Local community activists, in conjunction with the Carson City Sheriff's Department, local banks and attorneys, will hold a free Senior Fraud Protection Symposium 2-4 p.m. Friday at the Carson City Senior Citizens Center, 911 Beverly Drive.
This two-hour seminar will address cyber-crimes aimed at seniors and provide tips for guarding against these crimes.
Jan McCauley, of Colonial Bank of Carson City, has put together a panel of leading local authorities on cyber-crimes in response to the growing number of scams aimed at taking advantage of seniors.
"Unfortunately, I personally know people who have been scammed over the Internet, ultimately losing thousands of dollars. In fact, one victim I spoke to recently, lost most of her life savings. But the good news is there's ways to protect oneself and ways to fight back and that's precisely the purpose of this symposium - education," McCauley said.
Panelists include representatives from Colonial Bank, an accounting firm, an attorney from Kummer Kaempfer Bonner Renshaw and Ferrario, Geeks of Nevada, JFG Systems, the Carson City Sheriff's Department, the Carson City District Attorney's Office and an FBI field agent.
According to the District Attorney's Office, there is more malware (Trojans and worms) than ever before, and an estimated 80 percent of computers are infected with spyware. And due to their level of sophistication, it can be a challenge to discern a valid message from that of a potential scam.
The district attorney's office vigorously prosecutes crimes, including cyber-crimes that involve seniors and children.
In fact, these crimes range from a misdemeanor all the way up to a felony punishable by up to 20 years in prison if the asset value of the crime is greater than $5,000.
All persons age 60 and older are urged to attend. For information, call 883-0703.