June Delegate Newsletter — Working Partnership Updates
Working Partnerships works with union members going through layoffs, plant closings, reduction of hours and individual family, medical and financial emergencies. One of the most important tips we share when counseling or presenting information to these groups is to be very careful to identify and avoid potential scams designed to take advantage of you and steal your money.
Why do we talk about scams when people are getting laid off or struggling with any number of issues? Because fraudsters and scammers know that when people are struggling or at low points in their lives, they are more susceptible to schemes disguised as help. There are scams that claim to repair bad credit, to stop a foreclosure or provide quick income or money — all of which may sound too good to be true but are marketed and targeted to make vulnerable people respond and get entangled.
There are resources available to help people determine if a service or offer they encounter might be a scam, or if they are currently a victim of an active fraud. The Minnesota Attorney General's office has a good resource titled "How To Spot A Scam". In this document, one of the best pieces of advice that we always tell workers: You should never have to provide upfront money or personal financial information in order to get help.
Another piece of advice in this area is to seek out trusted nonprofit organizations with experience and expertise in hardship assistance. Lutheran Social Services is one of these groups and they also have a page about avoiding financial scams. This includes debt collection schemes and health-related frauds. The State of Minnesota also has a good fraud avoidance web page.
Finally, a resource union members often use is Family Means, a nonprofit and frequent partner with us at our layoff meetings, union job fairs and events. They are also a reliable advisor when we have questions on behalf of individuals we assist. This can be a proactive resource. They help workers set up budget and credit counseling plans that will work to solve some of the problems that can surface during a layoff or even as a part of everyday life when something happens to upend financial stability and security.