By Larry Hicks | OBSERVER Editor

Connie, 64, became anxious — fearful, even — as the automated voice on the other end of the telephone warned that her Social Security account had been compromised, triggering an enforcement action against her.

Given a number to call to clear up the matter, Connie was asked for her Social Security number, birthdate and other personal information. Fortunately, fear turned into suspicion and Connie hung up.

While the person above is fictional, the scenario is all too real for hundreds of thousands of Americans cheated out of billions of dollars annually by scammers via phone, email, texts, online and in person.

That was the message delivered Aug. 14 by representatives from Chase Bank on Florin Road and AARP (formerly the American Association of Retired Persons). A multiracial group of about 50 Sacramentans, mostly seniors, assembled in the bank lobby to get tips to protect themselves from scammers.

Chase representatives cited a Federal Trade Commission report that California consumers lost more than $1.7 billion to fraud in 2024, with a significant rise in identity theft and smartphone scams. Robert Contreras, Chase security manager for the north-central region, said people aged 60-plus suffer hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.

“So it’s a huge, huge issue,” Contreras said.

In one Sacramento case, Contreras and police are pursuing a suspect who has cheated bank customers out of more than $100,000, he said.

Crooks are everywhere, foreign and domestic, preying on Americans. No age group is immune; no racial demographic is safe. “Scammers and fraudsters do not discriminate,” said Ken McGuire, a former 30-year veteran of the FBI and now vice president and electronic crimes investigator for JPMorganChase “Schemes can be simple or elaborate.”

Manuel Morfin, Chase vice president and community manager, urged attendees to keep their personal information like bank accounts, Social Security number, and birth certificate in a safe place and organized. “Not only does it enhance your safety, but you can’t find something if you don’t know where it is,” Morfin said. “Your files, your documents, your passwords … all that type of information that gains access to your personal information. Let’s line it up; let’s secure it.”

A fire and waterproof safe is a common means of storing important documents, said Morfin, who also recommended bolting the safe to the floor. Periodically update passwords and check vital documents monthly, he said.

Fraudsters invent a multitude of scams, preying on heightened human emotions:

  • Fear: Your power is about to be shut off.
  • Excitement: You’ve won a million dollars and a car!
  • Love online: I never thought I could love someone the way I love you.

Jill Jones, an AARP Fraud Watch Network volunteer, said victims of scams not only suffer financially but emotionally, too. “Gee, how did they dupe me? How did they trick me? I can’t believe I fell for that” are self-recriminations often heard from victims, Jones said.

“Older adults are scammed much more frequently than younger ages,” Jones said. Embezzlement, falsifying records, and coercion are common tools to cheat seniors. Credit card fraud is the No.1 method of identity theft.

Jones asked for a show of hands from the audience if they had ever been approached with a fraudulent offer or scam. Everyone raised their hand. “Trust me, you are not alone,” Jones said. “Identity theft is the No. 1 scam right now. It is going to increase. Every two seconds in the United States one of us has our identity stolen.”

“It can take days, weeks, months, years to recover,” Jones said. “So it is worthwhile for all of us to protect our personal identifying information and not give it out freely to strangers who ask for it.” 

Be aware of faux phone calls. Just hang up. Don’t click links from unfamiliar texts or email addresses. Be wary on social media, and set your account to only accept friends and family. Make sure your devices’ operating systems are updated regularly. Consider any request for an unusual payment method to be a red flag.

Below are expansive resources to guard your information and assets against fraud, or to report a crime.