Scams & Fraud

Join us for a conversation about fraud in Louisiana

One of the oldest scams around involves a criminal getting hold of one of your checks and forging the payee and the amount. Usually this is done by “washing” the check with chemicals to remove the real information you have written on it. Today, with access to new technologies, criminals are “cooking” checks by creating fake versions of real checks using computer programs. These “cooked” checks can be manipulated digitally and either printed or deposited electronically, saving the crook a lot of mess and hassle.

Romance scams have become one of the top drivers of crypto currency fraud.

The past two years have seen an explosion of crypto currency scams which has led many people to ask the same question - how? After all, crypto currency is something most people don’t understand, and those who do follow it know that it is very volatile, completely unregulated, and has no protection for investors. So, given all of that, how are people losing billions a year to crypto scams? If we had to pick someone to blame (besides the criminals), it might be Cupid.

Romance scams have become one of the top drivers of crypto currency fraud, because once the criminal creates a deep connection with their victim, they are able to get that person to do things they wouldn’t normally do.

Valentine’s Day is all about expressing love and gratitude for the people in your life – whether that be friends, family, or a significant other. But scammers like to take advantage of our goodwill, often pretending to be someone they’re not to gain our trust – and our financial information. Called “relationship scams,” this type of fraud can happen to anyone, not just those looking for love.

Online criminals break hearts and steal savings. AARP is on your side to help you spot and avoid romance scams.

They steal your heart…to get to your money

The past two years have seen an explosion of cryptocurrency scams which has led many people to ask the same question - how? After all, cryptocurrency is something most people don’t understand, and those who do follow it know that it is very volatile, completely unregulated, and has no protection for investors.

Here are three steps towards protecting yourself against identity fraud.