Are You Smarter than a Scammer? - Spotting and Avoiding Online Scams

Are You Smarter than a Scammer? is coming to the East 38th Street Branch on Wednesday, November 4, from 2 PM to 4 PM. It's a two-hour session run by the library's Tech Learning Team, and it's aimed at seniors and adults. The whole thing sits at the intersection of financial literacy and basic tech skills, so you don't need to be a power user to get something out of it.

Over the course of the afternoon, the team walks through common scam types and the terminology they use, and then they go through actual examples of texts and emails. The goal is to see how these things are put together and learn how to spot the red flags before you click anything. By the end, you'll be in a position to build your own plan for avoiding online scams, rather than just hoping you don't run into one.

The session is made possible by The Indianapolis Public Library Foundation. It's held at the East 38th Street Branch, which is the current version of a library that's served the neighborhood since 1957, when it first opened as the Emerson Branch. A 7,500-square-foot building went up on the same spot in 1962, and the Emerson Branch closed in 2003 when the present 16,000-square-foot library opened. You can find it at 5420 East 38th Street, Indianapolis, IN 46218. The session runs from 2 PM to 4 PM on Wednesday, November 4.