By: Najla Alexander
Authorities in Atlantic County announced that on Wednesday, July 31st, Atlantic County Prosecutor’s Office (ACPO) Detective Kimberly McColligan represented the agency by leading an elder fraud seminar at the Dr. Martin Luther King Community Center in Newtonville.
Officials said an audience of seniors from the Newtonville community learned about the latest trends and schemes in financial scams, ways to identify potential fraud, how to report it, and important resources.
Detective McColligan, who spent several years working in the ACPO’s Financial Crimes Unit, educated the many attendees on the numerous ways they can protect themselves from fraud, officials say.
There are millions of identity theft and fraud incidents reported nationally each year, with many victims being members of the elder population, officials stated.
According to officials, the ACPO seeks to minimize the impact of fraud through proactive awareness and education for our county’s senior demographic.
Informational seminars and presentations are prepared by our detectives and assistant prosecutors, who are well-versed in financial crime investigations, authorities say.
Over the last year, officials said, the ACPO has attended and presented at a number of events to aid senior members of the community in becoming statisticians, some in collaboration with local police departments and the FBI.
Detective Kimberly McColligan states, “Empowering our seniors with financial literacy is the strongest defense against scams. Knowledge can aid in protecting them from the ever-evolving tactics of financial criminals. My best advice is often, ‘If it looks too good to be true, then it probably is!’”
Atlantic County Prosecutor William Reynolds asks that you please be present in the lives of the most vulnerable—our children and our elders.
The ACPO’s next elder financial fraud presentation will be on Friday, August 9th, from 12 p.m.-1 p.m. at the Rosin Senior Center in Longport, officials say.
Officials said if you would like to register, please email outreach@acpo.org, or if you would like to request a fraud awareness presentation or our attendance at a senior event, please visit http://www.acpo.org/community-page/174.
For resources on how seniors can report and protect themselves against fraud:
-Office for Victims of Crime National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)
-Office for Victims of Crime Elder Fraud Website: https://ovc.ojp.gov/program/stop-elderfraud/providing-help-restoring-hop.
