Consumer Protection Presentation by Jim Maisano

Jim Maisano Larchmont Rotary Scams Westchester Consumer Protection Dept
Larchmont Rotary’s February 6’s meeting, held at the Larchmont Yacht Club, featured a new member induction and guest speaker Jim Maisano, director of the Westchester County Consumer Protection Department.
 
After Club President Lester Nathan opened the meeting with the pledge and 4-way test, Membership Chairman Michael Gedigk conducted the initiation of Benjamin P Williams into Rotary.  Lester Nathan then welcomed Ben into Larchmont Rotary and presented him with a membership certificate.
 
 
 
Following Lester’s introduction, it was Jim Maisano’s turn to discuss the roles played by the Consumer Protection Department and the latest scams in the marketplace.
 
The department consists of three major wings:
  • Weights and Measures: including gas pumps, oil pumps and trucks, grocery store scales et al
  • Warranties
  • Licensing of Contractors: Backgrounds and insurance policies are checked. Home contractor disputes are the largest function. They bring in around $700,000 annually for the county.
The department investigates approximately 500 complaints each year. Making the public aware of how to hire honest contractors is a service they provide.
 
 
 
Dealing with scams
Jim said that scammers seek to play on their victims’ fears and anxieties. Today, they are mainly run by organized crime groups who can be quite sophisticated.  Targets are usually younger (15-25 years) and seniors. Different types of communication are used: robocalls, texts, emails, registered mail and door-to-door.  He mentioned paving and roofing contractors are common complaints.
 
Key Don’ts
  1. Don’t answer unknown phone calls; let it go to voicemail
  2. Never give your Social Security number over the phone
  3. Fraudsters try to make it urgent; call the company back (i.e. the credit card company, bank, etc.)
  4. Never press 9 to take your name off the do-not-call list; they’ll just transfer you to someone else
  5. Don’t open links in a text or email; this may implant a virus into your pc or phone
  6. Don’t use public WiFi for logging into your accounts; there may be scammers collecting your information
Key Do’s
  1. Ask if the contractor is licensed
  2. Verify that the cable or utility person coming into your home is authorized; ask them to wait while you call the office
  3. Check who is sending the email; if it claims to be official but the email address looks off, it’s probably fraud
  4. Check your credit card and bank statements to make sure those transactions are authorized
  5. Use two factor authentication for sign-ins
  6. Freeze or setup fraud alerts with the 3 major credit bureaus: Equifax, Transunion, Experian
  7. Cell phones have apps which can either warn of or block scammers
Jim passed out a sheet containing his department’s contact information --
 
Phone: (914) 995-2155
Mail: Westchester County Department of Consumer Protection
           148 Martine Avenue, Room 407
           White Plains, NY 10601
Webpage: https://consumer.westchestergov.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WestchesterConsumerProtection
 
 
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