Spectrum staff writer
As careful as Christa Bryant is with the disposing of her financial wastepaper, one innocent slip was all it took to create a personal nightmare.
"Somehow, someone got a hold of my account through my credit union," Bryant, 55, of Sacramento, said. "I must have inadvertently thrown my statement out with my name, address and account number and they've been dipping into my account. I had to change credit unions.
"I still keep the other account, but I keep the bare minimum in there," she continued. "[The thieves] have changed their names three times already, so they're very hard to track down. They've been debiting my account for $200 and I don't keep more than $35 in there."
Bryant said all the credit union could tell her to do is watch her statements.
"If I see where I've been charged for insufficient funds, they told me to come to the branch office and they would immediately reimburse me. But if I ever keep $200 in there, it's gone. I get the NSF letter from that credit union every month."
In part because of that experience, Bryant, and many other Sacramento seniors, took the time to attend the "Schemes, Scams and Ripoffs" seminar Aug. 16 at the Hart Multipurpose Senior Center.
The seminar, with guest speakers from a variety of law enforcement and government agencies, was sponsored by state Sen. Deborah Ortiz, D-Sacramento.
"I'm learning a lot today," Bryant said. "This has been very enlightening for me in a lot of ways."
John Miller of the Consumer Protection and Public Safety Foundation introduced the gathering to what he called a magic new word: "TANSTAAFL."
"That means, 'There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch!'" Miller told the audience. "That's the message we're trying to bring you.
"One rule to remember in sweepstakes: If you have to pay anything for a prize, it's not a prize. A prize is always free," Miller, the seminar emcee, continued. "And they have to give you the odds and how they're calculated."
Toward that end, participants had the opportunity to load up on pamphlets and folders offering information on everything from identity theft, unscrupulous contractors and telemarketing schemes to fraud involving mail, insurance and health care.
"Generally, seniors come from a more polite generation and are the No. 1 target of fraud perpetrators," Miller said. "If you have a thousand ways to avoid a scam, they'll come up with a thousand and one ways to get around it. Common sense is the best defense."
While much of the material represented on-going reminders, like securing valuables, the various speakers provided occasional revelations.
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