AARP Hearing Center
AI-Related Fraud On the Rise
Posted on 01/01/26
by Sarah Hollander
As scam attempts become ever-more believable with the help of artificial intelligence, AARP Ohio volunteer Phil Smith emphasizes one word at his Fraud Watch Network presentations: Delete.
“Don’t become an investigative reporter to say, ‘I’m going to find out if this is real or not,’” says Smith, 74, of Dublin. “Delete it and move on.”
In almost every case, the person seeking money or confidential information through an email, text or phone call is not your pastor, boss, friend or relative, he says.
A national AARP study, conducted in 2024, found that 77 percent of surveyed adults 50 and older are worried they might personally become targets of an AI-related fraud.
They have reason to worry.
Fraud reports of all types across the country have risen in recent years, and the amount lost per year is up substantially, according to federal data. In Ohio, the first half of 2025 saw consumers in the state report more than 38,000 fraud attempts and $144.2 million in losses, data from the Federal Trade Commission shows. Due to widespread underreporting of fraud, law enforcement officials and experts say the true numbers are far higher.
And while the FTC’s reports don’t separate AI-fueled fraud from other types, anecdotal evidence shows how much of a problem it can be, says U.S. Sen. Jon Husted, an Ohio Republican who is a member of the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging.
Just ask his constituents.
One Ohio woman lost $5,000, thinking she was saving a distressed granddaughter in jail, Husted says. While the grandparent scam isn’t new, updated AI versions can include cloned voices and hyper-realistic videos. The voice in this case — possibly replicated off a video posted on social media — sounded just like the woman’s granddaughter.
“They’re very sophisticated scams,” Husted says, adding that, “Even if you’re ... aware of these things, they’re so realistic that it can easily fool you.”
Husted recently hosted a telephone town hall for Ohioans 65 to 85. When he asked participants if they or someone they knew had been targeted through some form of fraud, 7 in 10 responded yes.
“I think that they prey on loneliness. They prey on kind-heartedness,” Husted says. “And these new technologies — many seniors just can’t fathom how easy it is to impersonate a grandchild, a loved one, your local bank.”
LEGISLATION SEEKS AI INSIGHTS
Last June, Husted and Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) co-sponsored the Preventing Deep Fake Scams Act. AARP — saying that “AI-driven fraud poses significant risks to older adults” — has endorsed the legislation. If the bill gains traction — as of press time, it was awaiting committee action — it would create a task force of AI and cybersecurity experts, joined by representatives from the financial services sector and regulatory agencies.
Recommendations from the group would help policymakers develop strategies to safeguard consumers, Husted says.
Criminals target everyone, but older adults might suffer larger losses, as they’ve accumulated a lifetime of savings, says Clark Flynt-Barr, an AARP government affairs director for financial security. “Older fraud victims are increasingly having life-changing amounts of money stolen from them and advances in technology make these schemes harder to spot,” she says.
With so much information online — such as where someone lives and works and what organizations they belong to — criminals are finding it easier to personalize their phishing, adds Smith, the AARP Fraud Watch Network volunteer. “Phishing” refers to emails or other outreach that tries to trick somebody into revealing their personal and financial information.
At one of Smith’s fraud-prevention presentations, a pastor told him that an impersonator solicited his parishioners for money.
Other criminals use geography to target scams, Smith says. They pose as law enforcement demanding money for supposed traffic tickets, for example. Criminals used phone area codes in the Ohio Turnpike area to run a toll scam.
Keep your guard up, Smith says. “Don’t be the fish that bites,” he adds.
Targeted in a scam? You can report it to the Ohio Attorney General’s Office at OhioProtects.org or 800-282-0515. Find AARP’s Fraud Watch Network helpline at 877-908-3360 and aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.■
Author Sarah Hollander, a freelance writer and former daily newspaper reporter in Cleveland, has written for the Bulletin for 16 years.
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