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DA's office warns elders about scams as residents raise Independence Hall fire that displaced seniors
Summary
A Harris County DA representative warned residents about phone and email scams targeting seniors; neighborhood leaders also reported a Memorial Day fire at Independence Hall that killed one person and displaced around 20 residents, and asked for referrals to assist vulnerable seniors.
Sherry Cortez of the Harris County District Attorney's office warned Super Neighborhood Alliance attendees that scams targeting seniors are common and urged residents not to respond to unsolicited emails or calls that demand payment.
Cortez said the DA's office will not call residents to demand money or say there is an outstanding warrant and advised: “Please don't click on the links... We will not be calling you... if we want you, we're gonna come get you.” She described the financial harm of scams, said recovery of lost funds is unlikely in most cases and urged victims to report scams to law enforcement so investigators can aggregate cases.
Separately, Pastor Deb reported a fire at Independence Hall over Memorial Day that she said left one person dead and roughly 20 homes or units displaced, many of them occupied by seniors. She asked which city office could coordinate assistance for the displaced and for planning for similar vulnerable housing stock elsewhere. Rain/Eatman offered to coordinate and Pastor Deb said she would contact the appropriate city recovery staff.
Alliance members recommended that those displaced contact the multi-service center and local council offices; staff indicated they would follow up with city contacts and the appropriate service providers to coordinate assistance for the displaced seniors.
