50+ Fraud and Abuse Seminar-1 

The Juanita C. Grant Foundation presented its first of six 50+ Fraud and Abuse seminars for 2019 at the Laurel Beltsville Senior Recreation Center in Prince George’s County Maryland. The series started last year in 2018 with then States Attorney Angela Alsobrooks opening the first seminar at the Oxon Hill Library Branch. Ms. Alsobrooks asked the Foundation to present the information Countywide in 2019. The Foundation is partnering with Prince George’s County Parks and Recreation M-NCCC to bring the series to senior residents. District 1 Councilmember Thomas E. Dernoga attended providing opening greetings. We anticipate reaching over 210 seniors in bringing critical information that will educate and forewarn against being a subject for scams. Expert panel members were Raymond Campbell-US Postal Inspection Services, Michael Lee- IRS, and Shirley Jacobs and Carlesa Peterson from the Prince George’s County Department of Social Services.

Helpful Hints:

• If it’s too good to be true, then don’t believe it.
• Delay responding to callers, tell them you will check with the Fraud Division at the Police Department first.
• Do not give out your Social Security or banking information.Social Security and IRS do not call. Those agencies will contact you by mail.
• Avoid lottery and magazine subscription sign up campaigns.
• Monitor the amount of personal information on your social media that can be used to know your likes and dislikes. This is a prime target for romance and dating scams.
• Do not co-sign anything for anyone.
• Be aware of family members that may be targets by love ones for access to their bank accounts or credit cards. Guardianship may be indicated in serious cases.