By Chris Fish
cfish@hometownnewsol.com
BREVARD - Seniors vs. Crime will be opening its first office in Brevard County within the next month at the Melbourne Square Mall, and organizers are currently looking for volunteers.
Seniors vs. Crime is a nonprofit organization of senior volunteers that works to right civil wrongs for Florida seniors and helps educate seniors about scams and fraud.
"We will be able to help seniors take care of their problems with the new office," said Sandra Jernigan, Seniors vs. Crime deputy regional director for Region No. 3. "We will also go out into the community to explain what the common threats are, including financial information on how to double-check on who their money is with or how to make sure they are not dealing with a bad practice."
Ms. Jernigan said the new office will be located in the Melbourne Police Community Service office in the mall, and she said she hopes to see the new office open by the end of October or the second week in November.
Ms. Jernigan said the office will also teach seniors about computer privacy and how to ensure their computers are not hacked, which could lead to having personal information stolen from them.
Ms. Jernigan said seniors will also receive information about how to avoid scam artists trying to sell them merchandise over the phone.
Ms. Jernigan said the station will also keep track of medical journals for seniors so emergency medical technicians and paramedics will know what medications the senior is currently taking.
Seniors vs. Crime, created in 1989, has more than 3,000 "Senior Sleuth," volunteers older than 50, across the state of Florida.
The Senior Sleuths provides the Attorney General's office with any information about current issues affecting seniors, educates the public about scams and frauds, assists law enforcement as actors with undercover operations and manages consumer cases referred by the Attorney General's office.
For more information about Seniors Vs. Crime, or to become a volunteer, call Sandra Jernigan at (407) 739-6866 or visit www.seniorsvscrime.com.