HARRISBURG, PA — As the new year gets underway, AARP Pennsylvania is urging residents to stay on high alert, warning that scammers are refining old schemes and deploying new tactics expected to hit older adults especially hard in 2026.
Fraud experts say financial pressure, social isolation, and rapidly advancing technology are creating a perfect storm for criminals. According to the Federal Trade Commission, reported losses from impostor scams among adults age 60 and older have surged dramatically, with cases involving losses of $100,000 or more rising from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024. Experts warn that artificial intelligence is likely to make scams even more convincing and harder to detect in the year ahead.
AARP Pennsylvania identified five scams expected to pose the greatest risk to older adults:
Employment scams, which use fake job postings or recruiters to demand fees or personal information; recovery scams, in which criminals pose as law enforcement or consumer advocates offering to retrieve stolen money for a price; digital arrest scams, where impostors claiming to be officials threaten victims and keep them on video calls to prevent verification; so-called “hello pervert” scams that use blackmail emails alleging compromising material; and romance scams that build emotional trust online before requesting money or steering victims into cryptocurrency schemes.
Mary Bach, volunteer chair of the Consumer Issues Task Force for AARP Pennsylvania, said scammers deliberately exploit fear, loneliness, and financial uncertainty. She said awareness and skepticism remain the strongest defenses, urging residents to pause and verify claims before responding to urgent demands or offers that appear too good to be true.
AARP officials said victims or potential targets should report scams to local law enforcement. Residents seeking guidance or support can contact AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Pennsylvania Fraud Resource Page at https://www.aarp.org/pafraud.
Advocates say staying informed and sharing warnings with family and friends can help prevent losses as scammers adapt their methods and expand their reach across digital platforms.
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