AARP report says older adults are scammers’ number one target

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WHEELING W.Va. – (WTRF) Scams and fraud are at an all-time high and their targeted victims are older adults.

It can be as simple as calling, text, or even an email.

According to the AARP, millions of victims lose billions of dollars a year falling for these tricks.

The top scam scenario involving older adults are “urgent” messages, warnings from the IRS, Social Security, billing or utility, and some scammers even go as far to pose as a loved one in desperate need for help.

Amy Goyer AARP’s national family and caregiving expert has advice on how to spot these schemes and what to do if you do fall into them.

AARP served family caregivers and found that 1 and 5 caregivers have a loved one who’s experienced a scam and more than half of those have lost $1,000 or more.

One of the things to do is to talk with your loved ones about what to do if you get approached with something that could be a scam.

You can write up a refusal script that you put by the phone that says I do not do business over the phone, I do not give my credit card information, or my checking account information over the phone.

AMY GOYER, AARP NATIONAL FAMILY AND CAREGIVING EXPERT

Goyer says it’s best to be aware of trending scams and to have a plan.

She says education is the best prevention in these scenarios.

AARP has created a fraud watch network; you can sign up for alerts to know what’s the latest scams to watch out for.

Credits: https://www.wtrf.com/news/aarp-report-says-older-adults-are-scammers-number-one-target/