KENOSHA, Wis. – What began as a single fraud awareness talk at a local bank has grown into a community-wide initiative by the Kenosha Police Department to educate residents—particularly seniors—about the latest scams and how to avoid becoming a victim.

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Detective Chad Buchanan, along with Crime Prevention Officer John Wenberg, has led the effort, delivering nearly 50 presentations over the past year to senior groups, veterans clubs, and civic organizations. Buchanan said the response has been overwhelmingly positive, with some attendees later crediting the presentation for helping them avoid falling for scams.

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“I’ve received a few calls from people who told me they had received calls from scam artists trying to defraud them and were certain they would have fallen for them had they not seen one of our presentations,” Buchanan told KCE.

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The hour-long sessions—sometimes lasting up to 90 minutes—include a PowerPoint overview of common scams targeting Kenosha residents, followed by a question-and-answer period. Topics typically include phone and email fraud, identity theft, fake government agency calls, and financial scams targeting the elderly.

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While many of the presentations have been hosted privately for senior centers and community groups, Buchanan and Wenberg are hoping to expand their outreach by promoting upcoming public events.

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The next open presentations will be held at the Moose Club, 3003 30th Ave., on Wednesday, June 25, at 3 p.m. and again at 6:30 p.m. Another presentation is scheduled for Monday, June 23, at 6 p.m. at Ruffalo’s II.

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Residents interested in scheduling a fraud prevention presentation for their group or organization can contact Detective Buchanan at the Kenosha Police Department.

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“We’d like to keep this going,” Buchanan said. “The more people who know what to watch out for, the fewer victims we’ll see.”

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