Practical Tips on Protecting Yourself from Fraud and Scams

In 2024, older Americans lost at least $4.8 billion to internet fraud. And that’s just from scams that were reported to the FBI. That year, seniors filed 147,127 scam reports — which works out to over 400 a day.

Scammers target older adults because they’re often less computer savvy and more trusting. 

But that doesn’t mean you have to get scammed. Here, we’ll tell you what to look for and how to protect yourself from them.

Eight Types of Fraud

Scammers all share one goal: separating you from your money. To do that, they try to steal your Social Security number, bank and credit card account numbers, online passwords, and other sensitive information.

Here are some common types of fraud:

• Bank scams: An email, apparently from your bank, asks you for account information or a verification code.

• Government agency scams: Someone who says they’re from Social Security or Medicare calls to say there’s a problem with your account.

• Tech support scams: A scammer emails you to say that your computer has been infected; they say they can fix it if you give them remote access (and your credit card number, of course).

• Sweepstakes/lottery scams: You’ve supposedly won a big prize, but you need to pay taxes or fees up front to claim it.

• Toll/ticket scams: An email says you have unpaid tolls or parking tickets in a random state; if you don’t pay up, it claims you’ll lose your driver's license.

• Family scams: You get a text message that seems to come from a loved one who says they’ve been hurt or are in jail and need money quickly.

• Romance scams: Someone you’ve met online has a sudden crisis and needs money urgently.

• Text scams: You get an innocent-sounding text like “Hi, do we know each other?” or “Don’t forget to let the dog out.” If you start a conversation, the scammer will eventually try to steal your money or personal information.

Now, if you stop to think about it, you’ll realize that:

1. your bank already has your account number,

2. you haven’t entered a sweepstakes in years, and

3. you’ve never even been to the state where you supposedly got that parking ticket.

That’s why scammers urge you to act RIGHT NOW (and often not to tell anyone else what’s going on). And that’s why the best thing you can do is pause and think about what the call, text, or email is actually saying. Then, do one of the following:

• If you’re sure it’s a fraud……ignore it. End the call, delete the text, or delete the email. Don’t reply; that just encourages the scammer to try again. You should also report the fraud (we’ll tell you how in a moment).

• If you think it may be legitimate……do some digging. Hang up and call customer service at the number on your credit card or a recent bank statement. Log into your online account to check for that supposed charge. Ask a trusted friend or family member for their opinion.

Email Scams: SLAM the Scammers

Thanks to artificial intelligence, spammers are getting harder to spot, but fraudsters still give themselves away a lot of the time.

We love the SLAM method for spotting phony emails:

• Sender: Make sure the sender’s address looks legitimate. Your bank will NEVER send an email from customerservice@areyoukiddingme.ru. (In fact, if you don’t have contacts in another country, you should suspect all email addresses that don’t end in .com, .org, .net, .edu, or .gov.)

• Links: Hover over or press and hold links—don’t click them—to make sure they go to a legitimate website. For example, an email from Medicare should link to Medicare.gov, not a random gmail address.

• Attachments: Never click on attachments you didn’t expect to receive; they could contain a virus or malware (programs that infect/compromise your computer).

• Message: Read the message carefully. Does it address you by the wrong name, or simply as “Dear Customer”? Are there obvious typos? Is there pressure to act now?

Phone Scams: Silence Your Cell Phone

The best way to avoid spam calls is to not answer your phone when the screen says “Unknown Caller.” A legitimate caller should leave a voicemail or call back; a spammer probably won’t.

Important notes:

• This approach works best if you’ve manually added people and businesses you know and trust to your contact list.

• Both iPhones and Android phones let you silence calls from unknown numbers. If you turn this feature on, just be sure to check for new voicemails occasionally. Bonus tip: Not sure how to do this? Ask a tech-savvy loved one for help.

Report Possible Scams

If you think you may be the victim of a scam, call one of these numbers:

• National Elder Fraud Hotline: 833-FRAUD-11 or 833-372-8311 (Monday–Friday, 10 am–6 pm ET)

• AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360 (Monday–Friday, 8 am–8 pm ET)

These free resources will help you figure out what to do next.

Where to Learn More

The AARP Fraud Watch Network offers lots of free resources for members and nonmembers alike. Visit https://www.aarp.org/money/scams-fraud/about-fraud-watch-network/ to access fraud prevention resources, look up specific scams, and connect further on social media.