SCAMS: Con games have been around forever,...

SCAMS: Con games have been around forever, but the January earthquake seems to have attracted a whole new generation of scam artists. . . . The elderly, who may be isolated and often have large savings accounts, are among the most vulnerable, officials say. Today’s Valley Briefing (B14) examines common rip-offs and how to avoid them.

HE’LL OVERCOME: A local NAACP official doubts that Executive Director Benjamin F. Chavis Jr. is on the verge of losing his job. . . . Chavis used NAACP money to settle a sex discrimination suit against him. But the Rev. Zedar E. Broadous, head of the NAACP’s Valley branch, says Chavis won’t be ousted because “as far as I know, there has been no intent to defraud the NAACP.”

HEAT: With five adults at home, one baby and zero air conditioners, no wonder Jackie Ford (above) prayed for rain Tuesday. Wouldn’t you? Ford, like so many others, went to a Valley mall to escape triple-digit temperatures (A1, B2). . . . “There were hordes of people,” said Fallbrook Mall manager Eric Knudson. Another concern: electric bills and people who might be unable to pay them (D1).

STATUS QUO: Valley housing prices are so low these days that even though the Federal Reserve raised interest rates by half a percentage point Tuesday (A1), only first-time home buyers should be affected. . . . Jim Link, executive vice president of the San Fernando Valley Assn. of Realtors, says “housing prices are still fairly soft.” In fact, the July median sales price of a single-family house was down 5% from a year ago.

AUCTION: Speaking of real estate, here’s your chance to own a little chunk of Valley history. Make that a big chunk. It’s the 7,170-square-foot Calabasas property that once belonged to Kitty and Jose Menendez. Next month, it goes up for auction. . . . Realtor Bernie Uechtritz says he was tired of low offers. He expects it will sell for at least $1.5 million.