Last year the Federal Trade Commission recorded $10 Billion in reported fraud from U.S. consumers. Because fraud is underreported, actual losses are much higher. 

While education empowers older Americans to protect themselves, more is needed to eliminate this large-scale problem. AARP advocates for bipartisan laws and regulations to strengthen consumer protections against scams on everything from illegal robocalls, to gift card regulations to cryptocurrency scams and more. This work is done in state legislatures across the country, in Congress and at the White House.

Earlier this year AARP joined White House officials and industry leaders in a meeting aimed at helping the federal government fight back against the use of artificial intelligence-enabled voice cloning to commit fraud. A virtual White House conference followed in June, with AARP again at the table. With fraud already at an epidemic level, the addition of AI powered scams is alarming, which is why AARP is focused on advocating for a strong legislative response to this threat.

Already this year the Federal Communications Commission has moved to make it illegal to use AI voice cloning in robocalls targeting consumers. As a result, a scammer who cloned President Joe Biden’s voice to deceive voters in New Hampshire was recently fined $6 million.

If you can spot a scam, you can stop a scam.

The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource for all. Learn how to proactively spot scams or get guidance if you’ve been targeted. Visit aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork or call our dedicated helpline to speak to a fraud specialist at 1-877-908-3360.

With about 1 million members in Virginia, AARP is the largest organization working on behalf of people age 50-plus and their families in the Commonwealth. On Facebook at www.facebook.com/aarpvirginia and follow @AARPVa on X at www.X.com/aarpva.