Volunteer Ken Allan and Chequita Falls: Fraud Fighters

AARP and the Fraud Watch Network congratulate volunteer Ken Allan on being named a 2016, 3 ^rd Quarter Fraud Fighter for his outstanding work in the fight against fraud, scams, and identity theft.  Ken is being recognized for
AARP Fraud Watch presentations he has made in Southern California, including at the AARP Shred Fest and the Bridge Creek and Oakmont Retirement Communities.  Ken has been a vital leader in the effort to arm Californians with the tools and information they need to protect themselves and their families from fraud and scams.

“I love serving my community this way,” Ken said.  “It is a delight meeting with seniors and hearing their stories.  It shows that AARP’s Fraud Watch Network is communicating with the very people hit hardest by the various scams out there.”

Ken is a graduate of San Jose State where he earned a BA in Journalism. He is now retired after 41 years as a civilian sports broadcaster with the American Forces Network. For three years he was a US Army sports broadcaster with the American Forces Network in Europe. He also umpired for Division 1 college baseball for 30 years. Ken just celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary, and he and his wife have lived in Diamond Bar for 35 years. The Allans have two adult daughters and four grandchildren.

“Our parents were right:  Knowledge is power. A typical example is the IRS phone call scam.  People have lost millions because they didn’t know the IRS never conducts this type of business on the phone,” Ken added.

Thank you, Ken, for your service to your community!

 

Congratulations to San Diego’s Chequita Falls for also being recognized as AARP California’s 2016, 3 ^rd Quarter Fraud Fighter. Chequita has been an AARP volunteer for three years and an AARP member since she turned 50 years old.

Chequita works as a full time Manager with Meals-on-Wheels in the Greater San Diego area, in this role Chequita works a lot with older vulnerable persons, which is what has drawn her to volunteer for the AARP Fraud Watch Network.

“Becoming a volunteer for The Fraud Watch Network program was a great fit for me and the work I already do with seniors. I also chose to volunteer with this campaign because fraud is a real concerned not only for seniors, but because it is such a universal topic, anyone, from any age and from anywhere can be a victim of that.”

Chequita has shared her knowledge about how to prevent fraud with numerous nonprofit organizations on the South Bay, such as the National City Collaborative and others. She also includes fraud tips on a monthly newsletter she gives out to her clients and volunteers of the Meals-on-Wheels program.

This past July, several of Chequita’s volunteers at the Meals-on-Wheels programs received the AARP Fraud Watch Network’s train the trainer training so they too can go out and spread this message to others. “If we can stop one person from being scammed, I think that is an awesome thing. The more information we give to people, the better off they are,” she said.

During the month of September Chequita and her team participated in a conference for seniors called “Stronger Longer”. “A good weapon to stay stronger longer is education and I shared a 20 minute presentation at this conference on AARP’s Fraud Watch Network.”

Chequita told us that the stories she hears from people the most when giving presentations are mainly about being scammed through phone calls. “This happens more often because seniors are more open and trusting of others and many times they are lonely and like talking to people on the phone.” Chequita advices them constantly to be aware of this type of scams and that if something doesn’t feel right just to hug up the phone and never give personal information over the phone.