On Wednesday afternoon, Faith welcomed Summit County Prosecutor, Elliot Kolkovich, for a Senior Safety presentation. The crowd of approximately 35 people learned about the latest scams and how to avoid them, how to minimize the chances of becoming a crime victim, and they learned simple safety techniques. Here are a few takeaways:
- The main reason that a scam is successful is that the scammer puts pressure on the victim: “If you don’t act soon, this bad thing will happen.”
- You have the control with any calls/texts/emails you receive. You don’t have to answer any questions or give any information. Do not click any links within the text/email, or respond to them. Instead, call the company yourself and ask if the contact was legitimate.
- Make a list of all the companies you do business with (bank, doctor, credit card company, etc.) with a contact name and phone number. If you get a call/text/email from someone claiming to be them, call them yourself to see if the correspondence was really from them. Don’t respond to the text/email or click any links it may contain.
- Check your bank account daily to make sure there is no suspicious activity.
- When out (even during the day), pay attention to your surroundings and don’t be distracted. Make eye contact with other people and say “hi”. This says that you aren’t afraid of them and that you can identify them if you need to.