CHICAGO – State Rep. Justin Slaughter, D-Chicago, recently partnered with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office to host a free and informative consumer fraud prevention seminar to help protect local residents from falling prey to scams.

“It is absolutely critical that we do our part to make sure that our community is informed about these criminal enterprises that thrive off of scamming the innocent,” said Slaughter. “By informing residents of common scams, we can help prevent fraud and identity theft.”

Slaughter’s consumer fraud prevention seminar was held on Wednesday, Jan. 15 at the Alsip -Merrionette Park Public Library. A representative from the Illinois Attorney General’s Office presented attendees with information on the most common types of consumer fraud scams such as impersonating social services representatives and telemarketing and home repair scams. Residents were advised that the most effective way to protect themselves is to just hang up the phone when what they hear sounds too good to be true. Residents are encouraged to report any instances of fraud or attempted scams to the Attorney General’s Consumer Fraud Hotline at 1-800-386-5438.

“Bringing informative programs like this to our district is critical to empowering to our local residents,” said Slaughter. “I look forward to continuing to connect our local community members to the different services the state has available to serve their needs.”