How Seniors Can Prevent Frauds & Scams

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October is National Cybersecurity Month, and is the perfect time for older adults to refresh and review their fraud-prevention skills and know-how.

In 2023 alone, seniors lost nearly $128 million to frauds and scams. The state of Arizona ranks 6th in the nation for fraud losses, with elder fraud in the state increasing by 36% from 2022 to 2023. It’s clear that scams targeting older adults are a growing concern — and our community is looking to help.

On October 3rd, Fountain View Village hosted a fraud prevention seminar with Tiffany Lam, Community Affairs Liaison with the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office, to help attendees protect themselves against common senior scams. The event, which took place on our campus, was largely attended and a great success. Lam shared the  “Five Red Flags Seniors Should be on the Lookout For,” and how to react to them, which are:

• Unexpected Requests: Be cautious of sudden requests for personal or financial information.
• Too Good to Be True or Scare Tactics: Be wary of offers that seem overly generous or threats for non-compliance.
• Urgent Demands: Pressure to act immediately is a common tactic used to rush victims and prevent them from verifying claims.
• Untraceable Payments: Avoid wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or gift cards — these are nearly impossible to recover.
• Suspicious Communication Details: Double-check email addresses, phone numbers, and websites for legitimacy. Poor grammar or odd formatting are common signs of a scam.

The event received local written coverage by The Fountain Hills Times Independent and Arizona’s Family (KTVK), as well as an almost 4-minute video segment on Good Morning Arizona (take a watch below!). 

The video segment featured interviews with Fountain View Village residents Glen and Diana Olinger. Glen, who already considers himself tech-savvy, knows there’s still always more to learn. “[The scams] went from mail to telephone, to the internet… it’s so much easier for scams these days to go around,” he says.

“You have to be up to date because there’s new ones all the time,” Diana adds. 

“They seem to work on the elderly — and that’s us,” Glen says. Thankfully, events like the awareness seminar at Fountain View Village are working to combat the worrying trend.

The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) recommends these four steps to protect yourself against fraud:

• Turn on multifactor authentication
• Recognize and report phishing attempts
• Update security software
• Create strong passwords that use letters, special characters, and numbers

Watch the full video segment below, and visit our website to learn about more exciting upcoming events.