Regional Federal Credit Union’s Free Seminars Help Residents Fight Back Against Scam Artists

regional-fcu-duneland-chamber-2014-2Frauds and scams are more prevalent than ever these days, especially with the popularity of the Internet and its double-edged sword ability to connect the world so easily. Which, unfortunately, also allows the bad guys the ability to connect with good people more easily.

“Just look at your email inbox,” Clint Turpen, Marketing Specialist for Regional Federal Credit Union explained. “How many examples of attempted phishing attacks or other scams show up on a daily basis? For a lot of people, it’s in the dozens, sometimes hundreds. Every one of those emails is essentially an attempt to rob you in some way, whether by tricking you into giving money to a scammer, or by revealing confidential financial or personal information that can be used to commit identity theft.”

And as the ease of acquiring access to the Internet grows, so too will your chances of falling in the eyes of identity thieves and scam artists; which Turpen says is becoming a bigger and bigger threat as well due to how easy it is to scam someone.

“You don’t have to be all that intelligent,” Turpen adds. “You just need a computer with an Internet connection and a few tricks to hide your activities from law enforcement.”

But the good news is that Turpen and the rest of the team at Regional Federal Credit Union are here to help Northwest Indiana residents fight back against the scam artists.

For one, Regional member service representatives are trained to watch for certain scams, so their customers can always feel good knowing they have a well-trained team in their corner.

But for the public, Regional also hosts a series of free seminars that are designed to help residents of Northwest Indiana fight back against scammers.

These scam protection sessions all have one thing in mind, making sure the money you earn through honest work is safe from those people who prefer a dishonest way of making a buck.

Turpen adds that while there are a number of different scams out there, from telephone to internet, to face-to-face cons, if people attend these seminars they can become more familiar with the types of scams and the patterns of behavior in them; which is powerful knowledge to be armed with in the fight against scam artists.

“Our seminars are important because, in talking about all the different types of scams, people become familiar with the different types of scams and identity theft, and learn how to sense when something isn’t right,” Turpen said.

If you or someone you know is interested in attending these seminars, feel free to check their website or Facebook page for more information. And be sure to follow along on their fraud prevention blog for informative tips on how to spot and avoid scams.