NEW HANOVER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — Older adults lose billions of dollars each year to scams.
The ‘Cape Fear Elder Abuse Prevention Network’ held an event Tuesday to create awareness about some of the ways people are scammed.
These scams are everywhere and they’re targeting people of all ages.
The goal of this workshop was to remind folks of the common red flags to keep an eye out for.
Dozens of people gathered at the ‘New Hanover Senior Resource Center’ to learn about online scams.
There were local organizations and speakers at the event all with one goal to protect the community from fraud.
Attendee, Kathy Gale, said she has been scammed. So, events like the one held Tuesday helped her understand the threat better.
“I’m just a big supporter of the advocacy and this meeting is absolutely wonderful. Every year I get something out of it,” Gale.
Gale said she will continue to remain cautious of scammers and will report suspicious activity if she is ever unsure.
We also spoke with the North Carolina Secretary of State’s Office, who told us what you can do right now – to surf the web safely.
“If it just sounds too good to be true then it generally is,” NC Secretary of State, John Maron, said. “We encourage people to be a little skeptical and to contact an agency like the Secretary of State’s Office, or the Attorney General’s Office, or the Department of Insurance to just verify.” >
Maron said a dead giveaway is when these scammers request money.
You should never give your personal banking information to an unknown source.
