PALMDALE – The city of Palmdale’s neighborhood services department will host two free workshops designed to arm the community with the knowledge and tools needed to safeguard against scams and thefts.
The first workshop, titled “Identity Theft and Scams, Schemes and Cons,” will be held on Monday, March 7. Participants will be taught how identity theft occurs, how to minimize individual risk and what to do if one becomes a victim of identity theft. Additional information will cover the many different types of scams out there, how to identify them and how to avoid them.
The second workshop, “Internet Scams and Online Safety,” will be held on Wednesday, March 9, and will discuss how crooks use computers to steal personal information and how to protect your computer.
Both workshops will be held at 7 p.m. in the Palmdale City Council Chamber, located at 38300 Sierra Highway in Palmdale. The workshops are free and open to the public. They are being held as part of National Consumer Protection Week (March 6-12).
“Scam artists around the world defraud millions of people each year,” warns Palmdale Crime Prevention Officer Kery German. “They use the phone, postal mail, and the internet to trick people into sending money or giving out personal information. I once took a call from one of our residents who lost $50,000 in a lottery scam! Many people say ‘I would never fall for that’ or ‘That would never happen to me,’ but you’d be surprised at how convincing these scam artists are. These workshops will give residents the information they need to protect themselves and their finances.”
For more information, call the crime prevention office at 661-267-5170.
[Information via news release from the city of Palmdale.]
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