AARP Eye Center
Thirty-two Westminster Canterbury residents gathered over coffee on Thursday, February 27, to learn how to protect themselves from fraud. Chris Lloyd, from the AARP Virginia Speakers Bureau gave everyone some practical advice on how to both recognize and prevent fraud.
His talk focused on four major points:
· Fraud Trends
· The Con Artist Playbook
· Prevention
· Resources
He summed of the current trends in three primary scams directed toward the 50+ population:
· Debt Collection Scams
· Imposter Scams
· Identity Theft Scams
The residents were surprised to learn that every two seconds, someone’s identity is stolen every year – that’s 15.4 million people for a total of over $16 BILLION dollars.
Lloyd “introduced” the residents to four con artists who were instrumental in helping AARP develop the “Con Artist’s Playbook:” then shared some of their “success stories” that hit home with many of the attendees. Hopefully, understanding how these cons develop will help everyone stay alert and aware of ways to protect themselves and their loved ones.
Lloyd closed his presentation by summarizing the many resources available:
· Protect YourselfAARP’s Fraud Watch Networkwww.AARP.org/fraudwatchnetwork; 877-908-3360
· Protect Your Social Security NumberSocial Security Administration’s Office of the Inspector General - https://oig.ssa.gov/
- Protect Your Medicare Benefits US Dept of Health & Human Services, Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)https://www.smpresource.org/
- Protect Your Telephone National Do Not Call Registryhttps://www.donotcall.gov/; 888-382-1222
- Protect Your Charitable Donations Charity Watch & Charity Navigatorhttps://www.charitywatch.org/ & https://www.charitynavigator.org/
- Protect Your Mail Direct Mail Associationhttps://dmachoice.thedma.org/https://www.optoutprescreen.com/; 888-5-OPT-OUT
- Protect Your Credit Sponsored by Equifax, Experian & TransUnion Credit Reporting Agencieshttps://www.annualcreditreport.com/
- Protect Your Investments Securities & Exchange Commissionhttps://www.investor.gov/
To schedule a Fraud Watch Network presentation for your group, email aarpva@aarp.org or call 1-866-542-8164.