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JERSEY
CITY – The Division of Consumer Affairs
today joined with Hudson County officials
and presented a fraud awareness and prevention
program specifically designed for senior citizens.
The
“FedUp - Senior Fraud Education &
Protection Program” was presented this
afternoon to senior citizens at the Maureen
Collier Senior Center. FedUp is a statewide
program that debuted last year and includes
a formal presentation plus DVDs and booklets
that are distributed to attendees.
“FedUp
is a proactive program that educates seniors
in how to spot scams and how to avoid becoming
victims of fraud,” said David Szuchman,
Consumer Affairs Director.
“Knowledge is power and today we’re
empowering Hudson County seniors against the
con artists who think the elderly are easy
prey.”
The
FedUp program is funded through a $58,000
grant. The grant comes from a $5 million fund
established for consumer education and protection
projects, under a multi-state settlement with
Sears in 1997.
Some
of the scams targeted at senior citizens include:
advance fee fraud, where
a senior citizen is informed that he/she has
won a prize but needs to send in money to
pay for alleged processing fees and/or local
taxes; bogus charities that
ask for donations in cash or via checks made
out to “cash”; unregistered
contractors who show up unannounced
and offer a “special deal” because
they are allegedly working in the neighborhood
and have extra materials to do a job; and
rebate or reward checks that
covertly enroll the person cashing the check
into a subscription or contract.
The
topics addressed in the FedUp program include:
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Home improvement projects and repairs
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Charitable Giving
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Telemarketing/Mail Fraud
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Investment Fraud
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ID Theft
Tear-out
tip sheets on these topics are included in
the brochures that were given to senior citizens
today. The tip sheets can be used for quick
reference on how to spot a potential scam.
Attending
today’s program with Director Szuchman
were Hudson County Executive Thomas A. DeGise
and the Reverend Tyrone Chess, Director of
the Hudson County Office of Consumer Affairs.
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