Volunteer Spotlight – Tracy Swaim: Fraud Fighter

Fraud is constantly evolving, but so are the people fighting it. Tracy Swaim, AARP Wyoming’s 2024 Fraud Fighter of the Year, has spent her career protecting consumers from scams, cyber threats, and financial fraud. A Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE) with a background in law and fraud investigations, Tracy has made it her mission to help people recognize scams before they happen.

“By day, I’m a fraud manager for a large online bank—but by night, I’m an AARP Fraud Fighter,” Tracy says. Her passion for fraud prevention extends beyond her job, as she volunteers to educate the Wyoming community about scam tactics, cybersecurity risks, and fraud prevention strategies.

Her journey into fraud prevention started in an unexpected place—a law office where she worked as a paralegal helping people who had been fraud victims. Later, while working in bankruptcy and estate management for a bank, Tracy uncovered a case of fraud that changed her career path forever. When a fraud investigator suggested she make the leap into fraud prevention full-time, she never looked back.

Since then, Tracy has built a career investigating scams and educating the public on fraud trends. “Talking to people, training and teaching on this is what gets me out of bed in the morning,” she says. “Any time I can help a consumer not click on that link or not take the weird phone call, that’s a win.”

Her work with AARP Wyoming has been instrumental in reaching those most at risk. Over the past year, Tracy has led fraud prevention presentations across the state, covering social engineering, AI scams, data privacy, and banking fraud. She’s spoken at events like the Promoting Our Women Warriors veterans conference. She has been featured on the Banking on Fraudology podcast, discussing how volunteering has strengthened her ability to fight fraud.

Tracy believes that fraud prevention doesn’t have to be dry or overwhelming—and that’s exactly why she’s leading AARP Wyoming’s newest initiative: The Fraudettes.

This new, fast-paced monthly Facebook/Zoom series on the third Thursday of the month at 4:30 pm brings fraud prevention to life with humor, energy, and real-world stories. As the lead Fraudette, Tracy will break down the latest scams, share tips on staying safe, and answer questions from viewers.

The first episode is coming up soon (3/20) —sign up today at aarp.org/wyevents. If you miss it, don’t worry! You can catch past episodes anytime at aarp.org/wyondemand.

Want to join the fight against scams? AARP Wyoming seeks passionate volunteers to help educate communities, spread awareness, and protect consumers from fraud.

To learn more about becoming an AARP Wyoming Fraud Fighter, contact Jennifer Baier, AARP Wyoming Outreach Director, at jbaier@aarp.org.

With Tracy Swaim leading the charge, Wyoming is a little tougher on scammers and smarter about fraud.