Having concluded its inaugural Citizens Academy last week, the Union County Sheriff’s Office is continuing to live up to its commitment to educating the public. Toward the same end, UCSO hosted another Scam & Fraud Awareness Class, too, at the Community Center on Aug. 26.
More than 50 people attended the recent Scam Class, nearly all among the group of citizens most frequently targeted by scammers – seniors. In fact, several class attendees admitted to having been victims of scams themselves, which is understandable given the way criminal minds work.
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Seniors are attractive to scammers because of their greater likelihood of possessing savings, age-related cognitive decline, and less familiarity with technology, which combine to make them significantly more vulnerable to financial exploitation.
That’s why Sheriff Shawn Dyer considers it a duty to host scam classes for the public. Dyer started the session by thanking attendees, saying he wished scam education wasn’t necessary. But a couple years ago, he perceived the need to increase awareness, so he created the classes.
Since most scammers are overseas and hard to hold accountable due to being outside Union County’s jurisdiction, Dyer figured a great way to help people would be to arm them with information to avoid being scammed in the first place, and the effort hit the ground running.
UCSO Sgt. Bob Calamari serves as the lead financial crimes investigator for the Sheriff’s Office, and he once again emceed the class and gave an extensive presentation of his own reviewing various types of scams and how best to avoid them.
But first, he introduced Debora Quigley, a Union County resident who cofounded and serves on the board for the Union County Sheriff’s Foundation, a nonprofit established last year to support the Sheriff’s Office through charitable contributions and volunteering.
Quigley asked attendees to consider supporting the Sheriff’s Office through a special program set up under the Sheriff’s Foundation, The LESS Crime Tax Credit, which goes toward purchasing equipment like body cameras and public education materials.
“Endorsed by Union County Sheriff Shawn Dyer, the foundation allows taxpayers to redirect a portion of their state income taxes to directly benefit the Sheriff’s Department,” according to the foundation. “Contributions made through the program are eligible for a dollar-for-dollar state tax credit, making it a financially strategic option for many taxpayers.”
For more information, visit https://unioncountysheriffsfoundation.org/.
Next, Calamari welcomed Georgia Adult Protective Services Supervisor Emily Shook, Investigator Sonya Seymour and Investigator Brandy Warren.
Shook said the stage agency is tasked with investigating reports of abuse, neglect or exploitation that occur among individuals who are over age 65, or adults over 18 with diagnosed disabilities. She noted that exploitation had become the No. 1 issue investigated across the state.
Attendees were encouraged to reach out to APS with questions or concerns at 866-552-4464. People may also make reports online by visiting aging.ga.gov and clicking on “Report Elder Abuse.”
Sgt. Calamari then launched his presentation, beginning with some local and national statistics showing that fraud against the elderly is a growing trend.
He also made available the Georgia Consumer Protection Guide for Older Adults, put out by the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, which he described as the single best resource on current scams and how to avoid them.
Multiple scams were discussed, including those involving imposters like fake grandparents, IRS representatives, Social Security employees, law enforcement officers, and fraudulent charities.
Calamari also touched on Medicare scams, online romance scams, Publishers’ Clearing House scams, funeral scams, missed jury duty scams, check fraud, etc., and he said that no legitimate enterprise will ever request gift cards or cryptocurrency as a form of payment.
In terms of “how to protect yourself,” Calamari highlighted good rules of thumb, like verifying information before acting, avoiding sharing personal information, securing mobile devices and computers, and being skeptical of deals that are too good to be true.
People were advised to hang up on suspicious callers or delete suspicious emails/texts, and if they do suspect fraud or simply have a question, to not hesitate in calling the Sheriff’s Office at 706-439-6066 – just ask for Sgt. Calamari or Investigator Josh Owenby.
Cassie McVay with Tri-State Tech Support is a regular presenter at Calamari’s classes, and she gave an overview of how to stay safe online.
She stressed that passwords are a “first line of defense,” recommending that people use a password manager to keep track of them; create long, unique passwords for individual accounts; turn on two-factor authentication; and “never” share passwords with anyone.
McVay also presented various “red flags” to recognize, driving home that “scammers rely on emotion – fear, urgency, greed – to make you act before you think.”
She summed up her presentation by reiterating the need for “strong password hygiene;” logging out of suspicious computer sessions; using built-in computer protections; and keeping all devices and internet browsers up to date for the latest protections.
Lastly, United Community introduced its fraud prevention partners for a presentation on “outsmarting scammers”: Relationship Manager Jimmy Nichols, Fraud Program & Governance Manager Shelia Partin; Director of Fraud Tiffany Potter; and Branch Manager John Weaver.
The partners emphasized the importance of knowing the warning signs and how to “spot fraud before it becomes a financial loss,” because while scams are constantly changing, the tactics largely stay the same.
They presented three questions that stop most scams: Why is this person creating urgency? How can I independently verify this? Would I do this if I had 24 hours to think about it?
These questions came with recommendations to slow down, verify independently, never send money under pressure, talk to a trusted third-party, and if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
“Trust your banker,” guests were advised. “Your banker is your first line of defense against fraud. Scammers want to isolate you. Bankers want to protect you … When it doubt, check it out. A five-minute conversation with your banker could save thousands of dollars and prevent months of stress.”
Much more information was covered in the Scam Class, so be sure to attend the next one for a fuller experience. Sgt. Calamari will educate the public again on Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 10 a.m. inside the Union County Public Library on Hunt-Martin Street.
