​Free Elder Fraud Prevention Seminars Slated In San Diego County

SAN DIEGO, CA — In honor of International Fraud Week Nov. 17-23, the San Diego Seniors Community Foundation and the FBI San Diego Citizens Academy are hosting Elder Fraud Prevention seminars.

The seminars will take place at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 13 at Norman Park Senior Center in Chula Vista and 1 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19 at San Marcos Senior Activity Center in San Marcos. The events will educate seniors and their families about preventing fraud and scams.

"Educating our seniors about fraud prevention is critical in today's digital age where scammers are more sophisticated than ever," said Kristoffer Kelly, director of partnerships at SDSCF. "These sessions empower seniors and their families with the tools to recognize and avoid scams, helping protect their financial security and peace of mind. Scams today don't discriminate based on education level or background, and they're getting more convincing every day. Everyone needs to be vigilant."

In 2023, the Internet Crime Complaint Center received more than 880,000 complaints, with potential losses exceeding $12.5 billion. In the same year, total losses reported to the IC3 by individuals over the age of 60 topped $3.4 billion, an 11% increase in reported losses from 2022. There was also a 14% increase in complaints filed with IC3 by elderly victims.

Nationwide, tech support fraud was the number one crime type impacting seniors over age 60, with nearly 18,000 complaints and almost $600 million in reported losses, while investment scams continued to be the costliest to the elderly with losses exceeding $1.2 billion.

To register for the free seminars, visit fbisdcaaa.org/elderfraud.