Statewide investment fraud initiative: "Smart Seniors, Smart Investors - Don't Get Scammed"
NEW YORK - "Smart Seniors, Smart Investors - Don't Get Scammed," a statewide investment fraud prevention program designed to help seniors identify potential scams and rip-offs before they happen, was launched on Wednesday. The focus will be on investment and financial fraud that targets older New Yorkers - the warning signs, how to avoid being taken advantage of and where to seek help if you think you're a victim.
The kick-off event, featuring Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, is a community forum for seniors at Harlem's Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, located at 2180 Third Avenue in Manhattan (119th Street). The program is the first of eleven events scheduled around the state over the next five weeks, from Erie and Monroe to Onondaga and Suffolk counties; also in Albany, Saratoga Springs, White Plains and at the Carter Burden Center for the Aging in New York City.
The Attorney General's office is running the "Smart Seniors, Smart Investors" campaign partnership with the Brookdale Center for Healthy Aging at Hunter College, the AARP, Lifespan of Greater Rochester and The Weinberg Center for Elder Abuse Prevention at the Hebrew Home at Riverdale.
"We're all at risk of becoming victims of investment fraud. Losing money on a bogus investment can happen to anyone. Unfortunately, older adults, who are often targeted by con artists, are at special risk. This educational push is aimed at empowering New York seniors with information that will help them spot a scam before they are scammed," Schneiderman said. "Fraudsters may buy you lunch or invite you to a free seminar, or they may belong to your church or favorite community organization - and they use that association to get you to trust them. That's what Bernie Madoff did. My 'Smart Seniors, Smart Investors' program is an important tool that we are deploying to protect older New Yorkers. I encourage seniors, and their children and their neighbors, to get involved - and get 'Smart.' "
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