LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) — Americans lost nearly $9 billion to scammers last year, according to the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC said a older adults are more likely to fall for these scams.
That’s why experts are giving advise on how to talk to your loved ones so they don’t fall victim and lose thousands of dollars.
Channel 8 has reported on dozens of these incidents this year alone, including one just this month where someone lost a quarter of a million dollars.
According to a recent report by the Associated Press, you should be on the lookout for two major scams right now.
The first is a romance scam. That’s when a scammer tries to lure older adults getting back into the dating world. The FTC reports people lost $1.2 billion in romance scams last year alone.
Second scam to watch out for is the grandparent scam. That’s when someone impersonates a grandchild and asks for money to get out of trouble.
Experts said there are ways to talk to your loved one to avoid falling victim.
The AARP said the best way is to make them aware and don’t impose information on them. You can always have the conversation with other people in the room as well so they don’t feel signaled out.
They said to also always be empathetic. Anyone can fall for a scam at anytime.
If you do come across a scam, you can always report it to the FTC website or the Better Business Bureau.
