Educating consumers to fight scams and fraud

BOISE — The Idaho Department of Finance, in partnership with the Idaho Scam Jam Alliance, is dedicated to educating Idahoans about the ever-changing and increasingly complex landscape of scams and fraud. In support of this combined effort, the department is pleased to announce the upcoming winter virtual Scam Jam webinar series, and the limited roll-out of the Alliance’s newest educational offering — Fraud Bingo.

The winter virtual Scam Jam webinar series will take place just in time for the holidays on Dec. 1, 8 and 15 from 10-11:30 a.m. MDT via the Zoom platform. These virtual webinars are free, educational and interactive forums where local experts share key information and practical advice including how to identify, prevent and report bad actors.

Session topics covered in this three-part series include: scams trending locally, Medicare fraud, gift card scams, digital privacy, tax fraud and scams, and how to distinguish deceptive solicitations from legitimate communications that arrive in the mail. The “Monitor Your Mail” segment on the final day of this series will be presented by Celia Kinney, Consumer Affairs Officer with the Idaho Department of Finance, along with an inspector from the United States Postal Service. Other presenters include local law enforcement, Idaho Department of Insurance, Idaho Attorney General’s office, Better Business Bureau and AARP Idaho. To register, and to view the full agenda, visit http://aarp.cvent.com/IDwinterscamjam21.

In addition to the continuance of the popular Scam Jam events, the Alliance is pleased to announce the successful launch of a new educational initiative — Fraud Bingo. Created by the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities, Fraud Bingo is an engaging presentation wherein players learn key facts about fraud and scams and even win prizes. Successful Fraud Bingo events have already been hosted by the Boise Senior Citizen Center on Oct. 14 and the Eagle Senior Citizen Center on Oct. 28. On Nov. 18, the Meridian Senior Center will host Fraud Bingo from 12:30-2 p.m. MDT.

For more information about upcoming events, or to request a presentation, visit the Idaho Scam Jam Alliance website at https://www.idscamjamalliance.org/events.