Algood PD Partnering With Fraud Watch For Education Resources

Algood Police Department is partnering with Fraud Watch to help educate and protect community members from targeted scams.

FraudWatch is an internet security organization that was founded in 2003 that mainly specializes in online fraud protection and anti-phishing activities. Chief Dale Armour said the organization is set to present to citizens the latest trends in fraud and scams and resources for fraud victims.

“I’ve been concerned ever since I’ve been here that we need to be taking care of everybody,” Armour said. “We all get those phone calls. I mean everyone is wanting to check my final burial expenses or they’re wanting to check on my car warranty. But those are used sometimes to gain that information that can be used to compromise your credit cards.”

Armour said this project had been discussed with Mayor Lisa Chapman-Fowler for several years, but was put on the back burner because of COVID. Because seniors are typically the targets of scams and Algood has a large senior population, Armour said they want to do what they can to provide resources to the community.

“It’s not just for our seniors, but in Algood, we have 60-year-old and older is kind of the makeup of our population,” Armour said. “And even though it’s funded by the AARP, it’s not just for the old population it can be for victims of fraud as well.”

Armour said the first presentation is scheduled for March 23rd.