Michigan’s Attorney General will speak at a town hall in St. Joseph next weekend to help seniors better avoid scams.
According to the FBI, scams targeting people at and above 60 years old caused more than $3.4 billion in losses in 2023—an increase of approximately 11% from the year prior. The average victim of elder fraud lost $33,915 due to these crimes in 2023.
To raise awareness around these scams, Region IV Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is hosting a Senior Scams Town Hall with state Rep. Joey Andrews (D-St. Joseph) and Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel from 12:30-2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at the Campus for Creative Aging, 2920 Lakeview Ave., St. Joseph.
“Raising awareness about and preventing scams has been a focus of Area Agency on Aging’s work for 50 years,” AAA Chief Operations Officer Theresa Uhrich said. “We are excited to host an event that will bring the community together around this important topic.”
According to the FBI’s 2023 report on elder fraud, older Americans seem to be disproportionately impacted by scams and fraud. Over 101,000 victims aged 60 and over reported this kind of crime in 2023. Tech support scams were the most widely reported kind of elder fraud in 2023.
Nearly 18,000 victims aged 60 and over reported such scams. Personal data breaches, confidence and romance scams, non-payment or non-delivery scams, and investment scams rounded out the top five most common types of elder fraud reported in 2023.
This event is free and open to the community and will provide valuable insights into common scams targeting older adults and offer tips for consumer protection.
RSVP is not required for this event. For more information about how Area Agency on Aging can help older adults with scam prevention and awareness, call the Info-Line for Aging & Disability at 800-654-2810.
