In September 2018, the Better Business Bureau (BBB) raise the alarm on an epidemic called the fake check scam. The bureau was worried because the targets of the scams were mostly the elderly. In an effort to curb this menace the bureau organized a seminar for college students to hint them of the scam.

I was not surprised that BBB picked ULM for the seminar given the tremendous success recorded by the school over the years. ULM also has a culture of impacting on the community thus making it easier for the bureau to get the students to help the seniors in the community stay safe from scammers.

The Young Generation Is Self-Centered

The aim of this partnership between ULM and BBB is to raise the awareness of this epidemic and help college students understand the importance of taking responsibility for the affairs of the elderly in the society.

The ULM Gerontology Program Coordinator, Professor Anita Sharma made it clear that the older generation will surely double in the next ten years meaning that the elderly are the future. She, however, accused the young generation of not doing enough to support the elderly in their family. In her words,

“Very often we don’t understand what our parents and grandparents are going through, we are so focused on ourselves when we are younger, our plate is full.”

Source: Knoe

I strongly agree with Sharma. Majority of us youths are busy chasing after dreams and achievements that we often fail to look back and see how those that supported us thus far are faring with their lives particularly in their finances.

However, it appears some young people understand the challenges of the elders. Jacy Barron, a minor student in gerontology expressed her understanding of the impact of scam on people’s life particularly for the elderly who are living off limited income or savings.