Rural America Must Watch Out For Scams, Voskuhl Says

The top scams of 2022 targeted rural and urban Americans alike.  No matter where you live, scammers are constantly trying to find ways to con you out of your money.

“Scammers don’t care where you are from," said the AARP's Sean Voskuhl.  "They will tailor their approach against your demographic to sound as realistic as possible. The top scams of 2022 include imposter scams, online shopping scams, prizes and sweepstakes, investment scams, and business and job opportunities.”

And, he noted, in 2022 scammers were very successful.  He pointed out that the latest FTC data book indicates $8.8 billion was lost to scams last year.  And consumers reported losing more money to investment scams, more than $3.8 billion, tops for any category in 2022.  How do you avoid falling for these scams?

“The most important thing to remember is if you spot a scam, you can stop a scam," Voskuhl said.  "Be vigilant and skeptical. Don’t believe everything you receive on social media or via a phone call. And never give out your personal information to any questionable source.”

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