Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel visited Cadillac on Friday to address a gathering of senior citizens at the Cadillac Senior Center. The purpose of her visit was to raise awareness about scams targeting seniors and to discuss the allocation of opioid settlement funds with local officials. Over 70 seniors attended the event, where Nessel highlighted various scams, including phishing, smishing, identity theft, and emergency or grandparents scams. She emphasized the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in scammers’ tactics, explaining how AI technology enables scammers to personalize and tailor their scams to make them more convincing.
Nessel urged individuals, regardless of age, to visit the Michigan Attorney General’s Consumer Protection website as the first point of reference for any questions or concerns about scams. The website provides information on different types of scams, along with videos demonstrating how they operate and the latest scam alerts. While seniors are often targeted, Nessel emphasized that anyone can fall victim to a scam, underscoring the importance of spreading awareness about the various types of scams.
During her presentation, Nessel shed light on a particularly alarming scam known as “Pig Butchering.” This long-term scam involves establishing a relationship with the victim through repeated contact, often on social apps where the scammer remains anonymous. Nessel described the pig butchering scam as horrific, citing numerous cases where victims have lost their entire life savings. The scam’s name derives from the metaphorical idea of fattening up the victim before “slaughtering” them for their money or personal information.
Nessel also discussed the increasing prevalence of AI in scams, explaining how scammers use personal information obtained from social media profiles and other online sources to customize their scams. AI technology can also be employed to create deepfake audio and video clips, further deceiving victims. By cloning a loved one’s voice and spoofing their phone number, scammers can manipulate victims into believing they are in urgent need of financial assistance.
The event, organized by the Wexford County Council on Aging, aimed to provide senior citizens with knowledge about identifying and preventing scams. Georgie Bump, the incoming Executive Director of the Wexford County COA, expressed hope that the information shared during the event would be disseminated among attendees’ friends and family, contributing to wider scam awareness. Bump also highlighted the upcoming monthly events at the Cadillac Senior Center, which will continue to address the topic of scams. Additionally, the Wexford COA is available to assist senior citizens with any questions or concerns related to scams.
In addition to addressing senior citizens, Nessel met with local officials at the Wexford County Sheriff’s Office to discuss the allocation of opioid settlement funds. These funds, resulting from the Master Settlement Agreement between multiple municipalities involved in an opiate lawsuit and the defendants, are intended for various abatement measures approved by the Federal Court in Cleveland. The funds will reimburse municipalities for expenses related to combating the opioid epidemic and supporting prevention and treatment efforts. Wexford County has already utilized the funds for opioid misuse prevention media campaigns and transportation services for individuals seeking treatment.
Nessel’s visit to Cadillac is part of her statewide effort to gather information on how different communities are utilizing the settlement funds, address challenges they may face, and provide suggestions based on successful approaches in other areas. The Attorney General aims to offer advice and answer questions to ensure the effective utilization of the funds.
