Updated 04/27/2010 11:08 AM
Free Video Game Teaches Seniors To Avoid Money Fraud
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A new free interactive video game provided by the city can help teach senior New Yorkers how to protect their identities and their finances. NY1's Money Matters reporter Tara Lynn Wagner filed the following report. Identity theft is hardly a game, but city officials have developed a teaching method that can be fun and effective. Teaming up with the Aging In New York Fund, the Department for the Aging has developed a new interactive financial literacy game called "It's My Money," which aims to help seniors avoid falling victim to scams.
"Seniors are targeted more often and they are also more trusting, so we are trying to educate seniors about how to ask questions and protect themselves, to safeguard themselves and their assets," says Ali Hodin-Baier of the Aging In New York Fund.
"It's My Money" is available in four languages and can be played in several ways. The one- or two-player version can be played at home or in a waiting room, and the team version, which is reminiscent of "Family Feud," allows seniors to stretch both their acting chops and their understanding of a potentially confusing topic.
Anyone can download the game to their personal computer, but the Department for the Aging can also distribute it to city senior centers, so that the elder population can absorb its valuable lessons in a safe, fun environment.
"People feel very comfortable at these sites. They feel it's an extended family," says Paul Curiale of Millennium Development. "They might not feel as comfortable, believe it or not, talking to their kids, talking to their neighbors, but when they talk to their peers in this setting, I absolutely believe that they will feel comfortable and maybe it will penetrate a little bit more."
When NY1 observed a group of seniors playing the game in a center in Midwood, Brooklyn, the players seemed to be learning their lessons.
"I learned to keep all your documents secure," said one player. "I learned to shred them if you are going to get rid of them and I learned not to give out information over the phone. Those are just a few of the things I have learned."
"I enjoyed it, I enjoyed every minute of it," said another. "Very interesting, even though my partner is giving the wrong number."
"It's My Money" can be downloaded for free at the Department for the Aging's website, at www.nyc.gov/aging.