LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — You might not have known this, but senior citizens aren’t any more susceptible to being victimized by financial scams than people in younger age groups.
“Millennials folks are hit more often, but seniors are hit and you get more money from them, because seniors have more money,” said Gary Adkins, from Kentucky’s AARP office.
AARP hosted a “Scam Jam” seminar at the Lexington Senior Center on Thursday, which included a document shredding event in the parking lot across the street so that seniors could properly dispose of sensitive information they no longer need.
“Tax documents, bank records, Medicare and Medicaid records, things like that,” Mr. Adkins said.
Inside, officials from the Attorney General’s office, a Secret Service Agent, members of the Better Business Bureau, and other experts counseled people from this generation on how to best protect the wealth they’ve built over many decades. Their assets could be compromised by a scammer within a matter of seconds.
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“To share with our member that the scams are out there,” said Troy Broussard, the director of Kentucky’s AARP. “We want to make sure they say no to these things and hang up the phone,” he continued.
And to make sure they delete the email(s), or throw out the paper mailing(s).
“I got a postcard in the mail a couple of weeks ago,” said attendee Michael Taylor. “They wanted to give me extra coverage on my automobile. The car listed was not mine,” he added.
Mr. Taylor was able to see that the offer was bogus. He came today to educate himself about all of the potential scams that are likely to hit his mailbox in the future.
“If something looks too good to be true, it’s more than likely that it is,” Mr. Broussard said.
For more information on how to protect a senior citizen from fraud, click here: Learn More About the AARP Fraud Watch Network
