WhoDunnIt? A Mystery Scam Event

Carl Hamiel, Associate State Director for Community Outreach for AARP Virginia, was banking on the fact that a “Mystery Scam Event” might appeal to Richmond area folks who fancy themselves amateur sleuths. His instincts were right. The recent “Whodunnit: Spot the Scammer” held at Strangeways Brewing Company on April 10, 2025, attracted over 30 participants ready to tackle Carl’s challenge.

Hamiel wanted to do something different to raise awareness of – and hopefully prevent - the scams perpetrated on Virginia residents especially those 50 and older. According to data from the Federal Trade Commission, there were 57,867 fraud reports throughout the state of Virginia in 2024.

“I wanted to think of a way to bring awareness to fraud while having fun. There’s so much mystery around how scammers work to get our information. I wanted people to be able to solve that mystery and consequently learn how to protect themselves from fraud,” Hamiel said.

At 5 p.m., AARP volunteers Jackie and Cheryl greeted guests as they entered the brewery. Each guest received a new AARP tote bag and a folder with some interesting background information to help them solve a mysterious scam. It seemed that a fictional “Margie”, a well-respected retiree who recently lost her husband, had some interesting encounters over the past few days:

· A new acquaintance on Facebook (whom she has never met IRL - “In Real Life” as the kids say) mysteriously disappeared, then reappeared a few days later asking for money for medical bills.

· She received a surprising letter congratulating her for winning money in a sweepstakes – that she had not even entered.

· The IRS called to say that a recent audit discovered past due taxes which she owed – that must be paid immediately.

As a result of one of these encounters, Margie unfortunately discovered that her entire bank account had been emptied and her balance was $0!

The participants accepted the challenge to solve Margie’s mystery by visiting information tables staffed with smiling AARP volunteers who shared information on how to spot Romance, Sweepstakes, and IRS Scams. Then, they grabbed some refreshments and settled down to determine how Margie was lured into compromising her personal information.

One of the amateur detectives, Hanover County resident Darla Ludwig Bolton, had this to say about her experience, “We were impressed by how many warm, engaged volunteers were there. Connecting with other participants was fun and energizing. The mystery activity reminded us how easy it is to get caught up in the moment—and how important it is to stay focused on personal financial privacy and security.”

AARP firmly believes that knowledge provides power over scams. The AARP Fraud Watch Network^TM helps teach older adults how to spot scams and provides guidance from fraud specialists for those who have been targeted. We organize events and education and have hundreds of trained volunteers working to prevent fraud and scams from taking place and supporting victims when needed.

If you've been targeted by scams or fraud, you are not alone. Our trained fraud specialists answer about 500 calls a day and provide support and guidance on what to do next and how to avoid scams in the future. The AARP fraud helpline, 877-908-3360, is free and available to anyone.

Oh, and yes – several of our amateur detectives were able to solve Margie’s mystery and figure out where she went wrong! Those successful sleuths received a “Mystery Bag” of AARP goodies AND they learned some valuable information about how to keep themselves safe from scammers.

But who was the mystery scammer? We can’t divulge that secret because the “WhoDunnIt” team might just bring the mystery scam event to your neck of the woods!