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| Seniors Get Training Against Scams from Madigan |
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan made a stop in Galesburg Thursday. Madigan held a "Silver Beat" training program for seniors to learn about prevalent scams and how to protect yourself against them.
Madigan says the tough economy may be a reason many people are turning to illegal forms of making money, like identity theft and scams.
"Since I've been Attorney General, the numbers were initially were 22,000-23,000 consumer fraud complaints a year," Madigan said. "The last couple of years, as the economy has gotten much worse for everybody, we have seen, on average, 31,000, 32,000, almost 33,000 consumer fraud complaints filed a year.
Madigan says people should use common sense and never give bank or private information out over the phone, especially if you did not initiate the call.
Betty Conner of Walnut Grove attended the training at Knox College.
She tells WGIL that her family has been a potential victim for scams but luckily they knew what to do.
"My husband got a call in the night from our grandson," Conner said, explaining that the caller mispronounced her husband's name. "He hung up immediately. It was somebody trying to get money."
Conner says she also has a person calling her nearly everyday and asking her to wire money to them, which will come back to her five fold.
Conner says thanks to the training, she has some tips about how to handle the caller.
A guideline for scam protection call be found online at www.illinoisattorneygeneral.gov.
The attorney general was also in town for a fund raising event with Knox County Democrats.
(Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan Speaks Thursday at Knox College in Galesburg.)
(Senior citizens along with State Rep. Don Moffitt listen to Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan Thursday at Knox College. WGIL News Story and Photos by Emily Ford.) |
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