A new month means a new topic for the Naperville Police Department’s A Safer Naper campaign.
Scammers and con artists target those they feel they can exploit, and often, that means senior citizens.
That’s why the topic for September focuses on senior safety.
“Education is really the best prevention,” said Julie Smith, a crime prevention specialist for the Naperville Police Department. “They can really be aware of how these con artists and scammers operate so they can be more cognizant and aware of when they are being scammed and some of the red flags that can occur.”
Often, scammers will play on a victim’s emotions in order to extract information or money.
“The grandparent scam really targets seniors,” said Smith. “They call the senior unexpectedly pretending that they’re their grandchild and they get information out of them and scam them out of money and con them into sending them money.”
The police department is also reminding all citizens to be aware of solicitors. The city requires permits and vests for anyone going door to door.
Naperville News 17’s Casey Krajewski reports.