Press Releases
03/08/2019
Consumer Protection, AARP CT Warn Consumers to Be Aware Of Scams That Target Older Adults and Seniors
Friday, March 8th, 2019 – As part of National Consumer Protection Week, the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP), and AARP CT are warning consumers about scams that target older adults and seniors. While there are a number of new scams that affect all of us every day, we want to highlight a few that especially target vulnerable seniors.
Family Emergency Scams: Scammers prey on older adults by calling and saying that one of their family members needs bail to get out of jail, needs help to get out of a foreign country, or will even impersonate their family member and ask them directly for money. Don’t fall for this common scam. Hang up and call other family members to find out the truth.
Romance Scams: Whether dating online or using a matchmaker, many older adults are looking for romance and companionship. Twenty six percent of Connecticut residents polled in a new AARP survey. reported that they, a family member or a friend have encountered attempted financial scams while seeking friendship or love interest online. DCP receives complaints about both online and matchmaking services, which may charge thousands of dollars without yielding any results.
Phone Scams: Not everyone has a landline in their home, but phone scams disproportionately affect people that do – and they’re mostly older adults. If someone calls and pressures you to pay them money, or give personal information right away, don’t fall for it. You’ll also be sure it’s a scam when they ask you to wire money, or pay in any other untraceable form of payment, such as a gift card. If the caller claims to be from a company you do business with you are always able to call their publicly listed phone number to verify whether the call was legitimate. That call will also help the company track scam patterns and work with authorities to alert consumers.
“Older adults often fall victim to different scams than the rest of our communities,” said Consumer Protection Commissioner Michelle H. Seagull, “That said, these scams often have the same telltale signs as others. We encourage older adults to avoid answering suspicious calls, giving money to those who pressure them, and giving money in any form they can’t trace. We want to make sure that the people who have raised our families, and built the world we live in have the resources they need to stay successful in today’s marketplace.”
“AARP has an army of volunteers across Connecticut and the country who are helping make people of all ages aware the latest scams through the AARP Fraud Watch Network,” said AARP CT state director Nora Duncan. “Unfortunately there are plenty of unscrupulous people out there trying to separate you from your hard earned money and they get more creative about it every day. AARP CT is happy to bring our fraud fighting resources to your community. Just call us at (860) 548-3163.”
If you or someone you love has fallen victim to a scam, report it to DCP. You can email us at dcp.complaints@ct.gov, or call (860) 713-6300 to reach our complaint center with questions.
The AARP Fraud Watch Network launched in 2013 as a free resource for people of all ages. Consumers may sign up for “Watchdog Alert” emails that deliver information about scams, or call a free helpline at 877-908-3360 to speak with staff and volunteers trained in fraud counseling. The Fraud Watch Network website provides information about fraud and scams, prevention tips from experts, an interactive scam-tracking map, fun educational quizzes and access to AARP’s hit podcast series, The Perfect Scam.
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Media Contacts
Department of Consumer Protection
Lora Rae Anderson
lorarae.anderson@ct.gov
(860) 713-6019 (office)
(860) 247-8711 (cell)
AARP CT
Nora Duncan
nduncan@aarp.org
(860) 548-3161 (office)
(860) 689-4440 (cell)
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