Local Law Officials Host Fraud Prevention Discussion for Seniors

ZANESVILLE, OH – Local law enforcement agencies came together today to host an event for the community about helping protect older loved ones from fraud or scams.

Members from the Muskingum County Prosecutor’s Office, the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office, as well the Zanesville Police Department met with members of the community at the Center in downtown Zanesville for a free Fraud Education discussion.

Sheriff Matt Lutz says the main reason they wanted to host this event is because they have seen an increase in calls from residents with questions and concerns regarding scams.

“We had a lot of complaints, we had a lot of questions, we had a lot of cases from our seniors.” Lutz said. “About fraud and scams and just really getting those calls and going out and seeing what was going on in our community. So, we work with Kate [Paul], through the FOP, a lot down here. We help her with other services and we just asked her if there would be a time for us to come down and talk to the seniors about it. Prosecutor Welch got involved and we decided to share what was going on with it. So it’s just a good resource for us to get out and try to educate our seniors.”

This event wasn’t only geared towards seniors but also their caregivers so they can see the signs of a potential scam.

Prosecutor Ron Welch says some of the topics that were covered were the different crimes and charges scammers could face, what some of the crimes are, as well as the difficulty they sometimes face when a scammer is over seas.

“If there is anything questionable that comes up on their phone, or their computer, if anyone contacts them in any way that seems odd, that they contact law enforcement.” Welch said.

Prosecutor Welch added that they would like to host these Fraud Protection events quarterly so they can keep community members safe and up to date on the latest scammer tactics.