Seniors, over the age of 65, make up over 15% of the Bullitt County population.   Those over age 65 are considered a group most vulnerable to scams.  The Kentucky Attorney General’s office indicates that hundreds of thousands of dollars are lost each year by senior and vulnerable people through a variety of scams. (Kentucky Attorney General webpage)

The Bullitt County Family and Consumer Sciences Extension agent was approached by the American Association of Retired People (AARP), Mt Washington Chapter, to partner with them planning a “Fraud Alert” program.  Speakers were brought in from the Kentucky State Police, County Sherriff, state AARP Department as well as utilizing Extension educational material and resources. The program was advertised through the Mt Washington AARP chapter, social media, the local newspaper and the Family and Consumer Sciences Extension mailings.  Of the 20 people who attended, 90% were over the age of 65 and the other two cared for older relatives or felt vulnerable to security breaches.

By the end of the program, participants described how they were going to handle telephone fraud calls and one or more ways to protect their identify.   76% of the participants completed a 2 month follow-up survey.  As a result of the program:

100 % screened calls or do not answer calls from unknown numbers.  

64% took action to protect their identity with most reporting they began shredding documents that have account numbers.   

25% of the audience reported sharing one or more tip to prevent being scammed with over 50 other individuals who did not attend.