Financial abuse of the elderly, unfortunately, is a growing crime in America.

Americans age 65 and older are the prime targets of scams and receive more mail and telephone solicitations than any other age group, research by the Louisiana Department of Justice/Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Office shows.

To help local senior citizens learn about elder fraud prevention, St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff Mike Tregre invited a representative of the Attorney General’s office to speak about identify theft, phone scams and avoiding fraud with clients of the St. John Council on Aging offices in Edgard and Reserve on Tuesday.

Quendi Baloney of the Attorney General Jeff Landry’s Office said the most important thing to remember is to never reply to messages, including email, a phone call or a text message, asking for personal or financial information to anyone unless you initiated the call and the other party is trusted.

Baloney also distributed several brochures on avoiding fraud.

Deputy Bernell Charles assisted Baloney.

While all scams reported to the sheriff’s office are investigated, education is the best way to protect yourself from becoming a victim of a scam, Sheriff Mike Tregre told the group of seniors.

— Submitted by the St. John the Baptist Parish Sheriff’s Office