Scams & Fraud

Most of us do it several times a day. We have a question, need a phone number or are looking for a website, so we open a search engine and type in our request. What happens next is becoming more and more dangerous.

If there is one thing we know, it’s that criminal scammers are not stupid. They often use cutting-edge technologies to make their schemes more sophisticated and harder to detect. However, these same technologies can – and should – be used to protect people as well.

As the holiday season approaches, the quest for unique and personalized gifts has led many to explore the world of DNA testing. Ancestry and heritage research, uncovering potential health risks and building family trees have become increasingly popular motivations for submitting DNA samples. However, beneath the allure of these discoveries lies a cautionary tale, as safety raises significant concerns.

In a “Phantom Hacker” scam, a scammer calls, texts, or e-mails a victim posing as a computer technician and falsely tells the victim that the victim’s computer or other electronic device has a virus or has been hacked. The scammer tells the victim that the victim’s financial accounts are at risk. A scammer’s accomplice will then pose as an official from either a financial or government institution and convince the victim to move money from the financial accounts that are allegedly at risk in order to “protect the funds.” Often, the scammer has the victim transfer the victim’s funds into an account the scammer promises is safe, but in reality, is controlled by the scammer. In another variation, the scammer has the victim purchase valuable items, such as gold, and sends a courier to pick up these items from the victim’s home for “safekeeping.”

AARP Warns State Consumers that Holiday Shopping is Increasingly Riddled with Fraud

A new 2023 AARP Fraud Watch NetworkTM report is highlighting the ways criminals target consumers during the holiday season. A majority (80%) of U.S. consumers say they have experienced some type of fraud this year – many of which ramp up over the holiday shopping season. These holiday shopping scams have increased from last year’s report, from receiving fake notifications about shipments, to online ad scams, and more. 

It’s the season of giving, and for those in the spirit, telling the difference between a real charity and a con can be a challenge. Legitimate charities make a big push at year-end for last-minute annual donations. Scammers know this and make their own end-of-year push to line their pockets.

Tis the season for holiday fun, right? Unfortunately, there are grinches out there who are after your personal information and your money.

Scammers don’t take a holiday break. That’s why the AARP Fraud Watch Network™ offers a full range of free tools and resources to help you spot and avoid common scams during the holidays and throughout the new year.

While education is critical to combatting fraud, we can’t educate our way out of the fraud crisis.