We will not be silenced by the threat of scammers. We’ve worked too hard to get our voices heard!

Hi, it’s Gail, and I just thought I’d do a quick diary about scammers. The rise of technology has not only made communication easier, but it’s also opened the door for crime–crime of a different kind, crime of the voice scams.

I recently attended a Zoom meeting where concerns were raised that the voices of people that do the Dementia Diaries have a potential for our voices to be used in scams. The voice scammers would take our voices, and they’d use them through phone calls, and it would involve a con artist posing as ourselves, taking our voices to scam and manipulate the victim. It may involve a family member or somebody very close to you, because they may use your voice. They may use your voice, hopefully creating panic and a strong desire so that somebody would help immediately and hand over some money with their bank account details.

Personally, I think if you have any suspicions that you are being scammed, just hang up, and then contact the individual directly using your trusted telephone number that you have for them. Never ever provide any information, such as your bank details, your passwords, over the telephone unless you have made the call. And don’t forget to report if you think that you’re being scammed. Please stay aware.

One of the questions asked to all of the Dementia Diarists was, do we want our voices to be removed so we’re not put in a position where scammers could take our voice? My answer was clearly, no. I’m not going to be frightened or intimidated by scammers. People with dementia have fought so hard to get their voices heard. It has taken a lot of hard work to get to where we are today to have our voices heard. And I don’t want to let any scammer take that away from us. We still have a voice, and we will still use it. Thank you for listening to me. Bye.