Richard and I had the opportunity to listen to a talk by John Sours from the Georgia Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection today at Savannah Commons about Scams being perpetrated upon senior citizens in Georgia. Mr. Sours is the head of the agency and he outlined some of the current scams being inflicted upon seniors in Georgia and nationwide.
He referenced the National Council on Aging’s Top Ten Scams list and talked about some specific scams he’s seen in Georgia like the “Grandparent Scam“. He also gave some suggestions for how to avoid scams like:
- Never give your credit card information to someone over the phone unless you called them and you know who they are.
- Be suspcious if someone tells you you won a free prize or gift.
- If someone tells you they will send a courier to your house to pick up your payment, it’s a scam and you should call the Office of Consumer Protection.
- If you receive a letter from a bank or creditor confirming your recent change of address when you haven’t changed your address, you have likely been the victim of identity theft. You need to cancel your credit card and contact one of the credit agencies (Transuion, Experian or Equifax) to freeze your credit.
If you would like more information on how the Governor’s Office of Consumer Protection can help if you think you have been a victim of identity theft or fraud, visit their website at consumer.georgia.gov.