Aarp Healthcare Services

Every two seconds in this country, someone's identity is being stolen. Crooks often combine sophisticated technology with age-old tricks to get people to send money or give out personal information.Knowing popular scams, and following expert advice, can help individuals stay safe from identity thieves and other fraudsters. The AARP Fraud Watch Network helps by tracking some of the scams.The Fraud Watch Network monitors a common fraud that involves scammers approaching victims and pretending to be a company that's announcing a sweepstakes or prize winner. They try to convince their victims to send cash, write checks or wire money. It's important to know that legitimate sweepstakes are always free; winning is by chance, and you should never pay any fees to claim a prize.Imposter scams also are common. Someone might call pretending to be a police officer, federal agent or your bank and try to persuade you to pay a bill that doesn't exist or reveal personal information. They work to persuade people to pay a bill that isn't legitimate. But real federal agents, like the IRS, will never contact you through the phone or email to demand immediate payment. All official correspondence will come by mail.Another fraud involves impersonation of a family member in distress. Scammers pretend to be a grandchild stranded while traveling or in need of money to get out of trouble. If this happens, the right response is to ask the caller unique questions that only a family member would know how to answer. Also, check the story with other family members before sending money.Types of identity theft vary widely and can involve approaches like someone using a stolen credit card number to go on a shopping spree to using someone else's Social Security number to file a fraudulent tax return.To minimize your exposure to identify theft, be sure to: shred all documents that contain personal information; check financial accounts regularly for unusual activity; and avoid clicking on web links from people you don't know.Fight back against identity theft and fraud. Learn more about active scams and find out how to spot and avoid them. Visit www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.Editor's Note: This article was submitted by Susan Williams. Susan is an associate state director with AARP Texas and can be reached at 1-866-551-5377.