BELFAST, Maine — Education and awareness is the goal of the Waldo County Sheriff's Office when it comes to preventing scams in its communities.
The "Scam Jam" event was held at the Tarratine Club in Belfast on Thursday from 9 a.m. - 12 p.m. to educate older Mainers about different types of scams. It was hosted by the Waldo County Sheriff's Office and the Waldo County Triad.
Waldo County Sheriff Jeff Trafton was joined by the Belfast police chief, an FBI special agent, a bank executive, and Aaron Frey, Maine's attorney general.
Frey said his office frequently hears about scams happening across Maine.
"Common scams that we see are phone scams, where a stranger calls up and asks for something, personal information, or money. We see different grandparent scams where somebody's saying that they're a grandchild or a child in trouble and they need help right away. 'Can you please send money?' And we're also seeing folks call in when it comes to email scams," Frey said.
"We're trying to help put their mind at ease and help them recognize when to say no or just hang up," Trafton said.
Patricia Lucas, a Waldo County resident, said it seems the people who most often fall for different types of scams are older adults.
"Over 80, it's an easy thing to do. Cause you're tired, or you're half asleep. And they call in the middle of the afternoon when you're taking a nap," Lucas said.
Lucas said she gets scam calls every day. Her older sister almost fell for a "grandparent scam." She said the caller claimed to be her great-grandson, and he was asking for her to send him thousands of dollars.
"She actually fell for it, but before she sent the money out, her daughter got a hold of her and said, 'No, you're not doing that," Lucas said.
The event speakers said scammers often impersonate law enforcement or government officials or pretend to be someone you know, which is what happened to Susan Dupler as she was sitting through this event.
"I almost fell for it," Dupler said.
Dupler said she received an email from a board member president asking her to buy three $100 Visa gift cards, take pictures of them, and send them back to her.
"She said she trusted me. She was having problems with her telephone," Dupler added.
She then noticed even though the name on the email matched the woman she knew, the email address was a bunch of jumbled letters that she did not recognize, and she knew it wasn't real.
Frey said whether it's a bank or insurance company or a government agency like Social Security, be wary about what information you share.
"Do your due diligence to make sure that you know who it is that you're working with," Frey added.
Trafton said if a call, text, or email seems suspicious, hang up. Check with a friend or family member for a second opinion, and contact your local police to report it.
If you think you've been scammed, you can report it to the FBI's website by clicking here. The website also has more information about scam prevention and awareness.
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