Free Entry to 2015 Conference on Aging and Senior Fraud Workshops

Free admission is available for the 2015 Conference on Aging, hosted by the Pasadena Senior Center, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, April 11, 2015 at the First Church of the Nazarene, 3700 E. Sierra Madre Blvd. A highlight of the free conference is a special one-hour Senior Cyber Fraud Workshop beginning at 10:00 a.m. that is co-hosted by the Pasadena Senior Commission. Free registration information is available at www.pasadenaseniorcenter.org.

The Cyber Fraud workshop is part of a series of fraud prevention workshops organized by the City’s Senior Commission, the Pasadena Senior Center and the Human Services and Recreation Department. The “Think Prevention First” campaign runs through August with workshops and educational outreach to help the public learn to identify, report and prevent scams targeting senior citizens. Representatives from the City Prosecutor’s Office, Pasadena Police Department (PPD) and AARP will participate in the Cyber Fraud Workshop on Saturday.

Future free fraud prevention workshops will cover a wide range of topics, including homeownership rights and insurance; how to deal with fraud from people you know; reporting and prosecuting elder abuse; fraud or neglect in long-term care facilities; and Medicare fraud and medical identity theft. A complete list of sessions, dates and times will be online at www.cityofpasadena.net/HumanServices. Spanish translation for all workshops will be available.

Elder abuse is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States primarily because our population is aging. Currently, about 10,000 people turn 65 years old every day and that daily, 10,000-per-day milestone will continue for another 15 years, according to the Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/daily-number/baby-boomers-retire/, providing scam artists and thieves with a huge plethora of pockets and bank accounts to fleece.

“Don’t let unscrupulous predators take your hard earned money. Think First—if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,” said Dave Jacobs, Senior Commission Chair. Remember the following tips from the Senior Commission and PPD to help prevent senior fraud and crimes against the elderly:

• Hang up on callers who say a medical alert system has been bought for you and is ready to be delivered if you provide personal and credit card information to pay monthly charges

• Never send money by wire transfer to complete a deal, receive a prize or help a person who claims to be in trouble

• You will never win a foreign lottery so hang up on any call, shred any mail and delete any email that states you’re a foreign lottery winner

• Common fraud schemes involve phony bank examiners who need you to help trap a crooked teller; strangers sharing found money or want to donate money to a charity of your choice

• Be careful in relationships with unknown individuals as they may be targeting your money

• Calls, visits or emails from individuals portraying themselves as Pasadena Water and Power employees or other utilities who demand payment or they will cut off your service

• Use only online dating websites that protect members with safety tools, including screening for fake profiles and checking sex offender registries and remember that online dating sites cannot prevent scams

• Visit www.consumer.ftg.gov/scam-alerts for additional fraud prevention tips

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