Kupuna Fraud Experts Share Tips to Guard Against Scams

AARP Hawai`i is holding a free webinar on Wednesday, Aug. 12 at 10 a.m. aimed at protecting kupuna from financial fraud and exploitation. Local and national experts on elder crimes will give tips and answer questions on how to protect yourself and loved ones from scams against older Americans.

To participate­­­, register at https://bit.ly/2WIwhi or go to the AARP Hawai`i Facebook page to watch a simulcast.

Speakers are Paul Greenwood, an AARP Fraud Watch Network expert and speaker on elder crimes; and former San Diego deputy district attorney who headed the Elder Abuse Prosecution Unit and Scott Spalina, a Honolulu deputy prosecutor who supervises Oahu’s Elder Abuse Justice Unit.

They will talk about how to reduce the risk of becoming a victim, identifying red flags that indicate possible financial exploitation and how to avoid falling victim to COVID-19 scams.

Older adults are generally more often targets of scammers because they usually have more money than younger people because of a lifetime of hard work and saving. Since 2013, financial institutions have reported more than 180,000 suspicious activities targeting older adults, involving losses of more than $6 billion dollars.