Zupkus Hosts Prospect AARP Fraud Forum

PROSPECT – Representative Lezlye Zupkus (R-89) hosted a fraud prevention forum at the Prospect Senior Center to help seniors learn how to avoid being victims of fraud and scams. During the forum, guest speaker Rich Bright from the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) presented The Con-Artist’s Playbook, a Deep Look into the Mind of Scam Artists. Lieutenant Nelson Abarzua, of the Prospect Police Department, was also in attendance and spoke to guests.

“With scammers becoming more advanced, anyone can fall victim to fraud at any time,” said Rep. Zupkus.  “It is important that residents remain vigilant, and know the precautions to take to ensure that your personal information remains safe. We also need to continue work with our community supports like the Prospect Senior Center and the Prospect Police Department to ensure support for our seniors through programs such as this fraud prevention forum. I thank Lt. Abarzua for his support and I urge anyone who has concerns about a potential scam to contact the Prospect Police Department as well as the CT Department of Consumer Protection.”

Many seniors offered their own anecdotes about how they or people they know have been victims of fraud.  Lt. Abarzua advised that they are averaging 2-4 complaints of fraud and identity theft per week in Prospect alone.

The Con-Artist’s Playbook presents an inside look at how scammers think and can help enable persons to protect themselves and their families against identity theft and fraud. This program was developed based on hundreds of undercover fraud tapes and hours of interviews with victims and con artists. It demonstrates common strategies scammers use and provides tools for use in defense of common con-artist tricks.  Guests attending the event received a free copy.

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