Seniors vs. Crime is a special project that uses the force of the state Attorney General's Office and volunteers to help educate and protect seniors from harmful activity. On the first Tuesday of the month, we will highlight real cases that could help you and your family avoid scams.

There's a growing dark side to the Internet. Information we can glean from it can be helpful and accurate, but not always.

Most of the reasons for which we use the Internet are legitimate, and more often than not, victimless. Unfortunately, there is a subset of people out there, throughout the world, who routinely use the Internet for theft, scams and illegal activities. This means that all of us have to be vigilant, careful and as secure as we can be, recognizing that bad guys are persistent and clever. They continuously mine Internet data and use it to scam the rest of us.

Cyber-criminals consider elders to be easy targets. For the most part, seniors have passwords and PIN codes that are easy to predict and steal. More concerning is that seniors are usually very trusting and many times will not even think about security online.

A great example of this type of thinking is the treasure trove of information available on social media. Bad guys mine data from social media as if they were panning for gold. They usually can come up with real nuggets of valuable information without too much work. It's not uncommon for cyber-thieves to obtain names, addresses, ages, vacation plans and even nicknames from quick reviews of self-published but definitely private information that has not been restricted from public access.

A review of church and synagogue memberships or volunteer organizations and civic boards of directors will also reveal personal and private information that can be used to target individuals.

Aside from the obvious problem of broadcasting your next two-week vacation and letting the entire world know your house will be empty, there are scams that only take a bogus, urgent email to reap an instant reward of an untraceable money transfer.

Here's an example of this common cyber-scam:

Your fellow church board member, "Chip," sends you an urgent email, supposedly from a hotel lobby in London where he is on vacation with his wife. You attend church with them, and they are neighbors. You know they are on vacation. "Chip" tells you his wallet and luggage are missing or stolen, they have no money or credit cards and need you to quickly send $1,000 by wire or Western Union, as they are desperate. They are embarrassed about asking for the money and are only providing this wire transfer information because they can't contact anyone else. Most people won't fall for it, but some do. There's a percentage, particularly among seniors, who take the bait every time. Remember, they know "Chip" and his wife, they know they are on vacation, so the situation rings true.

It isn't. Goodbye, $1,000.

It's a scam, and now you are on a permanent sucker list. Before you bite on that hook, make a phone call or two to see if your friends are really in London and verify the details. You'll most likely find it all to be bogus. All the information used was mined online and composed as attractive, urgent Internet "bait," just for you.

The take-aways are simple and straightforward:

� Be wary of unexpected and urgent emails, asking for money or your personal financial data, even if nicknames are used.

� Be skeptical and don't open emails from individuals you do not know.

� Even if the individual sending you the email identifies himself/herself as a friend, neighbor or the person who stands next to you in the church choir, investigate and validate before you take any action.

� Never, ever wire money or electronically transfer funds unless you know for certain who the recipient is and have verified an emergency actually exists. It is much better to take the time and energy to root out the likelihood of a scam than to throw away your money or provide your financial data to a crook.

The bottom line: Don't fall for urgent, emergency, scary or threatening email schemes. They are designed to elicit fear and concern, sometimes about people you actually know. Your response needs to be avoidance; don't open the email and never click on "Enter."

If you are scammed, or you have had a close call, contact Seniors vs. Crime at our email address or by telephone, noted below. We want to hear about these schemes to defraud and help you avoid them. That's what we do - at no charge to you.

The key to being safe is being educated and aware. Seniors vs. Crime helps seniors with civil complaints. There is no charge for the services. If you have questions, need assistance or feel you have been scammed or taken advantage of, please call (904) 721-6516 or email duval@svcproject.org. Seniors vs. Crime also welcomes seniors who wish to help other seniors. If you have skill in public speaking, computer data entry, telephone skills or would just enjoy learning to help other seniors, please call and join the volunteer sleuths.