“I eat, sleep and breathe fraud, and I feel that these guys are good enough that one day I might click on the wrong thing,” she says. “If it’s the right time, the right place, the right social engineering, any of us is susceptible.”

Kentucky consumers of all ages reported losing nearly $49 million to fraud in 2023, FBI data shows. Officials note that fraud is typically underreported, so the true figure is likely higher.

To address the threat, AARP Kentucky is hosting a series of scam jams across the state this year. Local authorities will share the best ways to spot and avoid the latest fraud schemes.

As of mid-December, Kentuckians age 60 and over had reported to the FBI losing nearly $11 million just to investment fraud scams in 2024, Smith says.

Criminals may prefer to target older individuals for a number of reasons, including that they often have more assets than younger people who haven’t yet built up nest eggs, says Marjoe Jennings, an FBI supervisory special agent based in Covington.

Gary Adkins, who is AARP Kentucky’s volunteer state president and a former felony prosecutor for the state of Kentucky, urges everyone who has encountered fraud to report it. A good place to start: the AARP Fraud Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. Odds are low that lost money can be recovered, but the more that authorities know about current frauds, the better chance they have of building cases, Adkins notes.

AARP Kentucky will hold scam jams in Highland Heights on April 11, Lexington on June 4, Louisville on June 5, and Paducah on June 12. Go to aarp.org/kyscamjams. —David Lewellen

Fraud education Learn how to protect against scams by requesting a talk from one of AARP Iowa’s trained Fraud Watch Network presenters.

To schedule a presentation for your local community group or to learn about becoming a Fraud Watch volunteer, call 515-697-1000 or email ia@aarp.org.

To help Iowans prevent identity theft, AARP also will host free drive-through document shredding events in Des Moines on Saturday, April 26, and Cedar Rapids on Saturday, May 3. Identity theft is among the top types of fraud reported by consumers in Iowa, according to the Federal Trade Commission.

Participants can drop off boxes of outdated documents with sensitive information, such as bank statements and credit card bills, to be disposed of safely. More at aarp.org/IAevents.

Focus on health Join AARP Michigan’s Ask the Doc series of virtual events for wellness insights and tips.

Each session will be held at 1 p.m. and include a short presentation by a medical professional, followed by time for audience member questions. The online discussions will be held on:

▶︎ Friday, March 28: “Caring for a Loved One? Tune in for Tips,” on providing care for a loved one at home.

▶︎ Friday, April 25: “Comfort with Cannabis,” on using cannabis to manage joint pain and improve quality of life, as well as its potential drawbacks.

▶︎ Thursday, May 29: “A Positive Approach to Dementia Care,” on maintaining cognitive function, from helping prevent decline to understanding the progression of the disease.

To register for the discussions, go to aarp.org/mi and select Events. —DL