National program helps seniors spot scams as losses surge

Scams targeting older Americans are surging and federal officers are warning that the tactics are becoming harder to detect The Federal Exchange Commission says scammers are posing as IRS agents police officers or other officers often over the phone or online to steal thousands of dollars at a time The FTC says scams involving losses over have quadrupled in contemporary years The FBI reports that older adults filed the the majority scam complaints last year with average losses climbing to up from the year before SCAMMERS NOW IMPERSONATE COWORKERS STEAL EMAIL THREADS IN CONVINCING PHISHING ATTACKSIn response AARP has launched Senior Planet a national plan offering free fraud-awareness classes to Americans age and older The plan teaches participants how to identify red flags spot fake communications and avoid sharing sensitive information under pressure AGING BRAINS COULD 'BECOME' YOUNGER WHEN KEY PROTEIN IS DECREASEDRick Planos an instructor for Senior Planet in Illinois says his involvement is personal His mother lost more than in gift cards to a scammer who convinced her that her grandson had been arrested My mom was distraught Planos stated First she was distraught that one of her grandchildren was arrested and then it turned out that wasn t true And then she was distraught that she got scammed POLICIES TO SUPER-AGING ARE KEY TO LIVING A LONGER MORE FULFILLING LIFE EXPERTS SAYNow Planos leads scam prevention classes in his area I spend a lot of time teaching for AARP I took what happened to us and put it into certain kind of positive capacity to protect other people Planos reported In Denver Senior Planet hosts regular in-person classes but the activity is also available online and in several other states including Texas Maryland and New York CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR STRENGTH NEWSLETTER It s fundamental to talk about where the risks and dangers are explained Aaron Santis scheme lead for Senior Planet Colorado But we re also using instrument as a tool to enrich people s lives Carolyn Gibson a latest scholar declared she joined to learn more about new machinery such as artificial intelligence and how to protect herself from scams I came over here to find out who is this AI what is this AI The people here they ve been very helpful Gibson reported Instructors encourage participants to slow down verify and never feel rushed into sharing information especially if contacted by someone claiming to be from a administration agency According to the website Senior Planet helps seniors learn new skills save money get in shape and make new friends The FTC reminds consumers that establishment agencies will never call to demand money If you receive a suspicious call hang up visit the agency s official website and statement the scam directly