Spotting the signs of a scam are crucial in protecting your money, an attorney said.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — As artificial intelligence gets smarter, so do the scams. And for seniors, the risk is even higher.
On Saturday, seniors got tips to avoid scams at a cybersecurity training at a community center in Delaware. The course was free and directed to local seniors.
The Unity Community Center, located on Ross Street, provides educational training, health and wellness initiatives and other resources and services to the underserved population on the south side of the city.
The National Council on Aging reports 60-year-olds and older lost $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023.
Attorney Carlos Crawford has helped multiple families who were victims of financial scams.
“Mainly the elderly and older people, people over 65, people over 70 who are not as Internet savvy and computer savvy,” said Crawford, who led the training.
He said spotting the signs of a scam are crucial in protecting your money. Some common online threats and scams include phishing scams, tech support scams, fake charity donations and romance scams.
“Misspelled words are probably one of the most common things you see,” Crawford added.
If something seems off, experts recommend trusting your gut.
“For instance, an email address from a person who claims they are with the IRS, but the email address doesn’t end in .gov — it ends in Gmail or Google,” Crawford said.
Experts recommend going to somebody you trust if you feel something might be a scam.
“A lot of times, I tell them look for weird forms of payment like cash and cryptocurrency and gift cards.”
