A Redwood Credit Union fraud seminar in Point Arena, Mendocino County.
a video, he created a presentation that he floated to staff in the district attorney’s office, and “they fully supported me,” he says. FAST gives general presentations, but his was specifically for teaching elders about online scams, and he approached Vanderscoff, who liked the idea too. “The first I went to was at Drake’s Terrace in San Rafael,” Lichtblau says, and he’s also spoken at The Redwoods in Mill Valley and Aegis in Corte Madera. The response is largely positive, with smiles from engaged elders who raise their hands to ask questions. “From what I’ve seen they’ve been pretty open to listening to me,” he says, although a woman who’d been victimized broke down at one presentation. As part of his internship, he also produced a brochure for distribution to elders and wrote consumer tips on how to avoid online scams for the Marin Independent Journal. He enlisted friends who wanted to help as well and started “Students Against Scammers,” a school club that operates independently. “We discuss scams, and then we’ll go over them, and they sign up for presentations,” he explains. He’s aware of up-and- coming ways to defraud elders and
says, “When it comes to family and friends, I think the scariest of new scams is artificial intelligence.” He recounts the story of how a scammer impersonating his brother called his other grandfather to say he’d been arrested for DUI and needed money. The man didn’t fall into the trap. Instead, he called the young man’s parents to verify the story and discovered it was untrue. In that kind of situation, Lichtblau suggests confirming someone’s identity by asking a question only the person being impersonated would have the answer to. He believes talking to people who are technology-adept and getting second opinions is worthwhile too. Putting on the brakes Last year, Dodd learned about a woman who had lost $900,000— her entire life savings—and stories like hers were the impetus for his sponsoring Senate Bill 278, Elder Abuse: emergency financial contact program. The proposed legislation is designed to have banks and financial institutions play a greater role in preventing elder fraud by delaying a transaction at least three days if the account holder doesn’t know the
Deed fraud interrupted When Marin County District
Attorney Lori Frugoli and Assessor- Recorder-Clerk Shelly Scott became aware of an increase in fraud involving real estate in other areas, they created a deed program that takes simple but effective action to prevent it from happening on their turf. Now, “We notify property owners when a deed or transfer of titles occurs to make sure they are aware of the transaction,” says Frugoli. Owners receive a letter in the mail, and if they’re aware of the transfer and know it’s legitimate, they don’t have to do anything. If they don’t know about it, they’ll find contact information and instructions in the letter so they can report a fraudulent transfer. For more information, go to marincountyda.org/service/real- estate-fraud .— JW
February 2025
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