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Credit card fraud and identity theft training

Consumer Action’s outreach and training staff conducts credit card fraud and ID theft training in partnership with Washington Mutual.

Hosted at the Mission Inn Hotel in Riverside, California, on March 19th, the training offered attendees information and resources to educate their clients about credit card fraud and identity theft. Mikael Wagner, Director of Outreach & Training, and Linda Williams, Community Outreach Manager, facilitated the meeting.
Consumer Action’s Credit Card fraud module explains how to recognize and avoid various forms of credit card fraud, including dumpster diving, phising, skimming, ID theft and counterfeit cards. The outreach team supplied complimentary materials on additional forms of credit card fraud, ways to detect identity theft, and information on how to obtain specialty reports to evaluate consumers’ overall financial health.

Attendees were excited by the interactive materials presented, especially the “Idol Bingo” activity. Based on the American Idol TV show, this activity attempts to reinforce the lessons contained in the module. The game includes a real bingo cage similar to those used on game shows, a colorful Power Point presentation, oversized bingo cards and real bingo chips.

Wagner’s magnetic personality and William’s passionate anecdotal stories kept the crowd engaged and interested on two very serious topics, Credit Card Fraud and Identity Theft. From our outreach efforts, we have learned that there are varying levels of knowledge regarding Credit Card Fraud, ID Theft and Banking Basics. CA is committed to bridging knowledge gaps by continuing to work with our network of nonprofit groups to disseminate information and distribute educational materials.

Thank you to the Washington Mutual staff for their participation in the successful training and their investment in improving financial literacy.