No, your grandson doesn’t need $10,000 in bail money.
Seniors learned how to avoid scams and banking frauds at a town hall at Dalton Gardens City Hall on Thursday night. The free informational event helped residents recognize common scams, understand fraud warning signs and learn practical ways to protect themselves and loved ones.
Dalton Gardens Mayor Curt Jernigan said that as a senior himself, it’s especially important to detect fraud and scams.
“Fraud and scams can affect anyone, but older adults are often specifically targeted by criminals using increasingly convincing tactics,” Jernigan said. “A phone call, email, text message, or online notice may appear legitimate, making it difficult to recognize a scam at first.”
Dalton Gardens resident Carol Robertson learned of the town hall Thursday afternoon and felt it was a worthwhile discussion.
“I thought it’s a good idea to know how to protect yourself and how to protect your money,” Robertson said.
The Federal Trade Commission says 41% of adults 60 and older who lost $10,000 or more said a phone call was their first point of contact.
Lisa Olver, a community banker at First Interstate Bank, said there’s nothing wrong with hanging up if you suspect a potential scam call. She said stepping away and assessing the situation is perfectly acceptable.
“People think that if somebody presents themselves in a position of authority, even in the banking sense, that you can’t hang up on them,” Olver said. “That desire to not be rude or hang up on somebody is very strong. If someone’s calling for any reason that is legitimate, they’re not going to be offended if you hang up.”
One of the most common tactics scammers use is creating a false sense of urgency to keep targets from taking the time to think and ask questions to verify the situation.
“Nothing is urgent and important, especially when it comes to money,” Olver said. “One of the biggest things they’ll use is the scare tactics. Give yourself a minute, pause and reflect.”
Attendees were told that scammers rely on fear, confusion and pressure to force them into rash decisions.
“We worked hard to get where we are,” Mayor Jernigan’s wife, Lucy, also a senior, said. “We don’t want to lose it just because a stranger tries to needle it out of us.”
Olver said locking your credit card can be beneficial. Unlike closing a card, locking it temporarily prevents purchases and lets you unlock it whenever you need to use it. Olver showed everyone there how to do it with the banking app on her phone.
“A lot of financial institutions let you do that,” Olver said. “Many have that capability, but make sure you’re not turning it off for good by accident.”
Olver closed the town hall by reminding seniors to be firm, stay aware and not rush into handing over money.
“I’m reassured that I am doing the right thing,” Robertson said. “I need to be blunt, ruthless, mean almost, when somebody’s trying to probe me for information that I don’t want to give.”
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