By Amanda Moses
On December 13th, JASA Starrett Senior Center welcomed Detective Artemisa Caceres (pictured) and Officer Nicholas Rossides from the 75th Precinct for a workshop on scam awareness. Older adults often fall prey to scam calls and phishing emails claiming to be Social Security and Medicaid representatives who attempt to obtain personal account information from the victim. Members of the 75th Precinct reached out to the community to provide tips on how to avoid such scams.
Det. Caceres even informed the seniors about lottery scams where an individual approaches a victim claiming to be an undocumented person who needs help changing a winning ticket. Accompanying them is a second culprit often presented as a religious person holding a bible, together the assailants attempt to convince the older adult to give them money so that they can split the winnings. Both Det. Caceres and Officer Rossides stressed that you should never send any money or pay fees to claim a lottery prize.
“If it seems too good to be true—it probably is,” Det. Caceres said, “Never pay money or give personal information to someone who solicits you over the phone or on the street.”
Members of the NYPD’s 75th Precinct will return for another workshop at JASA soon.
Follow your local precinct on Twitter @NYPD75PCT or on at Facebook.com/NYPD75PCT
Photo by Amanda Moses
