WOODLAND- Two hundred and 40 senior citizens attended Yolo County’s 9^th Annual Senior Resource and Crime Prevention Fair held in Woodland on October 13, 2016.  The event helps seniors with fraud prevention advice, document shredding, information regarding insurance, hiring a contractor, and public safety.  Seniors were also able to receive flu shots at the event.

“I was honored to speak to our valued senior citizens about identity theft,” said California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA) Consumer Protection & Public Safety Foundation Chairman Kenny Ehrman.  Ehrman, a Department of Motor Vehicles investigator, serves as Vice President on the CSLEA Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) Lodge 77 Board of Directors.  “There was a terrific group in attendance at this event and I appreciate their interest in keeping up to date on how to best protect themselves from unscrupulous individuals who might be out to rip them off.”

Several CSLEA members who work as investigators with the State of California answered questions at the expo, including Julie Lowrie, an investigator in the Office of Enforcement for the California Department of Managed Health Care.  Lowrie investigates health care fraud involving managed care organizations, protecting Medicare eligible consumers from fraudulent and deceptive practices in the marketing of Medicare Advantage, Medicare Supplement and Medicare Prescription Drug Plans.  Lowrie also serves on the board of the CSLEA affiliate, California Association of Fraud Investigators (CAFI).

CSLEA Member Jose Barajas, an enforcement representative at the Contractors State License Board, also spoke to the seniors about what to look for when hiring a contractor to work inside their homes.

“Senior citizens are by nature a very helpful, trusting group,” said Ehrman.  “They were born and raised in a time when people could be trusted.  I hope they left this event armed with information and ideas on how to identify a scam and what to do if they suspect they are being targeted.  I thank the Yolo County District Attorney’s Office for including me in the presentations.”