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Attorney General Jeff Landry Encourages Seniors to Scam-Proof Their Lives

Elder fraud prevention handbooks available

BATON ROUGE, LA – May is recognized nationally as Older Americans Month, and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is reminding seniors that education is the best line of defense against fraud.

“Research shows that Americans aged 65 and older are the prime targets of scams and that they receive more junk mail and telephone solicitations than any other age group,” said General Landry. “So my office and I will continue to do all we can to educate seniors on how to best recognize scams and con artists to avoid becoming fraud victims.”

General Landry’s Office offers a special consumer publication on elder fraud prevention which contains information on how to avoid telemarketing, mortgage, contractor, charity, and other types of frauds commonly perpetrated on senior citizens. Some of the many tips for seniors are as follows:

• Never give out a Social Security number, credit card number, or bank account information over the phone unless the senior initiated the call.
• Resist high pressure to make a decision immediately.
• Never send money by courier, overnight delivery, or wire to anyone who insists on instant payment.
• Research all offers with General Landry’s Consumer Protection Section before agreeing to send money.
• Ask the caller to send written information about the product or service being offered.
• Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

And to help further educate seniors on elder fraud, representatives from General Landry’s Office will be distributing information and answering questions at the following senior events during this year’s Older Americans Month:

Thursday, May 3: 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
AARP Midtown Chapter Meeting
Baton Rouge General Hospital Mid-City, Conference Rooms 1 and 2
3600 Florida Boulevard, Baton Rouge, LA

Saturday, May 5: 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM
Community Health Fair
Martin Luther King, Jr. Christian Academy
4295 Prescott Court, Baton Rouge, LA

Wednesday, May 9: 11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
Francois Bend Senior Living Lunch
Sno’s Seafood
13131 Airline Highway, Gonzales, LA

Wednesday, May 16: 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Senior Crawfish Boil
West Monroe Convention Center
901 Ridge Avenue, West Monroe, LA

Friday, May 18: 9:30 AM – 1:00 PM
Pointe Coupee Council on Aging Crawfish Boil
Scott Civic Center
1200 Major Pkwy, New Roads, LA

Thursday, May 24: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Senior Resource Festival
The Castine Center
63350 Pelican Drive, Mandeville, LA

Wednesday, May 30: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
National Senior Health and Fitness Day
Rosehouse Senior Center
120 Statesman Drive, Lafayette, LA

Thursday, June 7: 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM
Annual Ageless Expo
Cade Community Center
1688 Smede Highway, St. Martinville, LA

For more elder fraud prevention tips, contact General Landry’s Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-351-4889 or visit www.AGJeffLandry.com.