A community seminar titled “It’s a Scam!!” was held on Tuesday, August 6, at the First Baptist Church Family Life Center. The event aimed to educate the public on the latest scams and provide tips on how to avoid becoming a victim.
The seminar featured a panel of experts, including moderator Tracy L. Campbell from Meriwether Wealth & Planning, Jack E. Byrd, Jr. from b1BANK, Sheriff Jason Parker, Police Chief Jared McIver, and Karen Guice from the Webster Parish Council on Aging.
Attendees had the opportunity to hear from professionals about the tactics used by scammers and learn effective strategies for protecting themselves. The panel emphasized that many intelligent, well-educated people fall for scams and advised not to let the embarrassment of becoming a victim prevent reporting to law enforcement. Chief McIver noted that no amount is too small to report, as information gathered could help solve other cases.
“In the last 60 days, I have counseled people who have been scammed and lost money or people who have called up with questions and we were able to stop the scam,” said Jack Byrd. “In the last 60 days, just in the Minden market, it’s somewhere close to a quarter of a million dollars.”
Sheriff Parker shared a story of a man he knows who was scammed for $60,000. “Through the dark web, he [the scammer] found his [the victim’s] information and paid $1,500 for the information to scam this fine man out of $60,000.”
The basics to avoiding scams include:
- If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is; be skeptical.
- Protect your personal information, do not give out PINs, passwords, social security numbers, etc., and shred documents containing sensitive data.
- Go directly to the source; do not use links or phone numbers provided in unsolicited texts, emails, or phone calls.
- When in doubt, ask someone else before you act.
- Never send money via gift card, wire transfer, or cash apps to someone you have never met face-to-face.
- Be skeptical about prize notifications and never deposit unsolicited checks.
- Check for skimmers on credit card machines.
- Don’t believe caller ID and verify through other sources before sending money.
- Don’t post vacation pictures on social media until you return.
- Review your credit reports annually.
Chief McIver advised, “If you post pictures on Facebook, post them when you get back, because that sends the message that you’re not at home.”
Attendees were also advised to use credit rather than debit whenever possible due to better protections available for credit cards. Set up transactional alerts and monitor checkbooks for stolen checks.
Karen Guice highlighted that seniors are frequently targeted because they tend to trust more, like to help people, are less likely to report scams, and are perceived to have money. “It’s such a horrible situation for seniors who have worked all their lives to have what they have, and for scammers to take most of it,” she said.
“Do your due diligence,” said Tracy Campbell.
A free lunch was provided to all participants, courtesy of First Baptist Church of Minden, Meriwether Wealth & Planning, b1BANK, Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, Minden Police Department, and the Webster Parish Council on Aging.
