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In the News : SAIF
Publication: The Sacramento Bee
By: Edgar Sanchez
Date: November 11, 2003
seminar to aid the public in spotting holiday scams
How to avoid holiday scams - and those that occur throughout the year - will be explained at an anti-fraud conference Nov. 19 at the Holiday Inn Express in Elk Grove.
The daylong event, sponsored by the Association of Certified Fraud Specialists, is free and open to the public.
"We're trying to raise the public's awareness of fraud and help them defend themselves from con artists," said Charles Raborn Jr., the association's national president.
While frauds occur daily, the most popular time is between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, he said, emphasizing that the event is also designed for merchants.
The Sacramento-based association is a nonprofit educational foundation comprising nearly 500 government auditors, private-sector certified public accountants, attorneys, police detectives and other crime fighters.
Since its formation in 1999, the group has held various forums to update its members on new scams.
"But this will be our first time holding a conference for the public," said Gene Devaurs, organizer of next week's conference.
"During the holidays, people are rushed and they're more susceptible to fraud," he said. "That's why we're holding our event in advance of the holidays."
Speakers will make two identical presentations - one in the morning, one in the afternoon.
The scheduled speakers and their topics are:
* Sacramento County Sheriff's Detective Jan Cater, a fraud specialist, on scams targeting seniors.
* Former FBI agent Manuel Pereira, of the Loss Prevention and Security Unit of the Golden 1 Credit Union, on con games and elder financial abuse.
* Brian Murnahan, of the state Department of Consumer Affairs, Office of Privacy Protection, on protecting financial privacy and preventing identity theft.
* Robyn Goodman, of the Seniors Against Investment Fraud Program of the state Department of Corporations, on telemarketing and investment fraud.
* Resty Manapat, private investigator, certified fraud specialist and owner of RCM Investigation & Associates of Elk Grove, on preventing check fraud.
Each speaker will distribute handouts outlining a variety of flim-flams.
Cater's pamphlet summarizes a dozen scams, ranging from the "bank examiner" to the old "pigeon drop."
In the "bank examiner," a suspect claiming to be a police officer announces that he's investigating a certain bank. He persuades people to help by making cash withdrawals from their bank accounts. The examiner takes the money and disappears.
In the pigeon drop, two or three suspects working together claim to have found a giant diamond or lots of money. They want to share it with the victim, who is conned into withdrawing a large sum from his bank as a sign of "good faith." The suspects seize the victim's cash and leave him holding a bag containing newspapers cut up like dollar bills.
"There's a tremendous amount of fraud out there," Detective Cater said. "This will be a great opportunity to increase awareness."
Manapat, the private investigator, will warn merchants not to lower their guard during the busy holiday season, a favorite time for con artists to pass phony checks.
He will stress the need for merchants to train employees on how to spot bad checks and how to check IDs, he said.
At Christmas, merchants also must beware of customers seeking fraudulent refunds, Raborn said.
People should be on the alert for solicitors seeking funds for nonexistent organizations.
"Our effort is to make people safe as they go about their lives," said Devaurs, a certified fraud specialist who currently works for the audits branch of the state Department of Aging.
During the conference, speakers will be available to meet with guests to discuss special concerns, said Raborn, an investigative auditor for the state Department of Justice.
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"Save the Holidays" Conference
Where: Holiday Inn Express, 9175 W. Stockton Blvd., Elk GroveWhen: Wednesday, Nov. 19, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Information: Call (916) 681-6788
To download the conference schedule, visit www.acfsnet.org.
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