WHO: Over 200 San Francisco seniors are registered to attend the "BeWise: Avoid Scams, Fraud and Identity Theft" seminar on Wednesday, October1, 2008. Kamala Harris, San Francisco District Attorney, will be thekeynote speaker. Special guest presenters include Bruce Saugez, CaliforniaDepartment of Consumer Affairs; Karen Nicely, Contractors State LicenseBoard; Laurel Pollack, SFDA's Consumer Protection Network; Alan Kennedy,Assistant District Attorney, and Victoria Joseph from Citi.

WHAT: The seminar will provide seniors with the latest info on how toprotect themselves from becoming victims of financial abuse andexploitation. It is estimated that nearly 5 million elders are victims offinancial abuse nationally each year with more than 200,000 cases inCalifornia. Elder financial abuse is being called "The Crime of the 21stCentury," and tragically, it is on the rise.

WHERE/WHEN: The seminar will take place on Wednesday, October 1, 2008,11:00 am - 2:30 pm at The West Bay Conference Center, 1290 Fillmore Street,San Francisco, CA. (Parking is available behind the building.)

INTERVIEW OPPORTUNIIES: Kamala Harris, San Francisco District Attorney(Keynote Address from 11:30-11:50 a.m.); Jenefer Duane, Founder & CEO,Elder Financial Protection Network (EFPN); Bruce Saugez, Department ofConsumer Affairs; Karen Nicely, Contractors State License Board; AlanKennedy, Helen Karr and Laurel Pollack, San Francisco District Attorney'sOffice; Victoria Joseph, Citi, and senior attendees.

SPONSORED BY: Citi. Co-sponsors include EFPN; The San Francisco DistrictAttorney's Office; The Department of Consumer Affairs; The Department ofCorporations; Contractors State License Board, and the West Bay ConferenceCenter

About EFPN

Founded in 2000, the Elder Financial Protection Network (EFPN) addressesthe growing problem of financial abuse of elders and dependent adults.EFPN's mission is to prevent financial abuse of elders through innovativepartnerships that build public awareness, drive community outreach, andprovide professional training.

EFPN works in partnership with over 200 financial institutions and hasstrong ties with adult social services, law enforcement, regulatoryagencies, other financial organizations, foundations, and community groups.In 8 years, EFPN has developed prevention programs to protect seniors, hastrained thousands of California seniors and worked with financialinstitutions and other community partners to train staff and seniors tospot and report suspected abuse.

Media ContactJenefer DuaneFounder & CEOElder Financial Protection Network415.956.5556Cell: 415.297.5814www.bewiseonline.org