By LOIS KINDLE
The Florida Securities Dealers and Advisors Association (FDSA) will present a free panel discussion on “Combating Fraud Targeting Our Veterans and Their Families: How to Protect Yourself” from 10 a.m. to noon, Nov. 8.
The event will take place at the Kings Point Veterans Theater, 1900 Clubhouse Drive, Sun City Center, and it’s open to the public. It will include refreshments, raffle prizes and an ending Q & A session.
The panel will include the following experts:
• Ret. Air Force Col. Bob Busch, certified AARP tax aide and leader of the AARP Florida’s Speakers Bureau.
• Anthony Cavallaro, chief compliance officer, Brokerage, Robinhood Financial LLC.
• Steven M. Greenbaum, Esq., senior vice president and general counsel, Trade Station Securities, Inc.
• Master Deputy Jeffery E. Merry, Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office.
• Christine N. Keiffer, senior director, investor education, FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority).
• Eric R. Olsen, MPA, manager of Consumer Protection Services, Hillsborough County, Consumer and Veteran Services Dept.
Cavallaro is the emcee.
In 2022, the Federal Trade Commission estimated Veterans lost $292 million in losses to fraud, and that number doesn’t detect those that went undetected.
Common forms of fraud perpetrated on Veterans include identity theft, online phishing scams, romance scams and investment deceit. Veterans who receive compensation benefits are especially sought-after targets.
“The panel will discuss many of the ways Veterans and their families are targeted, how to recognize different types of fraud and what to do if you become a victim,” Merry said. “We encourage everyone to attend.”
For more information about FDSA, visit https://www.floridasecurities.com/.
Operation BBQ Relief
Thirty-thousand hurricane relief meals were recently served in the Sun City Center area at the King Point Clubhouse, SCC Community Association North Campus, and in front of Walmart in Wimauma over eight days starting Oct. 13.
LOIS KINDLE PHOTO
HCSO Master Deputy Jeff Merry and five other experts on fraud against veterans and their families will be part of a special panel presentation from 10 a.m. to noon, Nov. 8, at the Kings Point North Clubhouse in Sun City Center. The event is free and open to the public.
“Florida State Congressman Danny Alvarez and former Hillsborough County commissioner and current Florida House candidate Mike Owen called Florida Senator Jay Collins, and they got in touch with me and Christine Miller, Hillsborough County commissioner Dist. 4, to handle the logistics,” Merry said.
“They and about 45 volunteers per day handed out the meals to people without power and had lost their food,” he added. “And at the time, the stores were low on inventory. We were out there every day of the week. We couldn’t have done it without those volunteers.”
For more information on Operation BBQ Relief, visit https://operationbbqrelief.org/.
