AARP Utah

It's the season of giving but con artists are taking--here are some tips from the AARP Fraud Watch Network on how to protect yourself from holiday scams:

by Kristen Keckheisen, AARP Fraud Watch Network

Are you a member of the AARP Fraud Watch Network yet? If so, you should have already heard about this scam. Don't fall for it! If you want to become a member of the Network, just click here and enroll. There's no cost, and you don't need to be an AARP member to join--it's open to people of all ages. Being an AARP Fraud Watch Network member means you'll hear about scams in your area as well as be able to report them so that your friends and neighbors hear about them too. We want to help stop fraud before it happens. How it Works:

AARP Launches NEW Must-Read Special Edition

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Did you know that the AARP Fraud Watch Network has newsletters with great information about how to avoid becoming a fraud victim? To get these free mailings, just click here.

AARP Backs Bipartisan Credit for Caring Act

November marks National Family Caregivers Month, a time to recognize the more than 336,000 family caregivers in Utah who help older parents, spouses, and other loved ones live independently at home, where they want to be. The unpaid care they provide through managing medications, cooking meals, driving to appointments, performing complex medicals tasks and more is valued at $4.15 billion in Utah alone.

With the holiday giving season approaching, a new survey from the AARP Fraud Watch Network found that 70% of consumers failed a quiz about how to stay safe from common holiday scams, and many are regularly engaging in risky behaviors which could leave them at risk of being victimized by con artists.

AARP Utah was pleased to bestow the 2015 Andrus Award for Community Service to Carol Jenson. Carol is a dedicated, tireless volunteer with the Utah Food Bank, delivering food boxes to seniors every week. Though the Food Bank only asks volunteers to deliver to a maximum of three people, Carol serves 21. These people not only anticipate her arrival with food to supplement their diets but the social interaction with the pleasant and caring person who brightens up their lives. One the rare occasions when she is unable to make it, Carol makes sure that food is delivered to the people who depend on it. She spent at least 250 hours at the Food Bank last year and was honored as their Volunteer of the Year in 2014.