The Problem with Not Reporting Scams with Kathy Stokes

Many assume that scammers just target the more mature in age, but
they go after everyone. Younger people who may have been
manipulated may not have the same amount of money to lose, but
that doesn’t mean they aren’t being targeted. 


Today’s guest is Kathy Stokes. Kathy is the Director of Fraud
Prevention Programs with AARP. She leads the AARP social mission
work to educate older adults on the risks that fraud represents
to their financial security. She currently serves on the advisory
council to the Board of International Association of Financial
Crimes Investigators and on the advisory council to the Senior
Issues Committee of the North American Securities Administrators
Association.
Show Notes:

[1:02] - Kathy shares her background, what she does at AARP,
and what AARP actually is.

[3:50] - AARP has had a Fraud Watch Network for a while, but
its current form is different from years past.

[5:29] - There is a concerted effort to bring the generations
together to educate others in the community.

[7:26] - It is a common misconception that older people are
targeted more often than other age groups.

[10:38] - The biggest barrier is something that is beginning
to break down. It’s the shame and victim blaming. We are at a
turning point.

[12:50] - Unfortunately, police officers are not able to do
much for financial crimes, but it is still important to report
them.

[16:01] - Most scams are considered “low ticket” items, even
if it is several thousand dollars and that’s all you have.

[18:08] - AARP has a resource for how to talk about scams
with family members who have been a victim of a scam.
https://www.aarp.org/saythis 

[20:50] - Rewording how we talk to and about victims of scams
is changing.

[24:23] - You have to have a strong and unique password for
literally everything.

[25:27] - Even just one extra layer of protection in the form
of two-factor authentication is helpful.

[28:10] - No one will ever ask you for an authentication code
over the phone.

[30:20] - There’s got to be something we can do as a society
to help victims with the money they’ve lost.

[32:48] - We cannot trust incoming communication, including
calls, emails, and texts.

[36:45] - Education and continuing to talk about this will
help keep the trend of less victim shaming going.

[39:30] - Victims can change the verbiage as well. Report the
scam and file a police report.

[41:29] - You can and should also report scams you know about
even if you did not experience a loss.

[43:10] - A number to use to reach the Fraud Watch Network is
877-908-3360.

[48:09] - If someone you know has been a victim of a scam,
don’t get mad at them for “falling for it,” get mad that this was
done to them.



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AARP: Say This

Fraud Watch Network