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Tech Talk: Dont’t Let Scammers Do You Holiday Shopping
The holiday shopping season is here, and so are the scammers. They know we’re busy, distracted and in a generous mood. They also know more of us are shopping from our phones and laptops than ever. More than a third of older adults shop online at least once a week, and two-thirds say they’ll do most or all of their holiday shopping online this year.
The numbers aren’t pretty. Seniors lost $1.5 billion to fraud in the first half of 2025 alone, and victims 60 and older reported higher median losses than younger adults. The good news is that most holiday scams follow a handful of patterns. Once you know them, they’re much easier to spot.
The fake store
This is the big one. Among seniors who’ve been scammed, 62 percent fell for online shopping scams, far more than delivery text scams, gift card schemes or fake charities.
It usually starts with an ad on Facebook or Instagram. You see a designer coat for $39 or a name-brand blender at 80 percent off. You click, it looks like a real store, you pay. Then nothing arrives, or something cheap and useless shows up weeks later. Some of these sites exist only to steal your card number.
What to watch for: prices that are too good to be true, and web addresses with extra letters or words added to a familiar name. A fake site might be “amazon-deals-outlet.com” instead of “amazon.com.” The safest habit is to skip the ad entirely. Type the store’s name into your browser yourself, or use the store’s own app.
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Savvy Senior: Can’t Sleep? Help is Available
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’m 70 and have struggled with sleep for years. I often wake up in the middle of the night and can’t quiet my mind enough to fall back asleep. Would seeing a sleep specialist help?
–Tired Terry
Dear Terry,
Waking up at 2 a.m. and lying there with your mind racing can be maddening, especially when you can’t seem to fall back asleep. But you don’t have to just live with it. Ongoing sleep problems often have an underlying cause that can be identified and treated.
An estimated 40 to 50 percent of older adults struggle with chronic sleep problems, yet many never mention them to their doctor. That’s unfortunate because untreated sleep disorders can raise the risk of falls, memory problems, depression, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes.
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Savvy Senior: How to Save On Medicare in 2027
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
I’m on Medicare. What changes are coming in 2027, and how can I make sure I’m not paying too much for my coverage?
–Careful Shopper
Dear Careful,
If you have Medicare, now’s a good time to make sure you’re getting the best coverage for your money. Open enrollment runs through Dec. 7, giving you a chance to switch Medicare Advantage or prescription drug plans for 2027. Since costs, drug coverage and extra benefits can change from year to year, comparing plans now could save you money and headaches later.
Even if you’re happy with your current plan, don’t assume next year’s coverage will be the same. Here’s what to look for.
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On the Map: Another Cruise Adventure – Royal Caribbean’s Independence of the Seas
Setting Sail from Bayonne
We have three days left on the cruise but I wanted to get this up while I’m still on the ship. – Mark
Some vacations start at an airport gate, and others avoid the hassles of flying altogether. This time had had both.
We live in New Jersey, and whenever we can, we leave from Cape Liberty in Bayonne. It’s only an hour’s drive from our house, so we just ride to the pier with a neighbor we pay to take us there, and walk aboard. Within a few hours we’re checked into our cabin and staring on another cruise adventure—on of my favorite ways to vacation.
Life Aboard “:Indy”:
Regulars call Independence of the Seas “:Indy,” although this was our first time aboard. 2018 she became the first ship in Royal Caribbean’s Royal Amplified program, a multimillion-dollar makeover that loaded her with new features, dining, and entertainment. Sea days aren’t downtime on the ship, although I noticed the daily offerings are as repetitive as they were plentiful. That’s okay, since we didn’t do most of them. Some of the things the ship offers:
- Make a splash. The Perfect Storm has two racing waterslides, Typhoon and Cyclone. Next door, the FlowRider surf simulator lets you try boogie boarding or stand-up surfing, usually to plenty of applause (and some spectacular wipeouts).
- Bounce above the waves. Sky Pad is a bungee trampoline you ride while wearing virtual reality goggles, high on the stern. It’s one of the most unusual things you can do at sea.
- Play games. There’s glow-in-the-dark laser tag, an escape room called The Observatorium, the rock-climbing wall, and Playmakers Sports Bar & Arcade for watching the game back home.
- Stroll the Royal Promenade. This indoor main street runs through the middle of the ship, with cafés, shops, bars, and Sugar Beach, a candy store that’s dangerous for anyone with a sweet tooth.
- Eat, then eat again. The Windjammer buffet, Sorrento’s Pizza, and Café Promenade are all included, and specialty restaurants are there for a splurge night.
- Make a night of it. Once the sun goes down, the ship comes alive with Broadway-style shows, live music, comedy, the casino, and a deck party or two under the stars.
And if you’d rather do none of that, that’s fine too. A lounge chair, a good book, and the endless blue view from the pool deck might be what you’re looking for. I personally love sea days and doing nothing, or close to it.
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Gifts That Don’t Break the Bank: Budget-Friendly Ideas for the Holidays and Beyond
The best gift you give this year may cost you almost nothing. Ask most of us over 60 what we remember from holidays past and it won’t be the price tag. It’ll be the person who showed up, the pie that came out of someone’s oven, the note tucked into a card.
That’s good news for anyone living on Social Security, a small pension, or savings that have to stretch. Gift season comes with a lot of pressure to spend, and plenty of us feel it. You don’t have to give in to it. Here are some ideas that cost little or nothing and still say what you mean.
Cook for Them
A home-cooked dinner is one of the most generous gifts there is, and a pot of soup or a pan of lasagna costs far less than a restaurant meal. Invite a friend over, or bring the meal to them. For someone who lives alone, a dinner they didn’t have to plan or cook is a real treat.
A few more ideas from the kitchen:
- Baked goods. A loaf of banana bread or a tin of cookies, wrapped in a clean dish towel tied with ribbon.
- Food in a jar. Layer the dry ingredients for cookies or soup in a mason jar and tie the recipe to the lid.
- Freezer meals. Two or three single portions labeled with the date, for the friend who’s recovering from surgery or just tired of cooking for one.
- A potluck. Host a holiday get-together where everyone brings a dish. The gathering is the gift, and no one carries the whole cost.
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Where Do Gays Retire Podcast: Retiring in Akrata, Greece: 60% Cheaper Than Orlando (YouTube)
NOTE: Text to speech function is only for the content of this post. Watch the podcast on YouTube.
Jeffrey Davidson and Walter Zak had never set foot in Greece until a cruise for their thirtieth anniversary in 2024. A year later, they bought a house on the Gulf of Corinth, largely sight unseen, and left Orlando after more than thirty years. Today they live in a stone village up an olive-covered mountain, and they spend about 40% of what Florida cost them. In this episode, they walk through the numbers, the Greek golden visa, healthcare at $220 a month for both of them, and what it actually feels like to be an out gay couple in the most religious country in Europe. They are also honest about who this move is not right for.
Hosted by Mark Goldstein
Guests: Jeffrey Davidson and Walter Zak, Akrata, GreeceWHAT YOU’LL LEARN
💰 Why their total cost of living dropped by roughly 60%
🏡 What 400,000 euros bought them on the Gulf of Corinth
🛂 How the Greek golden visa works, and the three investment tiers
🏥 Public healthcare for about $80 a year per person
🌈 LGBTQ+ life in a village, and why Athens is only 70 minutes away
🚶 Whether you can manage without a car
🛡 Safety, petty crime, and living somewhere without guns
🍴 Greek dining culture and why nobody eats before nine
🌤 Winters, earthquakes, wildfires, and how Greek houses are built
🌟 The honest trade-offs, including what they still cannot buy
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Savvy Senior: Helping an Older Parent Cope with Loneliness
By Jim Miller
Dear Savvy Senior,
My 78-year-old father has lived alone since my mother passed away two years ago. He insists he’s fine, but I can tell he spends most of his time by himself and seems increasingly lonely and withdrawn. What can I do to help him, and are there any resources that could support him?
–Worried Son
Dear Worried,
You’re right to pay attention to this. The loss of a spouse often leads to increased isolation in older adults, even when they insist they’re fine. But long stretches without meaningful contact can take a real toll on both emotional and physical health.
Public health research shows that about one in three adults age 50 and older reports feeling lonely at times, and those who live alone are at higher risk for social isolation. But loneliness isn’t always easy to spot, especially in older adults who live alone.
The good news is there are practical ways to help your father reconnect, along with programs and services designed specifically for older adults living alone.
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This Week’s Journaling Theme: It’s About Time
It’s About Time
We measure time in calendars and clocks, but we live it in moments: the smell of a kitchen, a voice on the phone, the way light shifts in the course of a day. This theme asks you to look at time not as something that slips away, but as something you’ve been gathering all along.
- The Story In Your Hands
Take a few moments and look at your hands. Notice the lines, the knuckles, any scars, spots, or rings. Then write about what these hands have done over the years: the work, the people they’ve held, the things they’ve built or let go of. What story of your life do your hands tell?
- The People Who Marked Time
Some people mark the chapters of our lives: the friend from a certain decade, the neighbor who was always there, the person we lost too soon. Write about one of them and the stretch of time they belong to. How does remembering them bring that time back?
- Small Rituals, Long Years
Think of a habit or ritual you’ve kept for years: morning coffee, a holiday tradition, a walk, a phone call every Sunday. Trace it back to its beginning. How has it changed as you’ve changed, and what does it hold for you now?
- The Age I Am
Write honestly about the age you are today. What does it feel like from the inside? What do you know now that only time could teach you, and what are you still learning?
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‘Devil’s Wood’ Reading at Read Mill Books in Clinton, NJ
On a recent afternoon at Read Mill Books in Clinton, New Jersey, the story was told of a cursed walking stick and the lives it has destroyed, as it tries once again to ruin a man and all he holds dear. Mark McNease’s supernatural chiller, Devil’s Wood, held an audience’s attention with chills, mystery, and the ancient battle between good and evil. Read it to find out which one wins.
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Tech Talk: When a Voice Is Deceiving – AI Clones and Scam Calls
The phone rings at 11 p.m. It’s your nephew, and he’s crying. He’s been in a car accident. He’s in trouble with the police. He needs bail money right now, and please don’t tell his mother.
It’s his voice. His exact voice. The way he says your name.
It isn’t him.
We’ve been warned for years about the “grandparent scam,” where a stranger calls pretending to be a grandchild in trouble. A careful listener could usually tell something was off. Not anymore. Scammers can now clone a voice with artificial intelligence using just a few seconds of audio: a Facebook video, an Instagram clip, a voicemail greeting. If someone you love has ever spoken on the internet, a scammer can copy their voice in minutes.
And this isn’t just a problem for older people. These fakes fool tech-savvy thirty-year-olds. In one widely reported case, a company employee sent about $25 million after a video call with what looked and sounded like his boss and colleagues. Every one of them was a fake.
How the scam works
The details change, but the pattern doesn’t:
- A familiar voice in a panic. A grandchild, a partner, an old friend.
- An emergency. An accident, an arrest, a hospital, a kidnapping.
- Urgency and secrecy. Act now. Don’t tell anyone.
- A strange way to pay. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, payment apps, or cash handed to a “courier.”
That last one is the giveaway. Real police and hospitals don’t take payment in gift cards.
Scammers aren’t counting on you being foolish. They’re counting on you being loving. When you hear someone you care about in distress, you act before you think. The trick is to build in a pause ahead of time.
