Acadiana communities targeted by fraud and scams

LAFAYETTE, La (KLFY)-- Every spring, the Better Business Bureau along with local law enforcement and government officials host a forum to educate Acadiana residents on common scams and fraud. For the past three years the BBB along with the Lafayette Parish Sheriff's Office, the FBI, and the Louisiana Attorney General's Office unite to host a free fraud protection forum for the Acadiana community.

"Our annual spring fraud protection forum and what we've done has gathered some agencies and organizations that help us here in the Acadiana area provide consumer business education and resources."

Chris Babin with the Better Business Bureau Serving Acadiana says the fraud protection forum is a way to keep the community up to date on recent scams, and fraud attempts. He says the different agencies present the types of fraud and scams they encounter and give tips on how to avoid them.

"We've gathered those those individuals to present what they provide and what they're seeing for trends here in our local marketplace."

Some topics discussed were identity theft, cyber security, hacking, and even international fraud and scams.
Babin says with the increase in scams and fraud, the goal is to keep the community safe and informed. He says the increase in community participation is doing just that.

"Community participation has continued to increase. We have great outreach here in Acadiana, so we look to continue that. We have great resources. And really what we want to do is make sure to get that in the hands of our consumers and businesses so that they're protected."

Information on how you can stay safe can be found here.