Here’s what happened to me: one of the TV channels I stream stopped working. I went to the website and couldn’t find answers. I was frustrated and wanted to talk to a live person to help me. When I couldn’t find a phone number on the website, I did an online search. I typed in: “How do I talk to a real person at XXX.” I called the first number that came up in the results.
You guessed it, that was not a number for my streaming service, but a direct line to a scammer. (Scammers often pay to have a “sponsored” link appear at the top of search results.) I followed the instructions the kind woman on the phone gave me: I confirmed the credit card they ‘had on file,’ and I agreed to giving her remote access to my computer.
It wasn’t until my computer screen blacked out so I couldn’t see what she was doing and she asked me to read her a code I received in a text that it dawned on me it was a scam. I lied and said I had to use my computer immediately because my husband had an accident, and luckily she ended the remote access, giving me back control of my computer.
In those short 10 minutes, the scammer opened an account in my name at Home Depot and ordered $500 worth of gift certificates. I believe the numbers she was telling me to read to her were codes to authorize money transfers. If I hadn’t cut off access, it was probably only minutes until she found all the bank information stored on my computer. They could have wiped out all of my accounts.
So, who gets scammed (besides me?) A report from the Pew Research Center in 2025 found that 73% of Americans have experienced an online scam or attack. That’s three quarters of us.
You might be thinking, “It’s mostly seniors, right?” Nope. Another Pew Research Center report broke down Americans who had experienced at least one online scam by age, and the group with the most scams were the 30-49 age group at 77%. But it was a close race — ages 18-29 were at 73%, ages 50-64 at 76%, and folks 65+ came in at 66%. (While seniors weren’t the “winners” here – this report looked at online attacks — it’s possible that seniors are more apt to be scammed over the phone or by other methods.)
We all know it’s getting worse. In particular, scam calls/texts are increasing exponentially because new technology can dial phone numbers automatically. Artificial intelligence (AI) is also facilitating hacking personal information at an alarming rate.
Unfortunately for us, it’s getting tougher to identify scams. Not only is technology advancing, but scammers spend all day figuring out how to separate us from our money. Scammers are getting better and better at camouflaging their attacks — AI can clean up bad grammar and generate audio and visuals that are difficult to tell from reality. It has become extraordinarily challenging to figure out what is and isn’t a scam.
Here are some common tactics scammers use that have been identified by the AARP Fraud Watch Network: Unexpected Contact (a message out of the blue), Surge of Emotion (fear, guilt, joy), Sense of Urgency (do this now!), Gaining Trust (being chummy, using info about you that is public — your name and address) and, of course, Sounds too Good to be True (you have a big inheritance!)
All of these tactics are designed to overwhelm the logical part of our brain. It’s challenging to think things through sensibly when you’re surprised by a call and on the line is someone who seems to know a lot about you saying you’re about to lose $499, or a sheriff is going to be at your door with a warrant, or a loved one is in trouble, or you’ve won a million dollars or met the love of your life.
What can we do? The folks at the AARP Fraud Watch have come up with a catchphrase (much like, Stop/Drop/Roll), to help us when we suspect we might be in the middle of a scam: Pause/Reflect/Protect.
Pause – take a break, breathe, slow down, hang-up, disengage. The scammers are counting on you rushing and panicking. Reflect – think it through or even better, talk to someone you trust: “Does this make sense to you?” Protect – if, like me, you do fall victim to a scam, call your bank and your credit card companies, make sure your computer isn’t infected with malware, and report the scam. (The Federal Trade Commission and the Better Business Bureau have websites with instructions on what to do after a scam.)
Before my scam, I prided myself on being “scam aware.” I thought I could spot a scam a mile away. This near miss woke me up. You can bet that from here on out, l am going to pause, reflect and protect.