Betty Lin-Fisher's tips: How to safely dispose of drugs; watch bank statements for errors
I’m back after a two-week stint in our Beacon Journal mobile newsroom in Firestone Park, where fellow reporter Anthony Thompson and I got to know the community better and report about it.
'A community ministry:' Firestone Park church's Blessing Box offers help 24 hours a day
Here are a few consumer-related items that are worth sharing:
Clean out your medicine cabinets
This Saturday is one of two days per year set aside as National Take Back Day, a one-day event that encourages people to dispose of their prescription and over-the-counter medications.
Sponsored by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the event encourages the public to remove unneeded medications from their homes to prevent medication misuse and opioid addition from ever starting.
National Take Back Day is usually the last Saturday in April and October, said Darryl Brake, executive director of the Summit County Community Partnership, the county drug abuse prevention coalition.
To find the closest drop-off Saturday, go to www.dea.gov/takebackday. Many local police departments are drop-off locations and have a year-round receptacle in their parking lots to discard drugs. On Take Back Day, Brake said, partner locations hand out free drug-deactivation bags for the unwanted pills. Once filled with water, the pouches deactivate drugs and render the chemical compounds safe for landfills. Additionally, the pouches are made of a plant-based material, so they're safe for the environment and landfills, said Brake.
Betty Lin-Fisher: Do your part; clean out your unused, expired painkillers and medicines with easy-to-use free pouch
If you do take your unwanted pills to a drop-off receptacle, first remove any prescription label with your name or information on it, and you can drop the bottle with the pills right in the receptacle, said Brake.
While the one-day events are a good way to get people to clean out their medicine cabinets and keep unwanted prescription drugs from being misused — especially if they have a lot to clean out — the drug-deactivation bags are the most convenient way to clean out medicine cabinets year round.
The Summit County Community Partnership has been working with various organizations, getting donations and grants for the last six years to offer the free deactivation pouches at several area locations. All Acme Fresh Market pharmacy locations have them. You can also check with other pharmacies to see if they have the bags.
Brake said his organization has given out more than 200,000 pouches in the last six years.
“Most individuals that are suffering with addiction get their pills from family and friends at some point in time," he said. He recommends disposing of prescription drugs that are no longer needed and locking up the ones still in use.
While the main purpose of the bags is to clear out prescription drugs, Brake said it is also a safe way to dispose of over-the-counter medications. Brake asks that consumers fill out the postcard attached to the bags and indicate if prescription or over-the-counter medication was put in the pouch.
The organization uses ZIP code data and data from the public health department and coroner’s office to supply more deactivation bags in ZIP codes with high overdoses.
Watch accounts for duplicate charges
Fred M., a longtime reader from Hudson, contacted me after noticing a check he had written to an HVAC contractor for $474 was cashed twice against his bank account. It was first photographed and deposited as a mobile deposit by the contractor and then again 10 days later, it was inadvertently processed by the contractor’s office.
Fred noticed the duplication when he was reconciling his bank statement the following month. He was surprised that fail-safe measures at the bank, especially with mobile depositing, didn’t catch the duplicate withdrawal to his account. The HVAC company apologized if the error was on their part and confirmed that they did not receive the funds twice.
The bank, KeyBank, within days of being notified of the duplication and investigating, returned the extra $474 to Fred’s account.
Fred said his experience is a reminder to keep a close eye on your accounts and what should be coming in and out — even if many consumers may not reconcile their accounts these days.
We “still can’t believe the bank’s security measures could allow such,” he wrote. “Basically our understanding of the bank’s response is errors happen and the customer needs to be diligent in monitoring their accounts for mistakes.”
When I reached out to KeyBank, a spokesperson said he could not discuss security measures that are in place and does not comment on clients or whether they are a client.
He did provide some general security measures for consumers, which don’t address the duplicate check deposit, but are still good tips:
If depositing a check via your mobile account, print ‘for mobile deposit only’ on the back when making a deposit. Keep the check for seven days.
Account alerts can be set up in online and mobile banking to monitor your account balance and any debit/credit to your account and receive immediate alerts when user ID/password/personal information have been requested or changed.
Enable multi-factor authentication. This makes it more difficult for others to gain access to your account.
Create strong passwords that are lengthy and contain both numerals and letters. Do not use the same password for multiple sites.
Always be diligent about monitoring your accounts for unauthorized transactions and immediately report any suspected fraud to your financial institution.
Similarly, I didn’t get far when I tried to reach out to the American Banking Association, the trade association for the banking industry to discuss security measures for check deposits.
Spokesperson Sarah Grano said: “Banks make extraordinary efforts to safeguard customer accounts and prevent about 90% of deposit account fraud attempts each year. We’ve recently seen criminals gravitate back toward check fraud, but fortunately banks are well-equipped to catch it thanks to sophisticated fraud prevention systems and constant vigilance by dedicated employees. It’s important to remember that bank customers are generally protected against losses due to unauthorized transactions if they are reported in a timely fashion. They should monitor their accounts regularly and report any suspected fraud immediately.”
Free at-home COVID-19 tests
On Sept. 2, the federal government ended its program to receive free at-home COVID-19 tests through the U.S. Postal Service, but you can still get free tests if you have insurance through your employer, through the federal Affordable Care Act’s marketplace, Medicare or Medicaid.
Each person on your plan is eligible for up to eight free at-home tests a month.
COVID-19:Ohio urges booster shots as new variants emerge
Each insurer seems to do it a little differently. Some will let you get the tests at no cost through an in-network pharmacy; others require you to buy the tests yourself and then submit a claim with a receipt through your insurance to get reimbursed. Check with your insurance provider for more details.
Also, if you have some older at-home tests, don’t throw them away if their printed expiration date has passed without doing some extra checking. The Food and Drug Administration has extended the expiration dates for most at-home test kits. You can go to this link — https://tinyurl.com/4au7nv4s — to find the brand of test you have and then click on another link to look up the lot number (printed near the expiration date) to find the updated expiration date. Some older at-home tests from earlier in the pandemic may be past the extended expiration dates, but many of the ones sent through the free federal program have the extended expiration dates.
Still, with anything that is free, there are always going to be scammers trying to take advantage of the situation. The Federal Trade Commission is warning against scammers who have been targeting Medicare recipients, calling them or running ads and asking for a person’s Medicare information and fraudulently billing Medicare for the tests.
The FTC reminds people that Medicare will not call you with an offer of free tests. The FTC also says do not give out your account information to anyone who calls you out of the blue asking for it.
Beware of scams
While we are talking about scams, whenever there is a major event, like Hurricane Ian, or something that affects a lot of people, like open enrollment for Medicare Advantage plans or the recent opening of the application process for the federal student loan debt relief program, you can bet there are scammers out there, too.
More on Medicare:Shopping for 2023 Medicare plans? Start here
More on Medicare:Choosing a 2023 Medicare plan? Help is available in person, virtually and over the phone
Scammers are out in full force for all three. Be careful and make sure you are going to the right websites, and if you see emails or texts or get phone calls, be wary of the source.
If you want to find a charity that is helping with Hurricane Ian relief, make sure you do some homework and find the right website. The American Red Cross is at www.redcross.org. You can also check on a charity at www.guidestar.org.
If you missed my Medicare Advantage open enrollment coverage in last Sunday’s paper, you can find it at www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher. More information about Medicare open enrollment can be found at www.medicare.gov.
The student loan debt relief program application can be found at: https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief/application (10/24 update: Late Friday, 10/21, an appeals court temporarily blocked the federal student loan forgiveness program. The Biden administration has suggested people still fill out the application.)
Student loans:Application for Biden's student loan forgiveness plan is available: Here's what to know
More:Federal appeals court temporarily blocks Biden student debt relief plan
Betty Lin-Fisher can be reached at 330-996-3724 or blinfisher@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow her @blinfisherABJ on Twitter or www.facebook.com/BettyLinFisherABJ. To see her most recent stories and columns, go to www.tinyurl.com/bettylinfisher.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Betty Lin-Fisher: How to dispose of unwanted medications, other advice
