“Resist the temptation, please. I cannot urge you strongly enough, no matter how rude you think it is. Do not open your door to anyone you do not know or anyone you did not ask to come to your home. Don’t, under any circumstances, get involved with strangers at the market who ask you what kind of mayonnaise you buy and why, or how to tell if a melon’s ripe, or anyone trying to casually strike up a conversation with you. Just move on, and don’t talk to them. If they persist, walk your cart to the register and complain or ask for the manager and let him know that a stranger is bothering you. There are times when it does not pay to be nice, and that is one of them.

“Also, there are organizations available to help you check out a product or a business trying to sell you something. You can contact the Better Business Bureau for help, and you can locate the nearest office in your phone book or on the Web at www.bbb.org. It’s all on the pages I gave you.”

People studied the sheets she had provided.

“The Federal Trade Commission’s job is to protect you. Call them at 877-382-4357. You can file a complaint at the National Fraud Information Center. That number is 800-876-7060. These names and numbers are all on that second sheet I handed out. And if you belong to AARP, the American Association of Retired Persons has lots of good information about how to avoid becoming the victim of fraud.”

She set her palms on the table and leaned forward. “Just remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it really, truly is too good to be true. If you get hooked into talking to a salesperson, tell them you’ll think about it, and you’ll get back to them. They’ll hate that, and believe me the pressure will come on, but don’t buy on impulse or let them guilt you into anything. If you ask to see their credentials or business card, they’ll often make an excuse and leave.”

Someone laughed. “I got a call one time telling me I won the lottery, and all I needed to collect the money was send in a fee for the taxes.”

“How’d you handle that?” the attorney asked.

“I laughed in his face and slammed down the phone, that’s what I done.”

“Well done, I’d say.”

Everyone laughed. People relaxed, and the questions kept coming.