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By NOAH WORTHAM | Staff Writer 

ALABASTER – Cpl. John St. Pierre of the Alabaster Police Department spent time with members of the Alabaster Senior Activity Center to give advice on ways to avoid scams and stay safe while shopping.

Pierre provided a presentation to the members of the senior center on Feb. 6 from 1 to 3 p.m.

“I had a great time working with our seniors,” St. Pierre said. “We discussed safety tips while out shopping, on vacation and how to secure their homes. They asked great questions and provided incredible stories from their experiences. We also talked about common scams that directly impact our seniors financially. They told me they couldn’t wait to implement what they had learned.”

St. Pierre said it’s universally known that scammers intentionally attack seniors through different avenues such as phone calls and social media.

“I taught our seniors about those strategies and provided them with tactics to combat the situation before it’s too late,” Pierre said. “I hope they share the information with their fellow seniors so that no one is an easy target for these scammers.”

St. Pierre also shared an example of one of the largest types of scams that are used.

“One of the biggest scams is that the suspect will call you while falsely representing a law enforcement agency,” St. Pierre said. “He will advise that you have a warrant for your arrest and will tell you that if you pay the warrant amount, it will all go away. He then instructs you to purchase a money order or card and send him the code on the back. Once he receives that code from you, he will disappear, and that money will be permanently gone.”

St. Pierre said that law enforcement agencies will never call anyone demanding payment for any reason and suggested that victims to contact their local law enforcement agency immediately.

“I highly encourage individuals aged 55 and older living in Alabaster or Shelby County to join the Alabaster Senior Center,” St. Pierre said. “The senior center has something fun, educational and exciting to do there every day.”

Events at the senior center can be found on its Facebook page at Facebook.com/AlabasterSeniorCenter.

There is no charge to become a member of the Alabaster Senior Center except for various fees associated with trips, programs and activities. Membership applications can be found online at Cityofalabaster.com/199/senior-adults.