Scams & Fraud

It’s open enrollment season, which also means it’s Medicare fraud season. Eligible beneficiaries have until December 7th to shop for the best deal for their health care dollar. Unfortunately, some of the deals offered won’t be deals at all.

If you have a cell phone, you've probably noticed an increase in text messages from people you don't know.

The month of October was declared by Congress in 2004 to be Cybersecurity Awareness Month, During each October, the public and private sectors and tribal communities work together to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity. Here are four important steps to staying safe online.

This October is National Cyber Security month and AARP is focused on shining a light on the most prevalent online scams including celebrity impostors. Stars like Bruce Springsteen, Trace Adkins and Oprah Winfrey are among thousands of celebrities whose personas have been used by scammers online to solicit money from fans.

When it comes to the labor market, the supply of jobs is outpacing demand but that doesn’t mean that employment scams have gone away. Just because there are more job openings than job seekers doesn’t mean that criminals have closed up shop. With many Americans looking for a side hustle to help make ends meet or an opportunity to make more money or work remotely, there are still enough potential victims to fuel these schemes.

Some of the top scams are the ones that have been around the longest. One might think that a crime like the tech support scam, which has been around for 15 years, might fade away but it is more common than ever. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, the tech support scam was reported by nearly 18,000 victims who had a combined $588 million stolen from them last year.

Last month Medicare announced that one of their contractors had been hacked and the personal information of 612,000 Medicare beneficiaries were stolen. The security breach put Social Security numbers, birth dates, driver’s license numbers, health insurance claims, medical history notes, prescription information and other personally identifiable information at risk.

As communities band together to support those affected by natural disasters, AARP Pennsylvania remains vigilant against opportunistic scammers seeking to exploit vulnerabilities. Recognizing the need for awareness, AARP Pennsylvania is equipping residents with some tips to safeguard themselves from disaster-related scams.

AARP Pennsylvania urges Pennsylvanians to use call screening as a powerful defense against scams. By letting answering machines or voicemail screen calls, individuals can significantly reduce the risk of falling for fraudulent schemes.

When it comes to fraud, knowledge is indeed power. But how can we spread that knowledge around so more people are empowered to protect themselves?