Falling victim to fraud or online scams can make you feel alone or embarrassed, but community leaders in Santa Maria want you to know just how common these situations are and just how many people are ready to help out.
The Family Service Agency, Community Bank of Santa Maria, and Santa Maria Police Department held a fraud awareness and prevention seminar to alert locals that scams come in all forms, like texts, emails and now…
“Romance scams are very much on the rise, so we encourage seniors to stay out of that isolation phase and really engage with others and tell them what they're experiencing in terms of online relationships to really find help that… you know, somewhat removed to give them a clear vision of whether or not it's legitimate to help them see that,” said Janet Silveria, Community Bank of Santa Maria CEO and Chair of the Board.
The FTC says people 60 and older are losing far more money to impersonation scams than they were just a few years ago. Losses of more than $100,000 have skyrocketed from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024.
Younger adults report these scams too, but older adults are experiencing the biggest, most costly losses.
Leaders in Santa Maria gave an overall message to attendees to reach out for help if you think you are getting scammed and always report it.
“By reporting it to us, even if you haven't lost any, for example, property or finance, there's no financial loss, we still become aware of this activity and we can then intervene and mitigate further damage for other people,” said Commander Paul VanMeel, Santa Maria Police Department. “So obviously it's critical that every time this happens, it's reported. But unfortunately, the extreme majority of the time it does not get reported to us.”
“We're here to help no matter the scenario, so a person could call the police department or the Community Bank or Family Service Agency. We're going to make sure that folks get connected to those who can be helpful,” said Lisa Brabo, Family Service Agency CEO. “So that's what you can expect from all of us. Give us a call. We will make sure that you receive the help that you need.”
- Community Bank of Santa Maria: (805) 922-2900
- Family Service Agency: (805) 842-5148
- Santa Maria Police Department: (805) 928-3781
Resources to help identify and report fraud:
- National Elder Fraud Hotline
- 833-372-8311
- Department of Financial Protection and Innovation
- 866-275-2677
- www.dfpi.ca.gov/file-a-complaint
- Federal Trade Commission
- FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center
- California Department of Insurance
- 800-927-4357
- www.insurance.ca.gov
- Senior Medicare Patrol
- 855-613-7080
- AARP Fraud Watch Network Hotline
- 877-908-3360
- Coalition Against Insurance Fraud
- Contractors State License Board
The mother of a missing 9-year-old Vandenberg Village girl, who was arrested last week on a felony charge unrelated to her daughter’s disappearance, was released from custody after a court hearing on Wednesday.
