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    Shapiro Administration Announces September Consumer Financial Protection Events to Help Pennsylvanians Save Money, Invest Wisely, Recognize Scams, and Avoid Identity Theft

    DoBS is offering free public events throughout September. Visit the department's calendar of events to find an event near you. 


    Additionally, more than 85,000 consumers have visited the     new My Money website that was launched this summer — providing a single destination for financial education, fraud prevention, and money management resources to help Pennsylvanians protect their hard-earned money. 

     

    DoBS’ Consumer Help Center assists consumers with concerns about financial entities.

    August 28, 2026

    Harrisburg, PA – Investor Education and Consumer Outreach staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities (DoBS) will host a series of free educational events across Pennsylvania in September to help seniors and members of the public protect themselves from financial fraud, identity theft, and scams. All events are open to the public unless otherwise noted. 

    DoBS also encourages Pennsylvanians to visit My Money, a new and very popular online resource designed to help consumers learn about, manage, and protect their finances. Available at pa.gov/MyMoney, the website brings together trusted financial education materials, fraud prevention resources, and consumer assistance information in a single, easy-to-use location.

    The Department’s Consumer Help Center also provides free help to anyone with a concern or complaint about Pennsylvania financial entities, services, or products. Consumers can contact the DoBS Consumer Help Center at 1-800-PA-BANKS (1-800-722-2657) or ra-pabanking@pa.gov for assistance.

    To request a customized presentation, contact the team at 717-214-5565 or via email at informed@pa.gov. Visit the department's calendar of events to find an event near you. Pennsylvanians can also subscribe to the Department newsletter, or follow DoBS on Facebook, X, or LinkedIn. 

    In 2025, DoBS managed more than 11,000 consumer inquiries and conducted over 300 outreach events reaching nearly 53,000 Pennsylvanians with financial education and investor protection information. Since being launched in June 2026, the My Money website has been visited by more than 85,000 consumers. 

    Collectively, DoBS’ consumer financial protection events, My Money website, and Consumer Help Center are integral to Governor Shapiro’s broader consumer protection initiative which includes the statewide consumer protection hotline 1-866-PACOMPLAINT (1-866-722-6675), pa.gov/consumer website, consumer@pa.gov email address, new cryptocurrency safeguards, AI fraud protections, and regulatory actions that have returned millions to consumers.

    Since taking office, Governor Shapiro has taken action to strengthen consumer protections and help Pennsylvanians safeguard their finances by:

    • Requiring virtual currency transmitters to be licensed under Pennsylvania’s Money Transmitter Act, closing a regulatory gap that previously left consumers unprotected.
    • Establishing new criminal penalties for the use of artificial intelligence to create non-consensual forged digital likenesses, such as deepfakes and voice clones, used to commit fraud.
    • Launching an AI Literacy Toolkit to help Pennsylvanians safely and responsibly use artificial intelligence tools.
    • Creating an AI Enforcement Task Force for formal complaints with a reporting process for AI-powered bots that may be engaging in unlicensed professional practice. 
    • Returning more than $54 million to consumers through regulatory actions by DoBS and the Pennsylvania Insurance Department.

    With new laws, coordinated agency efforts, and strong consumer protection laws already in place, the Shapiro Administration continues to get stuff done through its diligent work to raise awareness and protect residents across the Commonwealth. 

    EVENTS FOR THE GENERAL PUBLIC

    Expos/Fairs: DoBS will provide free, non-commercial, consumer protection and investor education materials and publications.

    • Tioga County Job (and Resource) Fair: Hosted by the Northern Tier Regional Planning & Development Commission at the Wellsboro Area School District, Administration Building-Gymnasium, 227 Nichols St., Wellsboro (Tioga County) on Sept. 16 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For additional information contact Diana Edler at 570-724-6356 or dedler@bradfordcountyaction.org.

    EVENTS FOR OLDER ADULTS

    ScamJam!: A fun and interactive event that brings experts in law enforcement and state agencies together to educate target audiences on how to protect their money from financial fraud and abuse. Between key sessions attendees get to play Fraud BINGO – they may even win a prize!

    • Hosted by Chester Heights at the Borough Hall 2nd Floor, 53 W. Baltimore Pike, P.O. Box 658, Chester Heights (Delaware County) on Sept. 1 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Jeanne Montgomery at 610-291-3275 or Jeanne.montgomery@chesterheights.org.
    • Arbour Square of Harleysville, 699 Main St., Harleysville (Montgomery County) on Sept. 16 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. Open to residents only. For additional information contact Melissa Sorris at 267-933-6405 or msorris@arboursquare.com.
    • Hosted by ShareCare Faith in Action at the Northern Valley Emergency Medical Services, INC NOVA Auxillary, 2375 Levans Road (ORMROD), Coplay (Lehigh County) on Sept. 17 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to invited volunteers only. For additional information contact Lynn Heiney at 610-509-4080 or Sharecare8@aol.com.

    Fraud BINGO: A fun and interactive presentation that teaches consumers how to protect themselves from investment fraud by playing a familiar game – BINGO!

    • Heidelberg Association of Retired Persons (HARP), Heidelberg Union Church, 5187 Irvin Road, Slatington (Lehigh County) on Sept. 1 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact George Dillman at gdillman@pa.gov.
    • Hosted by the Lehighton Senior Center at the Lehighton Recreation Center, 243 S. 8th St., Lehighton (Carbon County) on Sept. 10 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Bonnie Snyder at 610-377-1530 or bsnyder@ptd.net.
    • Hosted by the Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna and Tioga Counties Area Agency on Aging, Inc. at the Wellsboro Active Living Center, 3 Queen St., Wellsboro (Tioga County) on Sept. 15 from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Annie Fisher at 570-724-3991 or wellsborosc@bsstaaa.org.
    • Hosted by the Blair Senior Services, Inc. at the Southern Blair Senior Center, 15229 Dunnings Highway, East Freedom (Blair County) on Sept. 18 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Karen Kelley at 814-946-1235 or KKelley@blairsenior.org.

    Avoiding Identity Theft: This presentation takes a look at ways people’s identities are stolen or compromised, what you can do if you find you have had your identity stolen, and how to stop theft from occurring.

    • Hosted by the B/S/S/T Area Agency on Aging Inc. at the Towanda Active Living Center, Colonial Towers, Colonial Drive, Towanda (Bradford County) on Sept. 2 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Deena Mize at 570-265-6121 or towandasc@bsstaaa.org.
    • Wayne Senior Center, 108 Station Road, Wayne (Delaware County) on Sept. 17 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Margo Fine-Gabbay at 610-688-6246 or margo@wayneseniorcenter.org.

    Senior Expos: Senior Expos offer older adults and their care providers resources and information that may allow them to live a more active lifestyle. DoBS provides free, non-commercial, consumer protection and investor education materials and publications.

    • Christian Action Commission Annual Community Information & Education Fair: Bright Hope Baptist Church, 1601 N. 12th St., Philadelphia (Philadelphia County) on Sept. 12 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. For additional information contact Deacon Thomas Gregory at 215-667-9963 or tashton3rd@yahoo.com.
    • Westmoreland County AAA 2026 Health and Education Expo: Westmoreland Mall, Center Court, 5256 US-30, Greensburg (Westmoreland County) on Sept. 23 from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For additional information contact Jacob Climo at 800-442-8000 or jclimo@westmorelandcountypa.gov.

    Spending Plans (Senior Edition) – A Road to Financial Success: This presentation focuses on the need for a spending plan so that people can achieve their financial goals. We discuss the differences between wants and needs; setting SMART goals; creating a spending plan; putting the plan into action; as well as periodically reviewing goals and spending plans in order to ensure that you can stay on track.

    • Hosted by Lifetime Fitness at the ARORA with Lifetime, 700 Swedesford Road, Wayne (Delaware County) on Sept. 24 from 1:30 PM to 3:00 PM. Open to members only. For additional information contact Paulette Moreland at 484-254-7000 or PMoreland@lt.life.