Consumers are urged to attend a workshop Thursday to educatethem about ways to steer clear of common problems such as scams andtelemarketers.

“The importance of it is to inform the consumer of the differenttypes of frauds and scams,” said Fronie Qualls, districtcoordinator of the American Association of Retired People (AARP),which is co-hosting Consumer University with the Mississippi StateUniversity Cooperative Extension Service.

Consumer University will be held from 9 a.m. until noon Thursdayat the Lincoln County Multi-Use Facility on Belt Line Road.

Speakers from the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department, theAttorney General’s Office and Medicaid/Medicare will offer types onhow consumers can spot scams. Paula McBay, the state AARPpresident, will also be on hand to discuss ways of preventing scamsand fraud.

The tips will cover many areas, including telemarketing scamsand medical scams, said Stanford Qualls, AARP congressionaldistrict team member.

“One way people get defrauded is when they give out theirMedicare number and other people use it to buy things and chargethem for services that haven’t been rendered,” he said.

Consumers will also be educated about some recent changes inMedicaid coverage.

“Last July, the legislature passed new regulations on Medicaidand a lot of people aren’t aware of those changes,” said Mr.Qualls.

A common telemarketing scam that will be addressed is whenconsumers are told they won something, but must send in moneybefore claiming their prize, he added.

Home repair fraud is also an area of importance, especially inLincoln County, where a home improvement scam was reported lastyear.

“Someone may come up to your house and say they need to repairthe roof or something,” said Mr. Qualls, adding that money is oftenrequested up front.

The generosity of Americans, often causing them to be vulnerableto scams, will also be a topic during Consumer University.

“Americans are some of the most notorious people to give tocharities and there are a lot of bogus companies and organizationsout there,” Mr. Qualls pointed out.

AARP officials are hoping for a large crowd of consumers whowant to avoid scams and fraud.

“We are expecting a real good turnout,” said Mrs. Qualls. “We’replanning for 200 (people) and we’ve already gotten 100 RSVP cardssent back.”

The event, which includes lunch and door prizes, will be open tothe public. Anyone wishing to attend should call 835-1979 or835-3460.