Patrick’s Day.

Pandemic report: Using soap and water to get possible coronavirus off your groceries

Being a consumer journalist is helpful because you learn valuable things. When I was writing my weekly newsletter of financial tips, I ran across a Consumer Reports article on how to protect yourself from the coronavirus when grocery shopping.

In addition to shopping when it’s less busy and using a credit or debit card, Consumer Reports recommends washing nonporous containers and washing produce with soap and water. It said simple rubbing with soap and water can kill the coronavirus because it tears apart its outer barrier. Consumer Reports also said washing your fruit and vegetables with soap and water should eliminate any live virus. It recommends:

For hard-skinned produce, scrub skins or peels with a soft-bristled vegetable brush, using dish or hand soap and warm water. For other types of produce, including leafy greens, soak in soapy water for 10 to 15 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.

On a National Public Radio program, a scientist said the coronavirus lasts on stainless steel and plastic for up to 72 hours and on cardboard for up to 24 hours.

So, it seemed to me that I should take the time to wash my groceries. Here are my tips for this time consuming process:

Digital wireless equipment for electric guitars by Yamaha recalled due to fire and injury hazards

Yamaha is recalling about 82,000 line 6 relay G10 digital wireless guitar systems and USB charging cables in the United States and about 4,700 units in Canada.

The lithium-ion battery can overheat and the battery cover can separate with force, posing fire and injury hazards.

Yamaha is aware of four incidents worldwide of the battery cover separating forcefully from the transmitter, including one report of minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

What’s in a name? The most popular names for girls and boys for 2020

Lannie or Fairley for boys or Judith or Sharron for girls? No, those aren’t names for 2020. Those names were popular names from the 1940s.

Names.org, a website all about names, has released predictions for the Most Popular Baby Names of 2020. New entries in the top 10 for boys this year are Henry and Alexander, while Mila made the top 10 list for girls.

The rankings were determined by analyzing the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, trends from the past five years, and current user interest from millions of visitors to the Names.org website.

Here are the Top 10 Girl Names for 2020

Grocery shopping: How to protect yourself from the coronavirus

Some people are using grocery delivery services to limit their exposure to the coronavirus. Consumer Reports recommends these steps whether you buy groceries yourself or if you have them delivered:

• Wash nonporous containers.
• Wash your hands, counter, and other surfaces you’ve touched after you put away the groceries.
• Wash produce with soap and water.

If you’re buying groceries in a store:

• Go shopping at a time that’s less busy.
• Take germicide with you.
• Use a credit or debit card.

See the Consumer Reports article “How to Protect Yourself From Coronavirus When Grocery Shopping” for information on what to do if you’re getting groceries delivered or you’re picking up prepackaged groceries.

Copyright 2020, Rita R. Robison, Consumer and Personal Finance Journalist

Federal financial agency charges Fifth Third Bank with opening unauthorized accounts and signing consumers up for unapproved products and services

Photo: Ed! (Photography)

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau filed a lawsuit in Illinois Monday against Fifth Third Bank, one of the largest banks in the Midwest.

The CFPB alleges that for several years Fifth Third, without consumers’ knowledge or consent: opened deposit and credit-card accounts in consumers’ names; transferred funds from consumers’ existing accounts to new, improperly opened accounts; enrolled consumers in unauthorized online-banking services; and activated unauthorized lines of credit on consumers’ accounts.

The lawsuit claims that Fifth Third violated the Consumer Financial Protection Act’s prohibition against unfair and abusive acts or practices. It also charges the bank with violating the Truth in Lending Act and the Truth in Savings Act.

The CFPB alleges that for years and continuing through at least 2016, Fifth Third used:

Baby boomers have coronavirus on their minds

Two weeks ago, I went to my local co-op to stock up on food due to the possible need to stay home due to the COVID-19 outbreak. I bought two weeks’ worth of food.

Then, I heard that older people may need to stay home for more than two weeks. So I set out for Costco for a shopping trip. I spent $262. Costco was out of hydrogen peroxide, which I use to wipe chemicals off things. In addition, it was out of medium-size disposable gloves, so I bought two boxes of large.

I bought eggs, chicken thighs to freeze, carrots, beets, cheese, pine nuts, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and a large bag of “power” greens. Since I normally don’t buy Costco’s large sizes, I was looking around for something for dinner. I bought a large plastic container of shrimp. (Pretty exotic. I was able to eat it all and none spoiled.)