Investor Education and Consumer Outreach staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) will host a series of free educational events across Pennsylvania in August to help seniors and members of the public protect themselves from financial fraud, identity theft, and scams. All events are open to the public unless otherwise noted.
DoBS also encourages Pennsylvanians to visit My Money, a new and very popular online resource designed to help consumers learn about, manage, and protect their finances. Available at pa.gov/MyMoney, the website brings together trusted financial education materials, fraud prevention resources, and consumer assistance information in a single, easy-to-use location.
2026 National Night Out: A family friendly event that features refreshments, interactive activities, free health screenings, and contacts with many vendors who offer resources, and many other fun/family friendly activities will be onsite. DoBS will provide free, non-commercial, consumer protection and investor education materials and publications.
- Hosted by the Abington Township Police Department at the Abington Town Center Parking Lot, 1495 Old York Road, Abington (Montgomery County) on Aug. 3 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. For additional information contact Kait Metzinger at 267-536-1082 or kmetzinger@abingtonpa.gov.
- Hosted by the Swatara Township Police Department at Vanatta Park, 4901-4999 S. 50th St., Harrisburg (Dauphin County) on Aug. 4 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. For additional information contact Officer Ben Stewart or Corporal Brandon Pokrop at 717-564-2550 or bstewart@swatarapolice.org or BPokrop@swatarapolice.org.
- Hosted by the Buckingham Township Police Department at Peddler’s Village (parking lots and fields near Giggleberry Fair), 100 Peddlers Village, Lahaska (Bucks County) on Aug. 5 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. For additional information contact Wendy Middleman at 215-794-8812 ext. 231 or wmiddleman@buckinghampa.org.
Fraud BINGO: A fun and interactive presentation that teaches consumers how to protect themselves from investment fraud by playing a familiar game – BINGO!
- Hosted by Potter County Human Services at the Galeton Senior Center, 71 Germania St., Galeton (Potter County) on Aug. 6 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Sue Mainus at 814-433-2390 or galetonsr@pottercountypa.gov.
- Hosted by Potter County Human Services at the Coudersport Senior Center, 200 W. Chestnut St., Coudersport (Potter County) on Aug. 6 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Kelly Werner at 814-274-7887 or Coudersportsr@pottercountypa.gov.
- Hosted by the MJRSC – The Care Network-Area Agency on Aging at the McAlisterville Community Senior Center, 158 Lions Den Drive, McAlisterville (Juniata County) on Aug. 12 from 9:45 AM to 10:30 AM. For additional information contact Carrie Noss at 800-348-2277 or info@mymjrsc.com.
Cybersecurity – Tips for Online Shopping: Online shopping has become very popular. Criminals know this and are primed and ready to take advantage of our generosity. They’ve honed and perfected their skills with ways to gather your personal information, steal your identity and your hard-earned money. This presentation will provide tips for protecting your personal information while shopping safely online!
- Hosted by United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania at the Scranton Senior Community Center; Oppenheim Center for the Arts, 1004 Jackson St., Scranton (Lackawanna County) on Aug. 19 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Amy Kazmierski at 570-961-1592 ext. 102 or akazmierski@uncnepa.org.
Avoiding Identity Theft: This presentation takes a look at ways people’s identities are stolen or compromised, what you can do if you find you have had your identity stolen, and how to stop theft from occurring.
- Coopersburg Senior Center, 538 Thomas St., Coopersburg (Lehigh County) on Aug. 20 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. For additional information contact Anne Milne at 610-782-3253 or AnneMilne@lehighcounty.org.
Top Scams and How to Avoid Them: Every day, people are scammed out of thousands of dollars by so-called “professionals” looking to separate them from their hard-earned money. This presentation introduces us to commonly used tactics, what to look for and how to avoid them.
- Hosted by Blair Senior Services, Inc. at the Central Blair Senior Center, 1320 12th Ave., Altoona (Blair County) on Aug. 25 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Michele Plummer at 814-946-1235 or mplummer@blairsenior.org.
- Hosted by Blair Senior Services, Inc. at the Southern Blair Senior Center, 15229 Dunnings Highway, East Freedom (Blair County) on Aug. 26 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Karen Kelley at 814-317-5181 or kkelley@blairsenior.org.
- Phoenixville Public Library (Chester County) on Aug. 27 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. This program is VIRTUAL and open to the public. For additional information contact Mark Pinto at 610-933-3013 ext. 132 or mpinto@ccls.org.
