December 2- Stetson Law programs to warn about holiday consumer dangers
Contact Frank Klim
Executive Director of Communications
Gulfport, Fla. – ‘Tis the season for generosity and selflessness. But by helping and giving, people may be exposing themselves to increased danger of being targets for scams and frauds. To help prevent this danger, Stetson University College of Law’s Elder Consumer Protection Program will present two programs.
- At Stetson’s Gulfport campus at 1:30 p.m. Dec. 9 in the Mann Lounge the College of Law will sponsor a seminar warning people about scams involving charities.
- At Stetson’s Tampa Law Center from 12:30 – 3:30 p.m. Dec. 16 the College of Law will sponsor a Senior Consumer Forum and Agency Fair.
The Gulfport session is designed to help people determine whether a charity is legitimate. It will also cover dangers involved with professional fundraisers, telemarketing and mail fraud.
“During the holiday season, many people want to help those less fortunate by making donations to charities. Unfortunately, there are some who take advantage of that giving spirit by pretending to operate a legitimate charity when actually it is a scam,” said Rebecca Morgan, director Stetson’s Center for Excellence in Elder Law. “Everyone needs to know how to determine when a charity is a legitimate one.”
The Senior Consumer Forum and Agency Fair in Tampa will feature law enforcement and consumer protection professionals who will instruct seniors on how to protect themselves from scams and financial frauds and other crime prevention tips during the holiday season. Crime prevention, consumer protection and senior service experts and agencies will staff tables with information and hand-out materials. Representatives will be on hand to answer questions.
These free programs are examples of a number of outreach efforts by Stetson Law’s Elder Consumer Protection Program. The program has partnered with the Attorney General’s Office, AARP and the legal community to increase public awareness of consumer fraud against senior citizens. Funding for these programs was provided in part by the Administration on Aging.
For more information, call Stetson’s Elder Consumer Protect Program at (727) 562-7800 extension 7235. To RSVP for the Senior Fair in Tampa, please call (813) 228-6625.
Post date: Dec. 2, 2004
Media contact: Kate Bradshaw
[email protected] | 727-430-1580