AARP Eye Center
With criminals constantly inventing new and more sophisticated schemes to steal money, no one is immune to fraud, says Connecticut Attorney General William Tong (D).
Connecticut consumers lost more than $70 million to fraud in 2023, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Tong, 51 and attorney general since 2019, has teamed up with AARP Connecticut for events to raise awareness about scams. The Bulletin spoke with him in April about fraud-fighting efforts. This interview has been edited for clarity.
Have you ever been targeted by a scam?
During COVID, I would get emails from scammers who would say, “Mr. Attorney General, we can get you masks and personal protective equipment. If you wire us $10 million, we’ll get you a plane full of PPE.”
Do you know anyone personally who has experienced fraud?
So my parents rented apartments ... and my mom fell for a common scam. This guy sent her an email and said, “I’m in England, and I want to rent your apartment.” And she said “Great. Why don’t you send me a check with a security deposit, and I’ll rent you my apartment.” He sends her a check and it’s for too much money.... So she says, by email, “You sent too much money.” And he says, “Oh, no problem. Why don’t you just keep that check and wire me the difference? And why don’t you even keep a little bit of extra money for your trouble.” So she falls for it. She takes the check. She wires him ... the difference.
She goes to deposit the check and-- guess what? The check’s no good. It’s a common scam called the overpayment scam.... If you met my mom, you would see the toughest immigrant businesswoman you’ve ever met. No one is going to get one by my mom. Except that they did. Because there’s a scam for everyone.
Are older Americans at high risk of fraud? Why?
Yes, older Americans are more at risk of being targeted, but people misunderstand why that is.... They often say it’s because maybe people come from a different generation and are more trusting. Or maybe people have some disabilities or have slowed down a little bit. That really isn’t the reason.... The reason why older Americans are targeted is because they have money. They have savings; they have Social Security payments.
What are some of the ways your office is trying to stop fraud?
We’re working with our fellow attorneys general to go after robocalls and scammers and to force the big telecommunications companies to do better in stopping scammers and scam calls. But as soon as you get one [scammer], another one pops up.
How is AARP helping with your efforts to fight fraud?
One of the best ways to help people with scams is to arm them with the information they need to protect themselves.... AARP is a big part of publicizing these tips and hosting events and meetings for people so I can communicate that message.
Why is it important to get the word out about scams?
Scammers are everywhere, and they target all of us. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living—if you’re a lawyer like me, if you’re a college professor, if you have a Ph.D., it doesn’t matter how savvy you think you might be—there’s a scam for everyone.
What is the biggest scam targeting older adults now?
What always surprises people is that the biggest scam facing people over age 60 in this country is the romance scam....
[Criminals] take advantage of people who are vulnerable. And the dead giveaway is ... that they sound too good to be true: They love the same music. They love the same food. They have the same interests. They want to travel to the same places. Why? Because they’ve done the research on you on social media....
Two weeks before they’re supposed to get on the plane to come see you, they call up and say, “I got into a car accident” or “My mom is sick, and I want to come see you but I can’t come now.” But is there anything you can do?
“Well, if you give me $25,000, I could fix my car. Or I could take care of mom … and then I can get on the plane and I could still come and see you.”
How do scammers get money?
It’s not just wiring money, and it’s not just cash or check. It’s also the online payment apps…. Be very careful about those apps because they’re not banks…. And then of course, sometimes people are convinced to send gift cards, and that’s a big problem.
Any final advice for older adults for avoiding scams?
Be mindful that no legitimate government agency, no legitimate utility—nobody, really—should call you up and ask you for money on the spot.
Interview by Michelle Crouch, a North Carolina-based writer who has written for the Bulletin for more than a decade.
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JOIN AN UPCOMING AARP CONNECTICUT FRAUD EVENT
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