Bank of Canton Holds Senior Identity Safety Workshop

November 2006- Bank of Canton hosted a Senior Identity Safety Workshop on October 31st at its Brookline branch, located at 166 Harvard Street. Bank of Canton hosted the program for seniors from Jewish Family & Children's Service's (JF&CS) "Aging Well at Home" program, which provides assistance programs that help elderly residents remain independent. Elaine Joseph, Assistant Vice President and Brookline Branch Manager for Bank of Canton, was the featured speaker for the event. Her discussion included protection tips for identity theft, credit card fraud and Internet safety. Joseph's recommendations included: shredding trash; checking financial records regularly; keeping pocketbooks on your person when in public places; not opening emails with attachments from people you don't know; and choosing a pin number that's impossible to guess. She also reviewed what should be done if you become a victim, including immediately calling the police, calling all credit bureaus, your personal credit card companies and banks.

"It's important for seniors to know how to protect themselves," Joseph said. "I also explained the commitment Bank of Canton has to preventing identity theft. We study common scams, conduct on-going training, and build personal relationships with our customers in order to provide the greatest security we can."

Shown here are (l-r): Elaine Joseph, Assistant Vice President and Brookline Branch Manager, Bank of Canton; Donna Tarutz, LCSW, Program Manager, Brookline NORC, Aging Well at Home, Jewish Family & Children's Service; Kim Gordon, Resident Service Coordinator, The Village at Brookline, Winn Residential; and Rimma Zelfand, Director of Senior Services, Jewish Family & Children's Service.