To Brief Elderly on Phone Scams

Phone and online scams are on the rise, and many of the con artists behind them are targeting older people. Suffolk Legislator Bridget Fleming and East Hampton Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell will be joined by a representative of the New York attorney general’s office on Friday, July 22, for an 11:30 a.m. presentation at the Town Senior Citizens Center on Springs-Fireplace Road.

The program will describe common cons and how to avoid being a victim. The more frequent attempts at fraud include variations on a call from someone alleging to be with the Internal Revenue Service, according to Suffolk Sheriff Vincent F. DeMarco, usually about a purportedly overdue tax bill, with demands to make payment via various gift cards or other hard-to-trace methods.

The public has been encouraged to file complaints by visiting the attorney general’s office online, ag.ny.gov, or calling 800-771-7755. Groups seeking similar presentations can request them from the office as well.

Tax scam attempts should be reported to treasury.gov.