25-03-2025
Scams are getting more sophisticated. Here's how to stay safe.
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TODAY'S STARTING POINT
On a recent Saturday morning, my future mother-in-law got a call from Central Maine Power, Maine's largest utility company. At least she thought it was from them.
The caller, who identified himself as Ryan with CMP, told her that her payment was overdue and that he was headed over to her house to disconnect her power unless she paid the balance. 'Ryan' gave her a reference number for her case and a phone number to call, which featured a standard pre-recorded menu of options ('press extension 2 for billing and payment'). A woman purporting to be another CMP employee picked up and advised her to pay her balance through Zelle, a digital service linked to many banks that transfers money quickly. If she paid through her CMP account or with a credit card, the woman warned, it wouldn't clear in time to stop the disconnection.
It was at this point that my fiancée's mom became suspicious. She logged into her online CMP account, saw that her outstanding balance was $0, and told the billing operator that. The operator hung up immediately.
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The experience left her embarrassed and shaken, common feelings for the 2.6 million people in the US who reported being targeted by a scam last year. Scams, which now steal more money from Americans than ever, have become increasingly sophisticated. Here's how you can protect yourself.
Scammers' paradise
Scams have become more ubiquitous, complex, and effective for two main reasons: technology and the involvement of foreign criminal groups.
Technology has made it easier for scammers to find victims. Phishing — attempts to steal your personal information through emails, texts, or robocalls —
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'Scammers are where people are,' said Rosario Mendez, an assistant director at the Federal Trade Commission's Bureau of Consumer Protection, which tracks fraud data.
Technology has also made scams easier to pull off. It's cheap to send robocalls, text messages, and emails in bulk. Artificial intelligence can create legitimate-looking websites and generate voices, images, and even videos — called deepfakes — that appear to be family members, friends,
International criminal groups have increasingly gotten in on the action. So-called 'scam farms,' many based in Southeast Asia, became more common during Covid. They often coerce trafficked people into targeting Americans and others with scam texts, calls, and social media outreaches. Members of Mexico's Jalisco drug cartel have posed as brokers — and
'Fraud is a business,' said Kathy Stokes of AARP's Fraud Watch Network, which helps Americans spot and report scams. 'Criminals follow the news just like everybody else, and they take advantage of what they know.'
Those factors helped drive reported fraud losses in the US
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Scammers are also adaptable. College students are vulnerable to employment scams, in which fraudsters pose as job recruiters. Despite the stereotype that older people are at greater risk, consumers in their 20s
Know the signs
Most scams, whether they come via cold phone calls, fishy texts, or emails with suspicious attachments, have a few things in common: The contact is unexpected, has a sense of urgency, and is designed to elicit a strong emotional response, according to Stokes of AARP.
A classic example is
There are also ways to prevent at least some scams from reaching you in the first place. Stokes suggests installing an app on your cell phone that blocks unknown numbers — like
Local news is also a good way to find scams circulating in your area. The Portland Press Herald
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And if you do get scammed, report it. You'll be helping others avoid falling victim. As Stokes said, 'It can happen, and does happen, to everybody.'
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