Senior Fraud Summit

The public is invited to the second annual Senior Fraud Protection Summit on April 1 to learn about how to protect against fraud scams that target seniors.

My Glacier Village is organizing the event in partnership with Flathead Electric Cooperative, Glacier Bank, Merrill Lynch and Nonprofit Tech Services. The partner organizations want to increase awareness and education to reduce and eliminate the theft that can greatly impact their older clients. The event will help people understand how to recognize and protect themselves from fraud and scams.

The keynote speaker for the event will be Jake Griffith, supervising attorney with the Montana Department of Justice- Office of Consumer Protection. Frank Garner, former Montana State Representative, will lead a panel of specialists who will focus on fraud scams that target seniors, provide tips on how to avoid becoming a victim, discuss resources to assist seniors, and a question/answer session. Complimentary copies of “Fighting Fraud: Top Scams in 2021” by the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging will be available to participants. Light refreshments including pastries, fruit and coffee will be served. Pre-registration is required by visiting www.myglacier.com/events or by calling 406-250-8784.

Each year more and more individuals are victims of some type of financial fraud. According to the FBI, 406 seniors in Montana reported losses of almost $5.5 million in 2021. Phone calls are the main method of contact used by scammers to reach older adults according to the Federal Trade Commission. The top fraud situations include government imposter scams, shopping scams, identity theft, robocalls, romance scams, and health care and health insurance scams.

Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite, and usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit. Scams affect the financial, emotional and physical health of people. Many times, individuals feel angry and embarrassed and are unwilling to discuss a fraud incident, or may be in denial that it happened. Seniors may be hesitant to share details of the event with others, including loved ones, due to a fear of possible actions that restrict financial independence and decision-making responsibilities.