AARP Wyoming and Wyoming Cowboys Team Up To Stop Scams

AARP Wyoming and four members of the Wyoming football team have come together to help Wyomingites stay safe from fraud and scams through releasing a video promoting the organization’s FraudWatch Network (FWN). 

While AARP Wyoming has partnered with Wyoming Sports Properties to promote its work during Cowboy football and basketball broadcasts for the past three years, this video represents the first time collegiate student-athletes have been spokespersons for the organization. That is thanks to a June 30, 2021 rule change in which NCAA college athletes are now allowed to benefit from their name, image and likeness (NIL) directly. This video marks the first time AARP has taken part in an NIL deal with college athletes.

“In Wyoming there is no bigger show than Wyoming Cowboy athletics,” says AARP Wyoming State Director Sam Shumway. “We value the relationship we have with Cowboy Athletics and are very excited to have the Pokes help raise awareness of how Wyomingites can avoid getting scammed.”

The video, seen here on AARP Wyoming’s social media pages, including Twitter and Facebook, promotes AARP’s FraudWatch Network, which is a nationally acclaimed program to help protect older adults and their loved ones from scams and fraud. The video features Wyoming quarterback Andrew Peasley, and offensive linemen Eric Abojei, Frank Crum, and Latrell Bible directing viewers to AARP’s FWN. 

The FWN is free to all, with no requirement to be an AARP member, or over the age of 50 to take part. FWN's consumer offerings include educational events, online news and information (including more than 100 stories in 2021), many of which are promoted online and in social media channels. The FWN puts out bi-weekly texts or email "Watchdog Alerts," and includes regular Fraud Watch features in AARP Bulletin and AARP the Magazine.

While AARP’s target market is the age 50+, AARP Wyoming is working with the University of Wyoming student-athletes as a way to make fraud and scam awareness more relevant to a younger audience who are also targets.

“If there is one thing everyone should understand, it’s that ‘scammers,’ are career criminals skilled at the art of manipulation and no one is immune,” Shumway says. “These crooks target people of any age; in fact, 41% of those who reported a fraud loss to the Federal Trade Commission last year were under the age of 30.”

Research shows that if someone hears about a scam, they are 80% less likely to engage with it and, if they do engage, they are 40% less likely to fall victim. The Federal Trade Commission released its annual compendium of fraud reports from last year, and the news is shocking. Over the past three years, reported losses to consumer fraud has tripled, coming in at a reported $5.9 billion in 2021.