Scammers Acquired More Money Through Fewer Reported Tricks In 2022

While scammers may have had less success last year in the number of times they swindled someone out of their money, the amount of money they got their hands on made up for it.

The American Association Of Retired Persons (AARP), reports there were 1-million fewer reported scams to the Federal Trade Commission last year, people still lost an estimated $8.8 billion, which is up by about $2 billion from the year before.

The AARP says those numbers may be under-reported.

There was an increase in investment schemes as well as scams asking for cryptocurrency as a form of payment, in fact cryptocurrency related losses doubled from 2021.

Given the current time of the year, the AARP is also warning people about IRS Scams, which consumers reported losing $2.6 billion last year.

The scam starts with a robocall, robo-text or robo-email, but the IRS says it does not engage in these practices.

If you think you have an issue concerning taxes, don’t hesitate to contact the IRS yourself, instead of waiting for them.

The AARP says scammers have also been paying attention to the news and are trying to target those seeking student loan relief.

Click here for more information regarding the AARP Fraud Watch Network