More than 85 participants gathered at the Hopkinsville Senior Citizen’s Center from across the state for the 20th Senior Scam Jam. This isn’t a jamboree, these attendees are here to prevent themselves from becoming another statistic in the fastest growing crime in the nation.
While a good portion of the group arrived for the door prizes and complimentary lunch, the majority have come to arm themselves with information, that can protect them from the fastest growing crime in the nation, identity theft of the elderly. Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Consumer Protection Division Lori Farris says “We all need to be aware because it can happen and it can devastate us if we don’t do something.”
According to Farris the office receives several calls a day. At the moment the office does most of their work in prevention, because the majority of the theft happens online.That means prosecution takes time and is often impossible. Much of the event was spent warning against common scams where perpetrators use personal information, like names of family members, to win the trust of the elderly. The days message for the group in elder abuse prevention is essentially, trust no one.
