SPRINGFIELD, Pa. – Helping senior citizens avoid scams was the aim of an informational session today in Springfield, Delaware County.

Organizers say seniors need to know that a scammer could be lurking on the other end of the phone, or online, or even sorting through their trash.

(Rep. Pat Meehan chats with senior citizens today. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

“Senior citizens often have a corpus of money,” says US Rep. Pat Meehan (R-Pa., right), who set up the event at the Knights of Columbus Hall on Baltimore Pike.  “They have a nest egg, and so they become unique targets because they’re trusting.”

Delaware County DA Mike Green was there, and he said often seniors don’t realize they’ve been victimized until it is too late.  He says the DA’s senior exploitation unit has been busier during this bad economy.

Local senior citizen Phyllis Totaro knows danger is out there.  She says she uses her caller ID religiously.

“If they don’t have a name and a phone number, I don’t answer,” she says.

DA Green agrees.  He told the crowd that two good holiday gift suggestions would be a telephone with caller ID, and a shredder.

One of the longest lines at the event was a table run by the DA’s office (below) where seniors could immediately check their free annual credit reports online.

(A member of the Delaware County DA's staff helps a senior citizen get a free credit report online. Credit: Mike DeNardo)

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Reported by Mike DeNardo, KYW Newsradio 1060