The Glendale Police Dept. and the Community Services & Parks Dept. have partnered with WISE & Healthy Aging to host Smarter Than a Scammer, a free educational forum for seniors on Jan. 28 at the Glendale Police Dept., located at 131 N. Isabel St. in Glendale in the community room. The forum is from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is designed to educate seniors and create awareness of potential scams. At the forum there will be federal, state, and regional experts to help the elders avoid being swindled and scammed. The speakers will be from the United States Dept. of Justice, United States postal inspectors, Dept. of Business Oversight, and the Glendale Police Dept.

According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, elder fraud ranges from $2.9 billion to $36.5 billion per year. The Glendale Police Dept. has received numerous reports on elder abuse regarding adults 55 years and older. According to the Glendale Police Dept., a few of the most common scams include Medicare/health insurance, IRS imprisonment, financial theft, mail theft, identity theft, prescription drugs, vulnerable widow (claim that a deceased spouse owed money), phone and internet. In the forum, seniors will learn how to protect themselves when faced with the aforementioned common scams.

The Smarter Than a Scammer event is able to accommodate up to 125 attendees. The presentations will be followed by a game of bingo and winners will be awarded with prizes. Seniors in need of transportation to the forum can contact Dial-A-Ride by calling (818) 548-3960. To RSVP for the event, please call (818) 548-3775 by Jan. 20.

To report fraud or scams, call the Glendale Police Dept. at (818) 548-4911.