Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis speaks at an elder abuse prevention event in Atlanta, warning seniors about scams tied to the FIFA World Cup. Credit: CBS News Atlanta.

Fulton officials warn seniors about scams during World Cup in Atlanta

Fulton County leaders are trying to raise awareness about a wave of scams targeting seniors as the FIFA World Cup is underway in Atlanta.

Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis held an event Thursday to bring together law enforcement partners to help seniors and their families recognize and avoid fraud.

“Our seniors are the best of us,” Willis said at the event. “They are the people that are going to try to help us, and sometimes, because they don’t like conflict and they have that foundation, it makes them a good target.”

As other crimes have declined, scams targeting seniors have remained consistent with the most common scheme being phone calls threatening arrest unless payment is made immediately. Another scam includes calls claiming that money was wrongly deposited into a senior’s bank account.

Willis encouraged seniors to use the acronym SAFE to avoid falling victim to scams. Stop, Assess the situation, reach out to a Family member or Friend, and Exit the situation.

“There aren’t any emergencies where you have to react right then and there,” Willis said. “If you take that moment, you usually can think through the situation and realize something about this is not right.”