Jim Beam column:Senior citizens are scam targets
Published 6:43 am Saturday, September 12, 2026
The text message said someone was trying to charge $299 on my Amazon account and if it wasn’t me, it gave me a number to call. That spam message was easy to detect because I don’t have an Amazon account.
Unfortunately, many people my age are on the receiving end of spam emails, text messages and phone calls like that one and they become victims. I wrote recently about a fraud problem I experienced on my computer that almost cost me $500.
The fraud departments at my credit and debit card companies and at my bank account did an excellent job of protecting me from getting taken. However, the process took too much of my time and the time of my son who bailed me out of the problem.
A few years ago, I had an identical problem with my computer and that one did cost me $500. The fraud company that got my money must have thought I was pretty gullible because someone called me a year later and asked if I wanted to renew my $500 subscription.
A recent AARP email I received caught my attention and I wanted to share it. “How You Can Stop Illegal Robo Calls” was the title.
The AARP said there were three key takeaways in its story:
- Robocalls flooded phones with 4.3 billion calls made in July 2026 alone.
- Criminals use spoofed numbers, stolen personal data and AI-generated voices to make robocall schemes more convincing and targeted.
- AARP is backing new legislation that would crack down on the robocalls originating from other countries.
The story said, “Whether we’re sitting down to dinner or running an errand, our phones are with us — often bearing calls from criminals. They push out an endless stream of illegal robocalls dangling goodies such as free cruises or lottery jackpots, demanding payment for nonexistent debts or perpetrating some other scam to steal our money and get our sensitive personal data.”
Alex Quilici, CEO of YouMail, said over the past 10 years, “we’ve gone from somewhere where you could trust the caller ID and trust the caller to you can’t trust anything.”
YouMail is a company that provides call blocking and managing management services, some with fees.
Legitimate robocalls are used by doctors to remind people of appointments and by airlines to share news about a flight change. The Federal Communications Commission allows such robocalls, as long as they’re for informational or noncommercial purposes.
Pollsters, political campaigns and nonprofit groups (including AARP) can also call individuals.
Seven common robocall scams involve government imposters, phony utility problems, package delivery issues, romance scams, virus scams, bank problems and public programs.
Government imposters pretend to be from Social Security or the Internal Revenue Service. Or you could get a call saying you missed jury duty and must pay a fine.
Scammers threaten to shut off your electricity within 10 minutes unless you pay a fine immediately.
A message may say that packages have gone astray or that expensive charges were made on your account.
Romance scams involve callers trying to engage in conversation and build a relationship that leads to requests for money or cryptocurrency investments.
Virus scams involve scammers who pretend to be from a tech support company, warning that you’re not protected.
Criminals pretend to be from your bank and tell you there’s a problem with your account or there’s been a data breach. AARP suggests that individuals hang up and call a number they can independently verify. The banks are happy to have you do that, the AARP said.
Issues such as student loans are ripe for robocall scams. Clayton LiaBraaten, senior strategic adviser at Truecaller, a global caller ID, spam blocking and fraud prevention app, said criminals love confusion.
Quilici said individuals should be patient, be protected, be vigilant and be suspicious. He also suggests they don’t answer calls from unknown numbers, but if they do answer, avoid engaging. If they start to engage, stop and say you’ll call them back. Verify the number by calling a legitimate number rather than any number you’re given during a spam call.
The AARP said for support and guidance, the trained fraud specialists at the free AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline, 877-908-3360, can share information and say what to do next and how to avoid future scams.
Stay vigilant!
Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at jim.beam.press@gmail.com.
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