Saturday, October 3, 2026
Over 80 senior community members came together at Echo Park in West Hempstead to learn how to avoid phone, text, email and other scams. The amount of scams has increased in recent years. The FBI reported that in 2024 over $16 billion was lost in online scams and other cybercrimes, with people of the age of 60 suffering from the largest amount of losses.
“I wish we didn’t have to hold these programs,” said Kate Murray, clerk for the Town of Hempstead, which helped put together the May 12 event. “But as long as people continue thieving, we will continue these programs.”
“Everytime we think we get ahead of these scammers, they leapfrog ahead of us,” said Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips, who sponsored the seminar. “So here I am, working with Officer Messmer, to give you tools to have in your toolbox to protect yourself from scams.”
Police Officer Eugene Messmer, with the Nassau County Police Department Community Affairs, presented on scam safety, what steps to take if you think you’re being scammed, how to protect yourself, and what to do if you’ve been scammed.
“With these scams, the people that are doing it are very professional, trying to catch people off guard, so stop from taking immediate action,” Messmer said.
Messmer promotes using the SCAM acronym when you think you might be getting scammed. Stop from taking immediate action, Check the person is who they claim to be, Alert authorities by reporting the scam, and Mention the scam to friends and family.
He reminds attendees the federal government or the IRS won’t contact them over text or phone, they communicate with letters. So avoid any other form of contact. Don’t click on any text or email links claiming you need to pay a toll fee, or any other form of payment. Also, if someone posing as the federal government asks you to provide payment via wire transfer or gift cards, they are scammers.
Messmer advised avoiding phone calls from unknown numbers — you can call someone back if they leave a voice message. Don’t publish or provide strangers with personal information that could be used to hack your accounts.
If someone calls you claiming to be your bank, call the customer service number on your bank’s website or visit a physical location to verify any information before taking action.
Messmer advised attendees to ask scammers questions to see if the story they’ve shared is the truth, don’t pay for a “free” prize or any other fees, and to protect your medical and financial details. He detailed some common scams, including phone calls/emails asking for bail, sweepstakes scams, bloated check scams, phishing scams, investment scams, charity fraud, homeowner scams, health insurance scams, jury duty scams and IRS payment scams.
He also provided guidance on how to be safe in your home, on the street, while shopping, using your phone, responding to mail, and how to stay aware of con artists.
Messmer also discussed identity theft with attendees, which is the illegal use of someone’s personal information. Identity theft is hard to recognize, but people can stay alert for warning signs. To prevent identity theft he suggest people regularly check their credit reports, freeze their credit when there’s suspicious activity, use strong unique passwords and sign up for notifications when your account is accessed.
If you believe you are the victim of a scam or identity theft, or have been contacted by a scammer, call the IRS 1-800-366-4484, the Federal Trade Commission 1-877-382-4356 or the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office 516-571-3505.
“We’re all in this together as a community,” Messmer said. “Share what you learn with your friends, family and the people around you.”
