AARP Fighting Fraud

Fraud against older adults has skyrocketed in recent years. In San Diego County alone, elder fraud resulted in roughly $97 million in losses in 2023, according to the FBI. The Elder Justice Task Force increases its efforts to fight back.

Fraud losses in Colorado have more than tripled since 2019, federal data shows. The state hopes a new mediation program and revamped Stop Fraud Colorado website will help protect consumers.

In 2023, Federal Trade Commission data shows that Illinois consumers reported total losses from fraud of $244.7 million. To help bring those numbers down, AARP Illinois is working with law enforcement agencies, the Better Business Bureau, Area Agencies on Aging, the Illinois attorney general’s office and other organizations. And AARP is ramping up its education efforts with a five-part online fraud prevention series.

In Massachusetts last year, fraud losses were $142.3 million — likely a massive undercount. A new unit at the Attorney General's Office has become the central point of contact for older residents seeking help.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, nearly 500,000 Americans were victims of cybercrime in 2022, including 13,566 reports from Michigan with estimated losses of $178 million. The crimes ranged from personal data breaches to investment schemes.

Americans reported $9 billion in losses to fraud in 2022—from fake sweepstakes to romance scams. In the current legislative session, AARP Minnesota is pressing state lawmakers to pass a bill that would create a state-level restitution fund for fraud victims. AARP is also targeting 40-year home contracts.

In 2023, Americans reported losing more than $10 billion to fraud—ranging from romance and investment schemes to gift card scams—according to Federal Trade Commission data. A new state law aims to protect older Americans from financial exploitation.

Joe Gavalis and Dan Flynn each spent their careers in law enforcement going after hard-core criminals, including some in organized crime. Now retirees, the two Georgians are using their combined 75-plus years of experience to take on elder abuse.

Triad began in the late 1980s as a partnership between AARP, the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the National Sheriffs’ Association. Now, there are local Triad chapters in cities and counties around the country.

The Memphis post office clerk who called Margaret Greene sounded concerned about a possible scam in progress.