Officials warn of scams targeting seniors
By Luke Ulatowski
Deer Lodge City Councilmember John Henderson and Police Chief George Smith have spoken up about fraud increasingly victimizing senior citizens in the city, including repeated cases of the “gift card” scam.
Henderson, who works at Valley Foods IGA in Deer Lodge, approached the Silver State Post with the issue after encountering four people falling victim to common scams in a six-month timeframe, sometimes at the store. Most recently, in February, an elderly individual purchased $1,000 in gift cards from the store, then returned the next day to purchase an additional $1,500.
While Valley Foods has no official limit on how much an individual can purchase in any span of time, Henderson refused to allow the second purchase.
“When it comes to our attention, we do try to step up,” Henderson said of Valley Foods’ procedures. “In this case, I refused to sell them, but I’m sure he went to another business.”
Gift card scams begin with a call from a fraudster claiming to represent a bank, the government or a ubiquitous company such as Amazon or Apple. The fraudster will further claim there is an urgent situation such as a compromised bank account or a debt that the victim can only remedy by purchasing certain gift cards, then sending over the numbers and PINs on those cards. Alternatively, the fraudster may state the victim has won a prize, but must pay a fee with gift cards to receive it.
“Anything that sounds too good to be true on the phone or on the Internet is too good to be true,” Smith said. “If you have any questions, talk to people first before you jump into anything. If somebody makes it sound urgent, then you need to slow down and get a hold of somebody. It could be your bank, it could be law enforcement, but the best thing is to slow down and look at it before you make any decisions.”
Smith detailed several other scams that have recently affected Deer Lodge residents. He ranked the “work from home” scam up with the gift card scam as one of the most common. In this scam, the fraudster calls the victim with a fake job offer that requires the
See Scams page 8
Deer Lodge City Councilmember John Henderson and Police Chief George Smith have spoken up about fraud increasingly victimizing senior citizens in the city, including repeated cases of the “gift card” scam.
Henderson, who works at Valley Foods IGA in Deer Lodge, approached the Silver State Post with the issue after encountering four people falling victim to common scams in a six-month timeframe, sometimes at the store. Most recently, in February, an elderly individual purchased $1,000 in gift cards from the store, then returned the next day to purchase an additional $1,500.
While Valley Foods has no official limit on how much an individual can purchase in any span of time, Henderson refused to allow the second purchase.
“When it comes to our attention, we do try to step up,” Henderson said of Valley Foods’ procedures. “In this case, I refused to sell them, but I’m sure he went to another business.”
Gift card scams begin with a call from a fraudster claiming to represent a bank, the government or a ubiquitous company such as Amazon or Apple. The fraudster will further claim there is an urgent situation such as a compromised bank account or a debt that the victim can only remedy by purchasing certain gift cards, then sending over the numbers and PINs on those cards. Alternatively, the fraudster may state the victim has won a prize, but must pay a fee with gift cards to receive it.
“Anything that sounds too good to be true on the phone or on the Internet is too good to be true,” Smith said. “If you have any questions, talk to people first before you jump into anything. If somebody makes it sound urgent, then you need to slow down and get a hold of somebody. It could be your bank, it could be law enforcement, but the best thing is to slow down and look at it before you make any decisions.”
Smith detailed several other scams that have recently affected Deer Lodge residents. He ranked the “work from home” scam up with the gift card scam as one of the most common. In this scam, the fraudster calls the victim with a fake job offer that requires the
See Scams page 8
Harsh flu season winding downBy Luke Ulatowski
Powell County’s worst flu season in five years is winding down, according to Public Health Nurse Samantha Ray. At a Powell County Public Health & Safety Board meeting on March 4, Ray reported that the first influenza case of the season came mid-December. Since then, the county has accumulated 137 cases. Ray believes the county has since passed the peak, having only had one flu-related hospitalization during the week prior to the meeting. “I think last year our peak was earlier in the season, but this year, I think our numbers have exceeded what they had in the previous five years for overall cases and hospitalizations,” she said. Powell County Commissioner Ruth Koehler questioned if the excess in cases could have been related to an ineffective vaccine. Ray stated that “could be a good guess,” garnering pushback from Powell County Attorney Kathryn McEnery, who suggested a look at the data. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a statement this month estimating this season’s flu shot is 41% to 44% effective in preventing hospitalizations for adults. The effectiveness in the same category estimated by the CDC has typically fallen between 27% and 46% each year since 2016, leading the CDC to rate the effectiveness as moderate. Ray herself does not record vaccination status when recording cases. Ray also acknowledged that on March 1, the CDC simplified its guidelines for the general public in See Flu page 2 |
Keeping the beat . . .Powell County Chamber of Commerce President Shelby Hunter, Pioneer Federal Savings & Loan President Phil Willett and Pioneer Federal Vice President Mike Richards cut the ribbon at the grand opening of Pioneer Federal’s new 202 North Main St. location in Deer Lodge on Thursday. The new building was the end result of construction that began in November 2022. “We hope that this new building adds a lot to the community of Deer Lodge,” Richards said. “Hopefully it’ll help our growth as we progress as a community. And all of you that are here that aren’t customers, which I don’t see very many, come and be a customer. But just thanks again.” Photo by Luke Ulatowski
Three unattended deaths reported in past monthBy Luke Ulatowski
Deer Lodge Police Chief George Smith reported a rough time for unattended deaths within city limits, with three having taken place during the past month compared to eight having taken place in the last 12 months. An unattended death is when a body is not discovered within a residence for several days or weeks. This is most likely to occur with elderly individuals who lived alone, along with suicide victims. At a Deer Lodge City Council meeting on Feb. 20, Smith relayed that the city had addressed a hazardous unattended death on Feb. 15. The Deer Lodge Police Department (DLPD) discovered approximately 20 cats, along with several rabbits and a dog, left without care at the residence. “That house was like, nobody should have been inside it,” Smith said at the meeting. City Code Enforcement Officer Kody Ryan aided with the animals. The house is now entirely vacated while under the ownership of the deceased’s next of kin. Smith stated DLPD would get input from Tri-County Sanitarian Chad Lanes on how the city should proceed with the house. On Thursday, Smith shared standard city protocol for dealing with an unattended death. The police first secure the area and call in the Powell County coroner, Heather Gregory. All unattended deaths require an investigation, and any citizen who was See Deaths page 8 |
Krautter wins Art Show award
By Luke Ulatowski
Lual Krautter earned the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Frances Denton Memorial Art Show, which flaunted Deer Lodge Art Club Vice President Cathy Wilson as its featured artist, at Granville Stuart Elementary School on Thursday.
The art show is held annually by the art club in cooperation with the Deer Lodge Education Association, which concurrently hosts a book fair, open house and performances led by the school’s music department each year.
Krautter’s winning painting, “Courage,” depicts two horses fighting in an area inspired by Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
“I take a lot of pictures of wild horses when I can,” she said.
To compose her acrylic, the self-taught Krautter modified a scene from one such photo, replacing other horses originally included in the photograph with colorful scenery.
See Award page 8
Lual Krautter earned the People’s Choice Award at the 2024 Frances Denton Memorial Art Show, which flaunted Deer Lodge Art Club Vice President Cathy Wilson as its featured artist, at Granville Stuart Elementary School on Thursday.
The art show is held annually by the art club in cooperation with the Deer Lodge Education Association, which concurrently hosts a book fair, open house and performances led by the school’s music department each year.
Krautter’s winning painting, “Courage,” depicts two horses fighting in an area inspired by Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.
“I take a lot of pictures of wild horses when I can,” she said.
To compose her acrylic, the self-taught Krautter modified a scene from one such photo, replacing other horses originally included in the photograph with colorful scenery.
See Award page 8