03/18/10

Twin Falls senior citizens are more informed about how to watch out for scams. Nora Wells is determined to get the word out to senior citizens, be wary of scams.

Nora Wells, Idaho Department of Insurance says, "Just because someone's on the phone, and they've got your attention doesn't mean you have to listen to them, and you have to agree"

Seniors are participating in a scam-awareness workshop; arming themselves with the best kind of scam protection: knowledge.

Beve Bryant, Better Business Bureau says, "A lot of scams are age-old scams, there are new twists, new sounds, new stores, so we try to educate the seniors so they don't fall for them."

Better Business Bureau officials say they can't exactly pinpoint the number of seniors who have fell victim to fraud, because many don't report it. But they do say, fraud has cost senior citizens millions of dollars in Idaho.

Seniors often fall victim to scams; they tend to be kind-hearted, have all their life to build up assets and are also readily available on the phone.

Well says, “This is an older generation of people who are respectful to others, and they don't necessarily think: the first thing is that someone's going to scam them."

If you are scammed officials say, call the police, and notify the attorney general.

Bryant says, "Because when we hear what is going on in the community, we can go out and educate everybody else."

Scams can arrive in a variety of disguises and for these seniors, education is the best defense.