Fraud prevention and consumer protection teletownhall set for Monday

From AARP

HELENA — Thousands of AARP members as well as other citizens across the state will have the opportunity to participate in a “telephone town hall” meeting Monday with Montana Attorney General Tim Fox about fraud prevention and consumer protection in Montana. U.S. Sen. Steve Daines is joining Fox to add a federal perspective.

AARP Montana will host the statewide live event at 1:15 p.m. Mountain Time and will allow thousands of AARP members to join Fox to find out how Montanans can protect themselves from fraud, scams and con artists. Moderating the event is Greg Neft, news director for the Cherry Creek Radio News Network in Montana.

AARP will call its members in Montana to invite them to participate in the meeting. Members interested in participating will only need to hold on the line to be placed into the live event with Attorney General Fox and Sen. Daines. After brief introductions and statements, participants will have the opportunity to ask their questions. AARP has approximately 146,000 members in Montana. All AARP households with current phone numbers will be called to participate in the meeting. 

“Identity theft and other forms of fraud rank high among the concerns of the 50-plus in Montana,” AARP Montana State Director Tim Summers said. “It’s estimated that fraud costs older Americans anywhere from $2.9 billion to $36 billion per year. As society ages and people live longer this problem threatens to get worse. So we’re delighted that Attorney General Fox and Sen. Daines will be joining thousands of our members across the state during our Tele-Town Hall to discuss what Montanans can do to avoid fraud and what steps they can take if they have been victimized.”

“It’s important for older Montanans to stay engaged and ask questions about any shady calls or mailers they receive,” Fox said. “I appreciate AARP Montana offering me the opportunity to talk to its members through the upcoming Tele-Town Hall. I’ll inform participants about trending scams in our state and ways Montanans can proactively protect their personal and financial information. I’ll also talk about the services my Office of Consumer Protection offers to protect Montana’s businesses and individual consumers.” 

“The Tele-Town Hall format has many advantages, not the least of which is the convenience for the participants who don’t have to leave home or carve time out of their schedule to head down to a traditional meeting,” AARP Montana State President Al Ward said. “There’s no worrying about driving time, the weather or other conflicts — members can just pick up the phone at home and instantly join the meeting.”

AARP tele-town hall meetings utilize a number of cutting-edge technologies including voice over internet protocol, or VoIP, technology that permit tens of thousands of people to connect in an interactive, two-way dialogue. 

“We are looking forward to having a community conversation with AARP members across the state and we are pleased to offer this opportunity for AARP members to hear directly from Attorney General Fox and U.S. Sen. Daines on these very important issues,” Summers said.

In addition to AARP Montana members, the general public can also participate by pre-registering for the event. Pre-registration places them on the list for the outgoing calls. People can register on the AARP Montana Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/aarpmontana.

Quick glance details:

  WHAT: Tele-Town Hall Meeting about Fraud Prevention and Consumer Protection in Montana

  WHO: Montana Attorney General Tim Fox, U.S. Sen. Steve Daines, AARP Members across Montana

  WHEN: Monday, June 5 1:15 – 2:15 p.m. Mountain Time

DETAILS: AARP Members will automatically be called; members of the public can participate by registering online at the AARP Montana Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/aarpmontana.