A financial safety summit is set for May 10 to help people protect themselves and their loved ones from fraud, scams and financial abuse.
The program is 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. May 10 at GracePoint Church, 2590 Morthland Dr., Valparaiso.
The program is being billed as a summit for seniors, but they’re not the only ones who can benefit. “It’s for our senior citizens but also for caregivers, children with aging parents and just the public in general,” Porter County Prosecutor Gary Germann said.
“The criminals who are perpetrating these financial crimes are technologically sophisticated and are therefore extremely difficult to identify and prosecute,” he said.
“There are countless members of our community who have been victimized in one way or another, in some cases as much as $30,000 or more,” Germann said.
Senior citizens are seen as particularly vulnerable, but the victim could be anyone, he said.
“Because the crimes are so difficult to solve our next line of defense is public awareness and education,” Germann said.
Todd M. Di Carlo, assistant to the special agent in charge of the U.S. Secret Service’s Chicago field office and a specialist in financial crimes, will be the lead presenter.
The program is jointly sponsored by Germann, Valparaiso Police Chief Andrew M. McIntyre and Porter County Sheriff Jeffrey Balon.
“I hope as many people as possible attend,” Germann said. “We hope to hold additional summits throughout Porter County if there is an interest in having us do so.”
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.