Santa Clara DA's Office Hosts Scam Prevention Events

SARATOGA, CA — Santa Clara County residents will have two in-person opportunities this month to learn how to combat phishing scams, a problem that local officials say is growing and can have devastating financial effects on people's lives.

Phishing relies on tricks to deceive victims into providing personal information, passwords and credit card numbers to steal people's identities. Criminals can strike by phone, e-mail and social media.

The first in the series will take place at the Saratoga Library next Wednesday, hosted by Deputy District Attorney Erin West, whose work fighting and prosecuting scammers was recently highlighted in Forbes. The second is planned for April 29 at the Cupertino Library, where Riana Pfefferkorn, a researcher at the Stanford Internet Observatory, will talk about common scams and how to avoid them.

The Santa Clara District Attorney's Office hopes the in-person presentations will help boost awareness and educate attendees on the ways criminals operate. After the presentation, community members will have a chance to get their questions answered by West and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian.

Residents who cannot make it to the presentations will be able to check out a recording on the library's website.

Anti-scamming presentations:

Saratoga

• Date: Wednesday, April 19, 2023
• Time: 11 a.m. - noon
• Location: Saratoga Library (13650 Saratoga Avenue)
• Pre-register here.

Cupertino

• Date: Saturday, April 29, 2023
• Time: 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
• Location: Cupertino Library (10800 Torre Avenue)
• Pre-register here.