DA Hayden brings fraud awareness presentation to East Boston Residents
BOSTON, August 6, 2026 – The latest Fraud Fighters workshop took place at the East Boston Senior Center Wednesday with about 50 older adults in attendance, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
DA Hayden along with members of his office and Metro Credit Union spoke to residents about current scams ranging from AI calls, gift card scams and check fraud.
Hayden’s office launched the Suffolk County Fraud Fighters in 2023 to help Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop residents identify and avoid scams and fraud attempts. Since then, the program has conducted more than 30 workshops and has reached hundreds of older adults and their families.
This was the second bi-lingual presentation in East Boston with live translation.
“Our goal is to bring awareness and educate older adults, and all residents of the different methods and tactics scammers are using,” Hayden said.
Presenter Jackie Lamont demonstrated how easily artificial intelligence can be used to create convincing voice scams. During the presentation, Lamont played an AI-generated audio clip that replicated the voice of Tracy Litthcut, a member of Hayden's office and the Fraud Fighters team. In the recording, the AI-generated voice claimed Litthcut had been involved in an accident and that his attorney would be contacting her with instructions on how she could help.
Following the audio clip, Litthcut delivered the same message live, allowing attendees to compare his actual voice with the AI-generated version to show how easily scammers can use AI to deceive victims.
Lamont encouraged attendees to remain cautious if they receive an unexpected emergency call from a family member or loved one. Rather than responding immediately, she advised contacting the individual directly to verify the situation. She also recommended that families establish a unique code word or phrase that can be used to confirm a caller's identity during emergencies.
Lamont said people shouldn't be embarrassed if they fall for a scam, because it can happen to anyone, at any age and it’s important to keep up with the current scams so we can continue to bring awareness.
The next Fraud Fighters presentation will be at 1:00 p.m. at the Dewitt Center at Madison Park Village on August 26.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop. Our office handles more than 20,000 cases a year. Nearly 160 assistant district attorneys practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Boston and Chelsea Juvenile Courts and the Supreme Judicial Court. Our office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs for anyone encountering the criminal justice system. We are committed to educating the public about our mission and services while focusing on crime prevention to keep the residents, workers and visitors of Suffolk County safe.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications