Kathleen Boyd

As the daughter of a woman in her 70s, I worry every day that someone might attempt to take advantage of her vulnerability. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that she should be wary of newspapers.

We hear about the telemarketers trying to get banking info, and callers pretending to be the bank alerting seniors of “fraud.” Never does anyone mention the less suspected method of advertising in print media.

Personal ads were a thing in the ‘80s, ‘90s and early 2000s. We all remember them. “SWF seeking DWM for long term companionship” or “Free-Spirited Divorcee looking for love.” These ads were as funny to read in my youth as any meme found on social media these days. Most of the time they were harmless, and a fun way to meet people in a time when the world seemed much less violent. Nowadays, personal ads are harder to find. Mostly because of new ways to safely meet people on a multitude of online dating sites, if that’s more your thing.

But a new warning to newspaper readers: Scammers are learning that they can appeal to the age group familiar with reading, and perhaps even responding to, personal ads. Only this time off the internet, by way of your local newspaper.

My mom, admittedly lonely for the affection of a male companion, could easily fall for a well-worded ad that solicited the responses of women “between the ages of 52 and 78” with email as the preferred method of response. Imagine how easy it would be for her to begin communicating with someone who would ultimately scam her out of her life’s savings.

Sentences like, “Life is meant to be lived to the fullest, hand in hand with someone you truly care about,” “I hope to find a life partner and a best friend” and “On a heartfelt search for a lasting connection filled with trust, companionship, and love” can tug at the heartstrings of our more vulnerable demographic.

Scammers are getting overly creative. Some have ways of bypassing payment processing safeguards that require specific criteria be met prior to successfully charging any card. Not only are they stealing data and scamming responders, they often use stolen information to try and pay for the advertisements.

Most industries evolve and improve over time. I imagine the same is true in the case of fraudsters. Newsprint is a trusted source for most communities, bringing with it a sense of safety. I worry for the grandmother who would have no way of knowing as she scanned the personal ads in the local newspaper that a bad actor, likely miles away, had purchased a personals ad aimed at scamming her out of her retirement savings.

Thankfully, The Leader has real people — in a real office, in a beloved community — who care about readers, old and young. We vet and review each and every submission that comes through this office. The hard truth is these scammers have tried with us, and will try again, so we remain vigilant when it comes to this paper.

But it doesn’t mean it isn’t happening somewhere else, in another town. Information is power. Share this with your family members, particularly if you know they’re lonely. Remind them there are safer, more secure ways to make a connection with a special someone or a companion.

Kathleen Boyd is the office manager for The Leader.