Fraud prevention, shred event to be held in Sunset Beach

SUNSET BEACH, N.C. (WECT) - The Town of Sunset Beach announced that a fraud prevention and shred event will take place on Thursday, April 20, at Seaside Methodist Church.

Per the announcement, the event will be held from 10 a.m. to noon at the church, located at 1300 Seaside Road SW.

A large shredder will be used to destroy sensitive documents, such as bank statements, credit card offers and other documents that contain personal information.

When it comes to technology or scam mail in your mailbox, those online are urged to be aware and exercise caution.

Be cautious of unsolicited emails, texts or phone calls that ask you to provide personal or financial information. Legitimate organizations will never ask for this information over the phone.

North Carolina is ranked in the top 20 states with the most identity theft cases, according to the N.C. Department of Justice.

A resource specialist who works with seniors recently had a man come to her with a question on whether he was getting scammed or not. It turned out to be the “hottest” scam at the moment in southern Brunswick County.

“A gentleman who is one of the seniors that comes to the center, he came in with a letter that he had received, and attached to that letter was a check. The letter was from Publishers Clearing House and the check was from a prescription drug plan. He asked me if it was legitimate and I told him that I didn’t think so because drug plans aren’t going to do that,” said Rene Tarquinio, aging resource specialist for Brunswick Senior Resources Inc.

The fraud prevention and shred event is open to the public and there will be speakers to help further educate you in fraud prevention.

Speakers will include:

N.C. Department of Insurance/Senior Medicare Patrol
Cape Fear Area Agency on Aging
Brunswick Senior Resources Inc.
Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program
Social Security Administration
Elder Abuse Prevention Network skit group
Brunswick County Sheriff’s Office

Attendees are encouraged to bring documents that need to be shredded. Additionally, snacks will be provided. Those interested in attending are asked to contact Rene at (910) 754-2300 or (910) 754-6224 to RSVP.

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