AARP Washington

Consumers lose billions of dollars every year to various kinds of consumer fraud, and according to AARP studies, older adults are especially vulnerable. A 2011 survey of fraud victims found that 81% of investment fraud victims and 84% of lottery fraud victims were over the age of 55.

Think you’re too smart to fall for a scam? That’s just what the con artists are hoping. According to new research, plus interviews with dozens of con artists and thousands of victims, basic consumer smarts are no match for the emotional appeals that clever cons use to defraud consumers of millions of dollars every year. No matter how successful or intelligent, anyone can fall victim to a crime.

Thank you to the more than 13,000 people who joined us on today's teletown hall for Women's Health Week. No worries if you weren't able to listen in. We've posted a full podcast of the call. Enjoy.

AARP NEWS

Janet Lam-Rogers of Seattle and her husband Toby Rogers are a volunteering power couple. Janet volunteers for the AARP Foundation’s Tax-Aide program two days a week, where she helps low-income taxpayers file their taxes at the Ballard and Shoreline libraries. Toby works in the Foundation’s Fraud Fighter Call Center in north Seattle, which helps battle financial scams.

Thank you for your interest in the “Puzzled by Medicare or the New Health Care Law” program.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Newly-elected Washington State Governor Jay Inslee sat down in Olympia with AARP Washington volunteers and staff to participate in a state-wide Teletown Hall telephone conference yesterday. Approximately 14,500 AARP members listened in on the call and several had the opportunity to ask a question of our new governor. The discussion was informal and wide-ranging, covering topics from healthcare to transportation. If you missed it, you can listen to a recording of the call by clicking here.

AARP's Chief Executive Officer A. Barry Rand has written a letter to our national Senators encouraging them to protect seniors on vital issues like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and the Affordable Care Act.

Some in W ashington are pushing a budget proposal that would cut Social Security benefits by $112 billion over the next 10 years. It’s called “chained CPI” - a proposal that would cut the yearly cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for Social Security, leaving seniors struggling to keep up with the rising cost of utilities, health care and prescription drugs. As seniors get older, it would only get worse because the cuts would start now and get bigger every year. Washington should focus on finding responsible ways to address our nation’s budget challenges, not cutting Social Security to reduce the deficit. Americans have earned their benefits and they deserve a separate conversation about how to protect Social Security for today’s seniors and strengthen the program for future generations.