Sibley, Iowa — Protecting savings and assets becomes increasingly important as people age, and unfortunately, older adults can be attractive targets for fraudsters.
To help protect local citizens from fraud, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host “Stay Independent: Spot, Stop and Avoid Fraud,” on Wednesday, June 15 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the Senior Center located at 612 8th St. in Sibley. The workshop is open to the public and free to attend, but preregistration is required.
According to Carol Ehlers, a human sciences specialist in family wellbeing and finance with ISU Extension and Outreach, Stay Independent: Spot, Stop and Avoid Fraud is designed to raise awareness among older adults and their caregivers on how to prevent financial exploitation and fraud. She also states that they update the curriculum often to reflect new information on frauds and scams, and how to prevent occurrences in the future.
Spot, Stop and Avoid Fraud is a part of the Stay Independent Health Aging series. The free workshop focuses on what frauds and scams are, where they are common, why the older population is mainly targeted by them, the warning signs signifying them, and protecting yourself from them.
The Stay Independent program is geared towards adults 60+ and/or their caregivers. The program will help Iowans identify warning signs of common scams and review ways to protect their finances.
Ehlers also states that regardless of age, everybody has the potential to become a victim of theft or any other type of financial crimes. She argues that there are over 50 million Americans that are older than 62, putting these Americans as higher-risk victims compared to the general population. She also adds that elder financial fraud is the most common form of elder abuse.
The workshop is free to attend and open to all, but preregistration is required to ensure adequate seating and materials. To preregister or for more information, call the ISU Extension and Outreach Osceola County office at 712-754-3648 or email slamfers@iastate.edu.
Following the program, a Dinner Date meal is available. To reserve a meal, call 712-754-2434 by June 14.
