This letter is to all you seniors out there who have been receiving emails and phone calls about the government wanting to give you money that you don’t have to pay back. Don’t we wish?

I received a phone call today from the “U.S. Government.” I answered it because, being a vet, I often get phone calls from the federal government, and they come from Leeds or the Munson Street Veterans clinic. Today, that was not the case.

The man told me the government wanted to give me some money, and it wasn’t from Social Security, and I did not have to pay it back. He then asked me if I had filed for bankruptcy recently or not paid my bills or owed a lot of money. The answer being “no,” he gave me a claim number and a phone number, and told me to call the number and they would help me with getting a money order.

I hung up and went to the Senior Center to try to talk to someone about it, because I was concerned about seniors being scammed. Everyone was in a meeting and they told me to go to the police station. The lady at the police station told me it was a scam. I returned home and called the two numbers. The number that had called me didn’t work. The other one was answered by a gentleman who didn’t seem interested in doing his job. He finally asked me for the claim number and I gave it to him. He said he had to look up my information. He took so long, I hung up.

The number was 212-436-1471 that the call came from, and said, “U.S. Government.” The number he gave me to call was 716-320-1767. If you receive a phone call like this, ignore it. If you receive an email claiming the same thing, ignore it. Better yet, delete it.

Advice from the Dear Abby columnist, who received one of these herself: “If you receive a call saying you have been charged with a crime and face dire circumstances if you don’t return the call, ignore it. You never get these types of calls on the phone. They will send you a letter or show up at your door.”

Get a legit job, scammers, and stop trying to scam senior citizens. We are getting smarter and smarter by the day and call-waiting is a godsend. Don’t recognize the number? Don’t answer it and check for messages after the call is finished.

Darlene B. Clark

Greenfield