Marilyn, it is sad that there are people out there waiting to take advantage of someone's misfortune. I have been ripped off since Brian died, and it just hurts to know that people can be that greedy and cruel. It sometimes makes me afraid to trust my own judgement. I really did rely on Brian so much. Susan

I am not convinced that the scams are aimed at widows. The economy stinks and businesses that used to be reputable will sell their soul to make an extra buck.
maggie

I have to agree with Maggie - I don't feel businesses are trying to scam me any more now than they did when Mike was alive. The difference is when Mike was alive I was oblivious to much of this because he was the person who took care of this stuff.
Either way, I am sick of having to take care of everything!

I do believe people are trying to take advantage of the situation. I trusted the insurance agent - she did not add on the extra coverage until after my husband died - and I was so overwhelmed with work and other problems I didn't take the time to exam what was done.

I do not believe the raccoon guy or air duct guy would have tried what they did with my husband. I think they saw someone who was stressed and overwhelmed and realized I had no clue as to what the expenses should have been.

I agree with Marilyn .. after my husband passed, it was one thing after the other with our house. I think a lot of events/quotes would not have happened if the workers were dealing with Rob instead of me. I did have my dad & brother here for some of the quotes and inspections which helped. I've also had issues with auto insurance and such.

I agree too that I was oblivious to much of these things since Rob took care of everything.

I don't trust anyone who works for commission. I'm double checking everthing, doing lots of research to verify whatever I'm told. I had a home repair person try to rip me off last year. My research revealed he was a fraud.

When it comes to medical/dentist we're at their mercy. By the way, I don't think it has anything to do with us being widows. I think it's the economy. Lots of businesses are going without and are looking for ways to make money. No it wouldn't surprise me at all that unnecessary procedures are being done.

Tru

Have to say I do think many businesses and scams target widows. We just have to be careful and not fall for it. The funeral director warned me I would start getting offers of all kinds and most would be scams who watched the obits, he was right. So far I haven't fallen for anything except for a relative I would not have expected to try to take advantage, but he did. Lesson learned. It's sad but true that the economy causes lots of this kind of thing for everyone, widows are just really easy prey so much of the time.

I have the usual attempts at scams and rip-offs, but not more than before Linda died. I have had a host of house maintenance come due, but those were both deferred during Linda's illness and just stuff happening (like water line breaks). I will say that these minor challenges seem more stressful without Linda around, she did a lot of selecting vendors, getting estimates, then we would discuss and decide jointly.

I use Angie's List a lot. If you have it where you live, I highly recommend it. Tell them you saw them on Angie's List and you write reviews, that cuts down the baloney.

I also use recommendations from neighbors and neighborhood association. Vendors do not want to lose business from a whole neighborhood. I am also loyal to vendors, suppliers, and brands that do right by me. For example, I have used the same insurance company, USAA, for 45 years, and I have complete faith and confidence in them.

I also have an advantage - I am male. And some of you are sadly right, some vendors do not take women seriously (car dealers?). A big mistake on their part.

Kirk

I think they definitely do target widows, and perhaps the economy being so bad just tempts that many more to try to scam widows. I had it happen several times, but the difference was that I was the one who usually handled all that stuff before Cliff died so it wasn't so easy for them to put one over on me.

I have kept the home warranty on my Florida home since we bought it. That covers 90% of the repairs that I have had to have done, and the tradespeople are all vetted by the warranty company so I don't have to figure out who to call. It may not be a good deal for everybody, but for me it was a lifesaver, and I have more than got my money's worth from it. I've had plumbing, electrical, AC, fridge, oven, well pump, pool pump, and washer/dryer repairs - and it was all covered with just a service fee - kind of like a co-pay. Going through the warranty company I knew whoever showed up at the house was also bonded/insured and licensed - no fly-by-nights.

The things my warranty didn't cover, I got recommendations from people I knew - especially the lawyers I worked with - funny thing, if somebody is told that it was a lawyer that recommended them then they are less likely to scam you.

And I have to agree with Kirk - I've had USAA for years, too, and the help they gave me when Cliff died was really something - including materials on being widowed and things to consider.

Marilyn, I'm sorry you've had to go through this kind of crap, too.

Love and Hugs, Martha

I am very cautious when it comes to spending money, or financial matters. Always have been. And scammers aren't limited to targeting widows. They are what they are, regardless of your situation. Everyone is out to make a buck today, and will do anything to achieve their goal.

It is up to us to be consumer savvy, and protect what is rightfully ours.

Yes, I do think some dishonest people do try to scam a woman alone. I have had salesmen at 2 repair businesses warn me to be careful because it happens a lot. I think it happens especially with home repairs because most of us have no idea what something should cost. On the other hand insurance prices have gone up. We just need to be cautious and get estimates. Also getting a referral from friends or family helps if you can. My husband did most of the repair work and if not he handled finding repairmen. I was terrified to handle these things at first but am getting better at it. I just hate that my husband isn't here. Take care, Sandra