Scam forum to educate seniors

TODAY marks the end of National Seniors Australia’s Scam Awareness Week.

But for those keen to continue their learning around scamming and its prevalence in the community, a forum next week may answer some outstanding questions.

Member for Ballarat Catherine King will host a Community Anti-scams Forum with the Minister for Financial Services and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones.

The event is aimed at older residents and will be held on Thursday 5 September from 10am to 11.30am at Wendouree Senior Citizens, 10 Learmonth Road, Wendouree.

Ms King said Minister Jones had presented a number of these forums across the country and they had been well received by community members.

“Scams are something that people raise with me and my office regularly,” Ms King said.

“Unfortunately scammers are getting more sophisticated, and it’s important for people to know what to do to protect themselves.

“Whether it’s spam texts, calls or misleading advertisements on social media, scam activity is on the rise and costing people, businesses, and the economy billions of dollars each year.

“This forum will be an opportunity for community members to learn ways to protect themselves from scams, know what to do if they have been targeted by a scam, and hear about the steps the government is taking to crack down on this crime.”