“Strike Out Scams” event is right up AARP’s alley

Image credit: Evan Jones

What do a shredding truck, scam information tables and bowling have in common? The answer could be found in Roanoke this month in “Strike Out Scams,” an AARP event that combines very different activities into a single primary purpose — helping Virginians age 50-plus from becoming victims of fraud. Not coincidentally, it was designed to be a fun event to attract as many people as possible, with bowling as the main draw.

That did the trick for more than 100 participants like Janet Duncan of Roanoke.

“It looked like a triple-header,” she said inside AMF Hilltop Lanes, “because they were shredding documents, you could bowl, they had all kinds of information about fraud and scams and local events that were coming up — and they had food. So how could you go wrong?”

Outside the building, the line formed ahead of the 3 p.m. start time as people brought bags and boxes of personal financial information ready for the shredder and away from the hands of any potential scammers. Pastor Harland Brown of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Forest kept busy as an AARP volunteer greeting drivers and helping with the unloading.

“Some of them have one bag, some of them have three or four boxes that they’ve been accumulating for years,” said Brown. “So this a great thing we’re doing for the community.” Four hours later, the truck drove away with about one ton of newly-shredded personal documents.

Inside the lanes, and along with the bowling, AARP volunteers presented information on how to avoid becoming a scam victim. One of the main focuses was freezing your credit reports except when they are needed for specific purposes. AARP volunteer Shannon Abell said it is something everyone should do.

“By doing that that, [scammers] cannot open up a credit card or take out a loan in your name. It’s free to do, and if you don’t freeze your credit, you’re taking a chance,” Abell said.

The message came through loud and clear to Cheryl Kessler of Roanoke, who expressed gratitude for the information offered.

“That is one of the things I am going to do as soon as I get home is freeze my accounts to make sure that my information cannot get taken off of the dark web and somebody actually gets a car loan or whatever in my name,” she said.

Another point of emphasis was awareness of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network. AARP Virginia Associate State Director Brian Jacks said it was promoted across the event’s activities.

“We want to make sure that everyone understands that the Fraud Watch Network has a tremendous number of tools, free and open to those in the public, to hear stories of individuals who have lost money.” Also emphasized, he said, was the network’s scam map for an understanding of what scams people are experiencing in one’s current area.

Federal and state law enforcement agencies were also present with representatives from the Virginia Attorney General’s office and the United States Attorney for Western Virginia offering information alongside AARP’s table.

While the event was aimed mostly at Virginians age 50-plus, Jacks said there were participants in many age groups, and socialization was just another side benefit.

“We are very excited that people came out and not only received key information on how to prevent scams and fraud but also to enjoy some fellowship and social time here on the bowling lanes,” he said.

Find more information on AARP's Fraud Resource Center.