Shapiro Administration Continues to Educate | Department of Banking and Securities | Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Harrisburg, PA - Investor Education and Consumer Outreach staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) will host a series of free educational events across Pennsylvania in August to help seniors and members of the public protect themselves from financial fraud, identity theft, and scams. All events are open to the public unless otherwise noted.

DoBS also encourages Pennsylvanians to visit My Money, a new and very popular online resource designed to help consumers learn about, manage, and protect their finances. Available at pa.gov/MyMoney, the website brings together trusted financial education materials, fraud prevention resources, and consumer assistance information in a single, easy-to-use location.

The Department's Consumer Help Center also provides free help to anyone with a concern or complaint about Pennsylvania financial entities, services, or products. Consumers can contact the DoBS Consumer Help Center at 1-800-PA-BANKS (1-800-722-2657) or [email protected] for assistance.

To request a customized presentation, contact the team at 717-214-5565 or via email at [email protected]. Visit the department's calendar of events to find an event near you. Pennsylvanians can also subscribe to the Department newsletter, or follow DoBS on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn.

In 2025, DoBS managed more than 11,000 consumer inquiries and conducted over 300 outreach events reaching nearly 53,000 Pennsylvanians with financial education and investor protection information. Since being launched in June 2026, the My Money website has been visited by more than 32,000 consumers.

Collectively, DoBS' consumer financial protection events, My Money website, and Consumer Help Center are integral to Governor Shapiro's broader consumer protection initiative which includes the statewide consumer protection hotline 1-866-PACOMPLAINT (1-866-722-6675), pa.gov/consumer website, [email protected] email address, new cryptocurrency safeguards, AI fraud protections, and regulatory actions that have returned millions to consumers.

Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has taken action to strengthen consumer protections and help Pennsylvanians safeguard their finances by:

• Requiring virtual currency transmitters to be licensed under Pennsylvania's Money Transmitter Act, closing a regulatory gap that previously left consumers unprotected.
• Establishing new criminal penalties for the use of artificial intelligence to create non-consensual forged digital likenesses, such as deepfakes and voice clones, used to commit fraud.
• Launching an AI Literacy Toolkit to help Pennsylvanians safely and responsibly use artificial intelligence tools.
• Creating an AI Enforcement Task Force for formal complaints with a reporting process for AI-powered bots that may be engaging in unlicensed professional practice.
• Returning more than $54 million to consumers through regulatory actions by DoBS and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

With new laws, coordinated agency efforts, and strong consumer protection laws already in place, the Shapiro Administration continues to get stuff donethrough its diligent work to raise awareness and protect residents across the Commonwealth.

EVENTS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC

2026 National Night Out: A family friendly event that features refreshments, interactive activities, free health screenings, and contacts with many vendors who offer resources, and many other fun/family friendly activities will be onsite. DoBS will provide free, non-commercial, consumer protection and investor education materials and publications.

• Hosted by the Abington Township Police Department at the Abington Town Center Parking Lot, 1495 Old York Road, Abington (Montgomery County) on Aug. 3 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. For additional information contact Kait Metzinger at 267-536-1082 or [email protected].
• Hosted by the Swatara Township Police Department at Vanatta Park, 4901-4999 S. 50th St., Harrisburg (Dauphin County) on Aug. 4 from 6:00 PM to 8:30 PM. For additional information contact Officer Ben Stewart or Corporal Brandon Pokrop at 717-564-2550 or [email protected] or [email protected].
• Hosted by the Buckingham Township Police Department at Peddler's Village (parking lots and fields near Giggleberry Fair), 100 Peddlers Village, Lahaska (Bucks County) on Aug. 5 from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. For additional information contact Wendy Middleman at 215-794-8812 ext. 231 or [email protected].

EVENTS FOR OLDER ADULTS

Fraud BINGO: A fun and interactive presentation that teaches consumers how to protect themselves from investment fraud by playing a familiar game - BINGO!

• Hosted by Potter County Human Services at the Galeton Senior Center, 71 Germania St., Galeton (Potter County) on Aug. 6 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Sue Mainus at 814-433-2390 or [email protected].
• Hosted by Potter County Human Services at the Coudersport Senior Center, 200 W. Chestnut St., Coudersport (Potter County) on Aug. 6 from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Kelly Werner at 814-274-7887 or [email protected].
• Hosted by the MJRSC - The Care Network-Area Agency on Aging at the McAlisterville Community Senior Center, 158 Lions Den Drive, McAlisterville (Juniata County) on Aug. 12 from 9:45 AM to 10:30 AM. For additional information contact Carrie Noss at 800-348-2277 or [email protected].

Cybersecurity - Tips for Online Shopping: Online shopping has become very popular. Criminals know this and are primed and ready to take advantage of our generosity. They've honed and perfected their skills with ways to gather your personal information, steal your identity and your hard-earned money. This presentation will provide tips for protecting your personal information while shopping safely online!

• Hosted by United Neighborhood Centers of Northeastern Pennsylvania at the Scranton Senior Community Center; Oppenheim Center for the Arts, 1004 Jackson St., Scranton (Lackawanna County) on Aug. 19 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Amy Kazmierski at 570-961-1592 ext. 102 or [email protected].

Avoiding Identity Theft: This presentation takes a look at ways people's identities are stolen or compromised, what you can do if you find you have had your identity stolen, and how to stop theft from occurring.

• Coopersburg Senior Center, 538 Thomas St., Coopersburg (Lehigh County) on Aug. 20 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. For additional information contact Anne Milne at 610-782-3253 or [email protected].

Top Scams and How to Avoid Them: Every day, people are scammed out of thousands of dollars by so-called "professionals" looking to separate them from their hard-earned money. This presentation introduces us to commonly used tactics, what to look for and how to avoid them.

• Hosted by Blair Senior Services, Inc. at the Central Blair Senior Center, 1320 12th Ave., Altoona (Blair County) on Aug. 25 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Michele Plummer at 814-946-1235 or [email protected].
• Hosted by Blair Senior Services, Inc. at the Southern Blair Senior Center, 15229 Dunnings Highway, East Freedom (Blair County) on Aug. 26 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Karen Kelley at 814-317-5181 or [email protected].
• Phoenixville Public Library (Chester County) on Aug. 27 from 6:30 PM to 7:30 PM. This program is VIRTUAL and open to the public. For additional information contact Mark Pinto at 610-933-3013 ext. 132 or [email protected].
  

LEGISLATIVE EVENTS

• Sen. Nikil Saval's $camJam: Philadelphia Senior Center on the Avenue of the Arts Branch, 509 S. Broad St., Philadelphia (Philadelphia County) on Aug. 3 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. For additional information contact Julie Nelson at 215-546-5879 or [email protected].
• Rep. Clint Owlett's Senior Expo: Wellsboro Area High School, 225 Nichols St., Wellsboro (Tioga County) on Aug. 7 from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Kimberly Johns at 570-724-1390 or [email protected].
• Rep. Jamie Walsh's Senior Expo: Insalaco Hall Misericordia University, 301 Lake St., Dallas (Luzerne County) on Aug. 11 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For additional information contact Cherie Davis at 570-359-2138 or [email protected].
• Rep. Robert Leadbeter's Drive Through Senior Citizens' Expo: Rohrbach's Farm Market, 240 Southern Drive, Catawissa (Columbia County) on Aug. 12 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact his office at 570-387-0246 or [email protected].
• Sen. Scott Martin and Rep. Steven Mentzer's $camJam: Willow Valley Retirement Community - Cultural Center Ballroom A, 900 Willow Valley Lakes Drive, Willow Street (Lancaster County) on Aug. 14 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Angie Eichelberger at 717-397-1309 or [email protected].
• Rep. Jill Cooper's $camJam: New Kensington Senior Center, 1039 Third Ave., New Kensington (Westmoreland County) on Aug. 18 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Robin Savage at 724-387-9113 or [email protected].
• Rep. Josh Kail's $camJam: Burgettstown Community Library, 2 Kerr St., Burgettstown (Washington County) on Aug. 19 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Monica Babir at 724-728-7655 or [email protected].
• Rep. Charity Grimm-Krupa's $camJam: Fairchance Volunteer Fire Department, 31 Pittsburgh St., Fairchance (Fayette County) on Aug. 20 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Rebecca Willard-Jones at 724-438-6100 or [email protected].
• Rep. Brett Miller's Fraud BINGO: Pheasant Ridge Community Building, 209 Longwood Court West, Lancaster (Lancaster County) on Aug. 22 from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. For additional information contact Aaron Talamantaz at 717-295-5050 or [email protected].
• Sen. Scott Martin's Senior Expo: Farm and Home Center of Lancaster County, 1383 Arcadia Road, Lancaster (Lancaster County) on Aug. 27 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For additional information contact Lydia Messner at 717-397-1309 or [email protected].
• Rep. Jim Prokopiak's Senior Expo: Westaby Hall (F.H. Fire Company), 425 Hood Blvd., Fairless Hills (Bucks County) on Aug. 31 from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. For additional information contact Melanie Bidlingmaier at 215-943-7206 or [email protected].
• Rep. Leanne Krueger's Retirement Planning Seminar "How Much do I NEED to Retire and How do I Make it Last": Brookhaven Municipal Center, 2 Cambridge Road, Brookhaven (Delaware County) on Aug. 31 from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM. For additional information contact Florence Moyer at 610-534-6880 or [email protected].