As law enforcement officers, our agencies are committed to fighting crime. Some of the most abhorrent crimes being committed against our residents are being carried out by people who don’t live in our communities. Often they live out-of-state or overseas, and they will stop at nothing to steal money from their victims. Contact is made by phone, through the mail and, increasingly, via email. They lie, harass and threaten — doing everything they can to gain trust, only to defraud their victims.

Fortunately, we have an advocate at the federal level helping us crack down on these scammers. As the leader of the Senate Aging Committee, Sen. Susan Collins is working to combat that type of fraud and stem the tide of the increasing number of robocalls. Each year, her committee publishes a list of the top 10 scams being reported to the fraud hotline. Her office provides copies of this publication to our departments, because we believe education is the first line of defense.

The Oxford and Franklin County Sheriff’s Offices are proud to be working closely with Sen. Collins to ensure that residents of our communities, especially seniors, have the information needed to avoid becoming a victim.

Christopher Wainwright, Oxford County Sheriff

Scott Nichols, Franklin County Sheriff

To receive a copy of this book, call the Senate Aging Committee at 1-855-303-9470.