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26 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2023 At our August meeting, we were fortunate to have a presentation on "Fraud Scams Targeting Seniors" by HCN Bank, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. During this presentation, Michael Browning, Supervisory Special Agent from Homeland Security Investigations, provided us with information on "Elder Exploitation." We learned that one in five victims of reported fraud are between the ages of 60-69 years old. Special Agent Browning also reported: • Financial Exploitation is the most common and fastest growing form of abuse of seniors and those with disabilities. • Older Americans lose $2.9 billion a year to an ever-growing array of financial scams. • Baby Boomers represent the largest and wealthiest generation in U.S. history. e Top 10 Fraud Categories include: 1. Imposter Scams 2. Online Shopping and Negative Reviews 3. Internet Services 4. Prizes, Sweepstakes, and Lotteries 5. Telephone and Mobile Services 6. Travel, Vacations, and Timeshare Plans 7. Business and Job Opportunities 8. Health Care 9. Foreign Money Offers and Fake Check Scams 10. Investment Related Note: Visit the FBI Elder Fraud website for more resources… Fbi.gov/elderfraud How to Avoid a Scam • Block unwanted calls and text messages. • Don't give your personal or financial information in response to a request you didn't expect. Honest organizations won't call, email, or text to ask for your personal information (i.e., Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers). • Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to decide. • Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists you to pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, or a gi card … and never deposit a check and send money back to someone. • Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it is a scam. Report scams to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). If you were scammed or think you saw a scam, inform the FTC at ReportFraud.c.gov. e U.S. DOJ, Office for Victims of Crime also offers the National Elder Fraud Hotline as a resource to assist with reporting: (833) FRAUD-11 / (833) 372-8311. On Sept. 13, we scheduled a presentation by Len Tavernetti who provided an overview of the Four Seasons Conservancy. For our upcoming meeting on Oct. 11, Luren Dickinson, Beaumont Library Director, will be our guest speaker to discuss plans for the renovation and expansion of our hometown library facility. As an added safety reminder… Unsafe driving is a common concern and theme brought up by residents. Here are a few reminders to help keep our community safe. • 25 miles per hour is the maximum speed limit on roadways within our residential districts. • 30 miles per hour is the maximum speed limit on Four Seasons Circle. • Stop at all designated STOP signs. • Yield to vehicles that have entered a roundabout. Note: When entering a roundabout, only drive in a counterclockwise direction! • Yield to pedestrians. • No distracted driving! Put away your cell phones and other electronic devices while driving. We would like to thank our Block Captains and committee members for all they do to help keep our community safe. ~ Frank Hilberg, hilberg frank@gmail.com Community Awareness

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