Thursday, March 31 at 4 p.m. — WOODSTOCK — New frauds and scams seem to crop up daily. Identity theft, investment fraud and scams rob millions of Americans of their hard-earned money. Last year, 13 million people were the victims of identity theft alone. That’s one person every two seconds!
AARP’s Fraud Watch Network is arming Americans with the tools they need to spot and avoid fraud and scams so they can protect themselves and their families. It seeks to to educate the public, serve as a watchdog, and provide resources. The Norman Williams Library in Woodstock will host a presentation by Elliott Greenblott, AARP Vt. Fraud Watch Network Coordinator, on March 31 at 4 p.m.
Another major concern of the AARP Fraud Watch Network is the education of the public on the perils of identity theft. “People unknowingly give away information about themselves without considering the ramifications.” Greenblott continued, “So many people use social media such as Facebook to share personal information including the names of family members, travel plans, purchases, photographs and more. Hackers have become adept at locating, copying, and selling this information to fraudsters.”
Fraud Watch Network is increasing its activities throughout the state with presentation and materials displays. “Our biggest effort today is the registration of people to receive “Fraud Watch Alerts” and to gain more volunteers for the program,” according to Greenblott. Registration can take place at any AARP Fraud Watch Network events and displays or by going on-line to www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.
Norman Williams Public Library is located at 10 The Green, Woodstock. The program is free and open to all.
