A small group of area residents attended a town hall meeting on Wednesday with financial experts who talked about investing and avoiding fraud.

The talk, hosted by The Newnan Times-Herald, offered insights from the Newnan Police Department, a local bank and members of the Georgia Secretary of State’s Office’ Securities Division.

Newnan Detective Nathan McNamara said the department gets 20 to 30 reports a month from people victimized by scams. He said the scams can come by phone or online and they can be very sophisticated. One of the best ways to avoid being taken, McNamara said, is to take the time to check out what the scammer is saying.

If you get a request for money from someone by Facebook, call them on a phone you know they own to verify they are the one contacting you. If someone

See Full Page