On Wednesday August 30th Joseph Wehr, a financial educator with Clarifi, presented a seminar on tips for seniors to avoid fraud and identity theft, as part of the LGBT EI’s “Coffee Chat” series. Wehr discussed common scams to be aware of and ways to protect your identity.

 

Clarifi is a nonprofit resource dedicated to lifelong financial literacy. Their mission is to support local residents with improving financial literacy, capability, and stability through one-on-one counseling, education, and special programs.

 

Wehr presented several resources for LGBT people of all ages to utilize to stay educated and avoid being taken advantage of in the ever changing technological world.

 

  1. www.AARP.com – Offers many resources available for free without becoming a member like: videos, downloadable guides and frequent Q/As for up-to-date information and tips in identifying scams and fraudulent activity. To sign up for the AARP Fraud Watch Alerts click here.
  2. www.BBB.org – The Better Business Bureau hosts a “Scam Tracker,”  archiving all of the scams that have been reported to their institution.
  3. www.identitytheft.gov – In the event that your identity gets stolen, the first step is to report it with the correct officials to get the process started.
  4. www.attorneygeneral.gov An excellent resource available to Pennsylvania residents to report fraud directly to the Attorney General.

 

The best approach to preventing identity theft and fraud is staying educated and vigilant. Wehr suggested keeping accurate physical records of open credit cards, debit cards, and internet passwords. Shred mail and important documents before throwing them away and put yourself on the ‘Do Not Call Registry’.



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