State Rep. Zach Mako, R-183rd, and Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Queenship of Mary Catholic churches’ Young at Heart group agreed protecting senior citizens is a priority for them. Mako spoke to attendees at a Scam Jam event March 27 at Assumption BVM, 2181 Washington Ave., Northampton.

Speakers presented ways seniors can protect themselves from being scammed.

Statistics show an increasing number of elderly people are falling victim to scams. The FBI estimates senior citizens lose more than $3 billion each year to financial scams, including those involving romance, lottery, credit cards and sweepstakes. Scammers mimic bank administrators, tech support, government employees and potential romantic partners. Seniors are targeted often because they may be homeowners with healthy financial savings, decent credit scores and a trusting nature.

Guest speaker state First Assistant District Attorney Robert Eyer, of the Elder Abuse and Exploitation Division, spoke to the crowd, stressing the need to report these crimes.

“Elder abuse/scams are under reported and less likely to be talked about,” Eyer said. “Reasons for the reluctance to report these crimes may be due to a lack of understanding of the reporting process. Shame and fear of losing financial independence may also be at play.”

Northampton Borough Police Department Officer Emanuel Torres and Detective Matthew Bennecoff warned seniors of scams they have seen in this community.

Katrina Boyer, from the state Department of Banking and Securities, explained how to freeze your credit.

After the presentation, an entertaining game of bingo — but with spelling out “fraud” instead of “bingo” as a fun twist — was led by Kate Kleinert, AARP representative and speaker.