LOCAL LEGISLATORS EMPOWER RESIDENTS TO FIGHT FRAUD
BALDWIN COUNTY – A trio of local legislators, in conjunction with the Better Business Bureau, will host a series of fraud prevention summits in Baldwin County this month.
Alabama State Representatives Jennifer Fidler (District 94), Donna Givens (District 64) and Frances Holk-Jones (District 95) and representatives from the Better Business Bureau Serving Central and South Alabama, the Alabama Securities Commission, AARP, Medicare, the FBI, the Baldwin County District Attorney’s office, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department and local law enforcement officials will be on hand to discuss specific scams that are occurring locally and how residents can avoid becoming a victim.
“We wanted to provide opportunities for people across Baldwin County to be able to educate and protect themselves from the many types of fraud and financial abuse currently affecting people across our state and country,” Rep. Frances Holk-Jones said. “By offering these summit meetings across our county with experts from organizations like the BBB and our state agencies, we want to give people here the information and awareness they need upfront so that they and their loved ones hopefully won’t fall into the traps being set by these criminals out there.”
Topics will include veterans’ scams, investment fraud, cryptocurrency, pig butchering, senior scams, the top scams of 2023 and Medicare scams.
“As the amount of fraudulent activity continues to increase, it is imperative that our citizens know what type of fraud is happening, what tools are available to them to circumvent that fraud, what the state of Alabama is doing to prevent fraud and the appropriate steps to take if they become a victim,” said Rep. Jennifer Fidler. “My hope is that we encourage our population to not be a victim and help each other recognize possible fraud and hold bad actors accountable. We will have local law enforcement available at each venue as well to answer questions. I want to thank the Better Business Bureau, the Alabama Securities Commission, AARP, South Alabama Regional Planning Commission, and our law enforcement officers for making this important educational opportunity available to our citizens.”
The sessions will be held at the following dates and locations:
Tuesday, Jan. 23 – a light meal will be served at each location. Attendees only need to pick one session.
James P. Nix Center, Fairhope
8:30 a.m.
G.P. Thames Senior Center, Robertsdale
Noon
Magnolia Springs Community Center, Magnolia Springs
6 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 24
City of Foley Council Chambers
9 a.m. Attendees are asked to register in advance by sending an email to Allison.marlow@baldwincountyal.gov or calling 251-990-4615. The RSVP deadline is Friday, Jan. 19. Please indicate which session you plan to attend when registering.
“If these summits help even just one person not become a victim to these thieves, then that’s certainly a victory,” Rep. Donna Givens said. “These criminals could be halfway around the world targeting your parents or grandparents or even your children - there is enough to worry about in this world already, so what we want to do with these summit meetings is help bring knowledge and peace of mind to folks, give them one less thing they have to worry about by giving them direct access to the agencies and groups who are the content area experts that deal with these issues every day.”
