On Tuesday August 16, State President of AARP Alex Ward was in Missoula trying to educate the public about fraud. Ward says Montanans are especially susceptible to fraud.

“One of the things that people didn’t realize is how trusting people in states like Montana and Wyoming are,” said Ward. “They have always been able to do things with a hand shake and think that the people they deal with are trusting people.”

Ward also held a special fraud meeting with Missoula police, hoping to change the way fraud is viewed by law enforcement.

“Law enforcement agencies even say it is civil which it is really not it is criminal,” Ward said. “The unfortunate thing is if older people lose a major portion of their nest egg they are never going to get it back in most cases and it is going to change their quality of life for the rest of their lives.”

One of the most striking video clips shown during the meetings was an interview with an apprehended criminal that was asked if people from certain states were easier targets than others. In his response, the criminal quickly mentioned Montana.

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