A few years ago, Deb Bloomberg’s mother received an alarming call from someone claiming to be an attorney for her granddaughter.
The man said the granddaughter was in jail for causing a near-fatal car accident and would have to spend the night there unless she sent $8,000.
The only thing that saved Bloomberg’s mother, then in her early 90s, from having money stolen in the scam was being unable to get the cash quickly enough. The criminal moved on.
Seeing scams affect her mother, friends and former colleagues spurred Bloomberg — a 74-year-old retired educator in Watertown outside of Boston — to attend an AARP Massachusetts fraud education talk. Immediately after, she signed up to become one of about 30 AARP volunteers who give fraud prevention presentations at senior centers and in other community settings.
It’s “extremely rewarding … to help people fight against criminals who have…
CLICK HERE to read the FULL Fighting Fraud in Massachusetts – AARP article.
Scammers capitalize on major disasters or heart-wrenching stories to solicit donations for non-existent charities. They often use names that are very similar to well-known, legitimate organizations to confuse donors.