All kinds of criminal frauds are on the increase, both locally and across America. To help combat the victimization of individuals and businesses, the Fayetteville Police Department will be holding a fraud prevention seminar on Oct. 26.

Detective Mike Whitlow in addressing the upcoming seminar said that representatives from his department, along with representatives from the U.S. Secret Service will be on hand.

Whitlow said the purpose of the seminar is to provide information on current fraud schemes, ways to protect personal information and what to do if you become a victim.

The various types of fraud, including credit card, telemarketing, mail, online and face-to-face fraud are on the increase. So an objective of the seminar is to bring individuals and businesses a greater awareness of the dangers that fraudulent activities pose, Whitlow said.

“The best tool to fight fraud is education,” said Whitlow. “A whole culture has developed around fraud and fraud of all kinds is such a prevalent crime that all of us will be victimized by it sometime during our life.”

The public is encouraged to attend the event that is being sponsored by the Southern Federal Credit Union and the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.

Admission is free, there will be information handed out, a short presentation, a question and answer session and promotional giveaways, Whitlow said.

The public is invited and encouraged to attend.

The fraud prevention seminar will be held on Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. at the Sams Auditorium, located at 205 LaFayette Avenue in Fayetteville.

For additional information about the seminar, contact Fayetteville Police Department Det. Mike Whitlow at 770-719-4222.