‘Education is the best weapon’: Suffolk DA launches effort to help residents avoid scams
District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced Sunday the launch of the Suffolk County Fraud Fighters – a multi-agency organization to help Boston, Chelsea, Revere and Winthrop residents spot scams and avoid schemes soliciting money. Hayden said the effort is in response to telephone scams earlier this year[1] where callers claimed to be representatives of Hayden’s office and even prompted one elderly woman in Winthrop to pay out £35,000 in a bitcoin scam. NBC10 Boston Responds stepped into help a Boston woman recover her life savings.
“We and our Fraud Fighters partners are committed to giving older adults and all other community members the information and awareness necessary to spot a scam before they fall victim to it,” said Hayden. “Education is the best weapon against getting fleeced by their ever-changing schemes.” According to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the Fraud Fighters will hold public presentations throughout the year for residents to stay informed on common tactics used by scammers. The first presentation is scheduled to place at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Dec.
14 at the Kroc Center in Roxbury. The holiday season is a popular time for shipping scams. Boston, Revere, Winthrop, and Chelsea police departments have partnered with the Fraud Fighters to provide educational resources.
In addition, several units of Hayden’s office will be involved, as well as the U.S.
Secret Service.
“We’re going to reach as many people as possible as often as possible, because that’s exactly what the con artists are doing,” said Hayden. “Our goal is to update our presentation whenever they update their scams.”
References
- ^ telephone scams earlier this year (www.nbcboston.com)