Hundreds of dollars in gas and grocery vouchers? Sounds great! It's a deal people may sign up for without a second thought, but is it too good to be true?
Let ABC15 Know viewer, Cornelius, wrote to us after receiving a voucher in the mail which he believed was sent from AARP. To get a voucher, he needed to pay a shipping fee. He called the number on the mailer and gave his debit card information. Months went by but he was still waiting for his voucher, so he Let ABC15 Know.
Our Better Business Bureau volunteer, Andrew, hopped on the case. He reached out to AARP to ask about the voucher and made a big discovery: the voucher was not sent by AARP, but instead by a scammer posing as the company.
A closer look at similar flyers shows it reads 'AAPP' instead of 'AARP'. In the moment, it can be easy to miss key details and that's what scammers hope happens.
"Oftentimes, we're not necessarily looking for the red flags, we're looking at the excitement of potentially getting this opportunity," explained Amy Nofziger, Director of Victim Support and Fraud Watch Network at AARP.
AARP is not the only company fending off impostors. Scammers can lift logos and pictures from legitimate companies to create convincing fake websites or to add legitimacy to emails and letters they send to unsuspecting consumers.
Consumers can protect themselves best by taking a moment of pause. If you did not initiate a conversation with a business, be wary of unsolicited contact. Instead of engaging, find the contact for that business from their website and check to see if they've contacted you.
When AARP reaches out to consumers, it's typically to share information and resources. Nofziger says the only time the company will ask a consumer for a payment is when they're signing up for a new membership and that's an interaction the consumer initiates.
Be cautious of anyone asking you to make a hasty decision or pay right away over the phone.
If you're suspicious or have a question about a potential scam you can always contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360. The helpline is free and available to everyone, no membership is required.
"We have trained volunteers who will guide you through whatever mailing or phone call you got to let you know if it's legitimate," Nofziger explained.
Consumers can also reach the Let ABC15 Know team anytime by emailing consumer@abc15.com.
