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| SUN LAKES LIFESTYLES | JULY 2026 | 7 By Michele Walter If you did not have a chance to participate in June's excellent program on Diseases of the Eye, please watch it on Channel 97 for more information. I had a couple of people ask me about Romance Scams, so I decided to write an article on this topic. ROMANCE SCAMS Romance scams occur when a criminal adopts a fake online identity to gain your aection and trust, eventually manipulating you into sending money or personal data. According to the Federal Trade Commission these long-term cons frequently result in signicant nancial losses, with victims losing over $1 billion annually. Scammers tailor their lies based on their fabricated personas to exploit vulnerability and patriotism, or to explain why they can never meet in person. COMMON EXAMPLES & PERSONAS • e Military Deployment: e scammer poses as a U.S. service member stationed overseas. ey use their deployment to explain why they cannot video chat or meet in person. ey oen ask for money to buy internet access, fund a plane ticket home, or request gi cards because they claim they cannot access their bank accounts abroad. • e Oshore Worker or Contractor: e criminal claims to be a wealthy engineer, contractor, or oil rig worker stationed on a remote project outside the U.S. Once trust is established, they experience a sudden "crisis" such as a broken piece of vital equipment, and accident on site, or frozen business accounts, and urgently require a temporary loan to nish the job. • e Crypto Investor ("Pig Butchering"): Instead of asking for cash directly, the scammer claims to be a highly successful crypto trader. ey love-bomb the victim and then oer to teach them how to make "easy money." ey guide the victim to deposit funds into a fraudulent cryptocurrency website or app controlled entirely by the scammer. COMMON LIES USED TO EXTRACT MONEY • Medical Emergencies: Claiming that they or a close family member suddenly fell or had an accident and need money for immediate surgery. • Customs and Delivery Fees: Claiming they sent a package lled with expensive jewelry or family heirlooms, or cash, but it is stuck at customs until you pay a clearance fee. • Travel Diculties: Claiming they bought a ticket to nally visit you, but their visa was suddenly denied, or they were detained by ocials and need bribe or processing money. MAJOR RED FLAGS TO WATCH FOR • Moving O-Platform Quickly: ey immediately pressure you to leave the dating app or social media site to chat via text or private messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal. • Intense Love-Bombing: ey profess intense, unconditional love unusually fast, oen claiming you are their "soulmate" aer only a few days of chatting. • Constant Excuses Not to Meet: ey completely refuse to chat or meet in person citing poor internet connections, broken webcams, or sudden travel disruptions. • Specic Payment Requests: ey explicitly demand payment via untraceable methods, such as cryptocurrency, wire transfers, digital payment apps, or gi card PINs. If you've been a victim of a romance scam, take immediate action to protect your nances and identity. Stop all communication with the scammer, contact your bank to freeze accounts and trace funds, and le a detailed complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov and also report the scam to ReportFraud.c.gov. e Community Awareness Program is always held on the rst Tuesday of each month from 1 to 3 pm in the Main Clubhouse Ballroom. Our steering committee meets on the last Tuesday of each month in the Bus Room at 11 am. Join us every month to stay informed. Questions or concerns, contact Michele Walter at (951) 202- 8009 or email crystalwater@dc.rr.com. IF YOU SEE SOMETHING, SAY SOMETHING. PLEASE REPORT ANY SUSPICIOUS INDIVIDUALS, ACTIVITIES, AND THEFTS DIRECTLY TO BANNING POLICE DEPARTMENT, CALL 911! Community Awareness Supervisor's Message By Supervisor Yxstian Gutierrez With recent nearby wildfires, I'd like to highlight the Heli-Hydrant initiative I've championed for your safety. We have installed four out of seven heli-hydrants along the Pass Area to provide a rapid response during fire emergencies by providing helicopters with a way to quick- ly access water. Their impact was shown during the Lemon Fire in Cabazon. The fire started at two acres and threatened to expand to as much as 700 acres. However, firefighters utilized two hydrants in Cabazon to quickly refill helicopters and successfully contain the fire at just 14 acres with minimal damage. Our community is safer with this infrastructure in concert with first responders who work tirelessly to protect our region.

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