Scams & Fraud

Given members’ ongoing worries about fraud, AARP South Carolina is working to educate them on how to avoid financial exploitation.

New York reported more than 51,000 incidents of identity theft in 2023, according to Federal Trade Commission data.

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.

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.

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.

AARP Delaware is pushing a bill in the current legislative session to help educate the public about gift card scams.

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.

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.

Many of us have used a peer-to-peer (P2P) payment app to split a bill or send money to a friend, and some people even use them for traditional shopping. However, there are inherent risks that exist on these payment apps that everyone should know about.

Criminals love using P2P apps to steal your money. Here's how you can stop being scammed.