WARREN, Ohio - On Friday, the second annual Aging Onward Conference took place at the Grand Resort in Warren. Experts and advocates discussed the key challenges older adults face.

The conference was hosted by Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, focusing this year on consumer scams.

Ryan Lippe, a consumer educator from the Ohio Attorney General's office, discussed ways to protect oneself from falling victim to scammers. Lippe informed the audience that money transfer scams are increasing.
 

"[The scammers] are trying to get people's life savings." Lippe said. 

The Ohio Attorney General's office, in collaboration with Direction Home of Eastern Ohio, focused on safeguarding the most vulnerable individuals, particularly concerning their online presence.

"Some seniors are getting on social media, maybe for the first time in their lives," Lippe said. "You know, we're very concerned about making sure...they understand that if they click on a link it could be dangerous. If they download a file, it could be dangerous; and don't believe everything you read." Lippe said. 

From cryptocurrency scams to lottery fraud and online relationship scams, consumer experts urged senior adults to think critically and research before taking action, because it may put their identity at risk.

"These days, we're seeing a lot of different types of identity theft." 

The consumer educator advised individuals to consider freezing their credit by contacting all three credit reporting agencies: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.

Organizers of the conference said education is key and it starts with staying alert and knowing where to turn, like the Ohio attorney general's office and local adult protective services. 

"If you need legal assistance, there is Pro Seniors, which has a free legal hotline that goes for the entire state that folks can reach out to." Cassandra Valentini, Community development chief of Direction Home of Eastern Ohio said.

The hotline number to Pro Seniors is (513) 345-4160.