AARP Wisconsin hosts 'Scam Jam' in Milwaukee

 

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Scammers steal millions of dollars from Wisconsinites each year and the tactics they use are getting more and more sophisticated.

Saturday, AARP Wisconsin hosted a free event called Scam Jam to give Milwaukee area residents the tools they need to protect themselves.

The event was held at the Trade Hotel and included several partnering organizations. More than 150 people attended. Presentations included the FBI, fraud experts and consumer protection officials.

AARP officials say it's important to raise awareness about the risks. "Even people with the best intentions are maybe doing things that are putting their information at risk," said Courtney Anclam, AARP WI Senior Program Specialist.

Doug Shadel is a fraud expert and shared a presentation diving into how sophisticated scammers have gotten.

"Fraud has always been a problem but right now, imposter fraud is just an epidemic and its partly driven by the new technology, AI and it's getting harder and harder to determine what's real and what's fake so one of the things we're doing today is showing people how technology has made it hard and what you can do to avoid it," said Shadel.

The day included demonstrations showing how software can mimic anyone's voice and how to spot a fake video.

"We're going to show a lot of examples so people can be aware that what they're seeing may not be real," said Shadel.

While anyone can fall victim, scammers usually target older people.

Ingrid Kundinger is the program manager for the Senior Medicare Patrol Program WI.

"Information is power and the more information people have, the more resources they know about in their community...if we all work together maybe we can put the fraudsters out of business," she said.

For more information on how to protect yourself click here.