District Attorney's Office Educates Seniors on Fraud

With identity theft increasingly on the rise, senior citizens came to the East Meadow Public Library on Thursday to learn about important risks and tips to combat a variety of fraud issues. Chief of the Nassau District Attorney's Fraud Bureau Robert Evans spoke about the four main types of fraud to a group of approximately 25 seniors who were ready to learn how to protect themselves."I am interested in these scams," said Joyce Simon of East Meadow. "I think that I am very careful, but I like to find out more about it."There were 10 million reports of identity theft last year in the United States. Sadly, the statistics say that about one out of every ten people will be a victim at some point in their life."At no fault of your own, you can easily be a victim," Evans said. "Unraveling the damage from identity theft can take years."In addition to identity theft, Evans also informed the audience about sweepstakes scams, investment frauds and home improvement scams, and he provided important facts and suggestions to combat these crimes."Thieves can get your information by posing as a bank or credit card company and call or email you asking for personal information," Evans said. "They usually start off with something along the lines of, 'There is a problem with your account, we need certain information to get your account straightened out.' If they are actually from the bank or credit card company, they know this information. Your Social Security number and date of birth are key pieces of information. Never share them with anyone."If you do become a victim of identity theft, it is crucial to report it to law enforcement as soon as possible. You should also be checking your credit report once a year and put an alert on the report to allow you to find out about changes immediately.Evans also explained how seniors have been progressively targeted in the past few years with sweepstakes scams."There is no legitimate sweepstakes anywhere in the world where you would have to pay fees or taxes up front. Anything that wants you to do this is a scam," Evans added.To recognize investment and home improvement frauds, Evans suggested that seniors always check the company's credentials and get a second opinion. If in doubt and something seems too good to be true, it probably is a scam."A friend of mine was a victim of identity theft," said Lea Gianibre, the president of the Friends of the EMPL. "She is in the beginning stages of Alzheimer's and we had to explain to her the dangers."Others in attendance may not have been the victims of fraud, but these people wanted to do their due diligence to prevent such a scam from ever happening to them."This subject fascinates me," said Arlene Grife. She explained that she hasn't known anyone personally who has been a victim of identity theft, but she likes to learn as much as possible.If you think you have been a victim any of the frauds listed above, call the Nassau County District Attorney's Office at 516-571-3505 or the Frauds Bureau at 516-571-3343.The Friends of EMPL is holding another educational discussion in February, focusing on teenagers and the dangers of social networking sites.