Communities First Initiative and Columbia Bank offered “How to Avoid Scams, Fraud, and Identity Theft” to about 30 seniors at Jewish Federation Plaza in Essex County. This is one of many financial education presentations that CFI is conducting throughout the state in response to the increase in the numbers of seniors who have fallen victim to scams. The presentation was part of Project Thrive, a CFI program that serves and empowers low- and moderate-income seniors and families by providing education and direct services that promote healthy lifestyles, financial stability, and community belonging.
“Scammers are a risk to our seniors who seek to take away hard-earned money that our residents have worked their whole lives for. Through partnerships with Communities First Initiative and Columbia, the JCHC helps to equip our seniors with the tools they need to protect themselves,” Harold Colton-Max said. He is the CEO of the Jewish Community Housing Corporation of Metropolitan New Jersey, the presentation host.
Criminal actors frequently target older adults, who often are not proficient in their use of technology. That makes them easier targets for Internet, email, and phone scams, particularly to calls from scammers claiming to be the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, financial institutions, or friends and relatives.
The Jewish Community Housing Corporation of Metropolitan New Jersey, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, owns and manages more than 450 apartments in four senior living communities in Morris and Essex counties. Columbia Bank, founded in 1927 and headquartered in Fair Lawn, has more than 70 locations.
Click Here For The Original Source.
