GREENVILLE – Does anyone remember the days when a telephone call was not a scam and your grandchild asking for money was really your grandchild? This scam and hundreds of others are invading people’s lives every day to the point where they are afraid to answer their telephones for fear someone wanting to steal their money is at the other end.
How can anyone know if the cop asking for a donation to the police force is really a cop or if the person raising funds to cure cancer or some other disease is actually giving the money collected to a worthy organization instead of filling his or her own pockets?
While the above scams are old hat, they still continue while hundreds and possibly thousands of new ones pop up yearly. In fact, crooks can be especially creative when it comes to appearing believable. From posing as well-known government agencies such as the IRS to highly respected businesses in local communities, their ploys make lies seem like reality. Unfortunately, they especially like to prey on senior citizens who they think are the most gullible. It is time to prove otherwise.
On Oct. 1, Katie Harper, who is the outreach coordinator of the Consumer Protection Office of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, will be the guest speaker at the meeting of the Darke County Chapter of Public Employee Retirees Inc., which is better known as PERI.
Dedicated to protecting and preserving the pensions and benefits of anyone who is already retired or is about to retire under OPERS, which is Ohio’s Public Employees Retirement System, PERI welcomes Harper, who is equally dedicated to protecting senior citizens from scams and identity theft.
Reported to be highly knowledgeable as well as interesting and entertaining, Harper will speak not only on the common ways that senior citizens are scammed but also on the surprising, believable and less known ways that are used to fool even the most wary of seniors. In addition to informing how to recognize these scams, she will also address how seniors can recognize and protect themselves from identity theft, which is also prevalent.
To hear Harper speak, all Darke County PERI members and OPERS retirees are welcome to attend PERI’s bimonthly luncheon meeting on Oct. 1 at the VFW on Ohio Street, Greenville. The luncheon meeting, which begins at 11:30 a.m., is $9 per person, payable at the door.
For OPERS retirees who do not belong to PERI or who have not previously attended PERI meetings, reservations for the October meeting must be in on or before Sept. 24 by calling Vivian Nieport, attendance and contact chairman, at 937-548-3961. Current members will be contacted by the PERI calling committee.
