Sun Cities residents learn about fraud, scams

Every day, unrecognizable calls, texts and emails come in to seniors in the Sun Cities. According to a Federal Trade Commission report, Americans aged 60 and older lost $3 billion in 2025 because of fraud and scams.

Each year, the Federal Bureau of Investigation releases its Internet Crime Report, highlighting cybercrimes in the United States. According to the report, $20.877 billion were lost in 2025. This was a record for a single year.

California made the most complaints with 116,414. Arizona had the seventh most with 28,868

To help educate seniors on the dangers of fraud and scams, Banner Olive Branch Senior Center held an event featuring Chase Bank Community Manager Antonio Lara and Olive Branch Director Jennifer Lawless.

Lara suggests allowing the caller to leave a message, call the institution directly or let a trusted individual know about the communication received and what the person on the other end is requesting.

There are many common scams, and Lara said people need to know what to do if they are impacted, as well as how to be proactive.

Lara said for anyone who has been scammed, do not be ashamed. These people are professionals, they know how to speak to people and put the pressure on vulnerable individuals, especially seniors.

According to Aaron Core, associate branch manager at Sun Canyon Bank, one of the most common scams are romance scams. He attributed that to limited support and technological insufficiencies.

“One of the biggest mistakes is trusting someone whom they have never actually met,” he stated in an email. “Scammers can be very patient and take time to learn about their victim. Over time, this builds a false sense of trust so they can commit fraud much easier.”

Lara suggests making sure you are going through personal documents and policies once a year. For banking accounts, Lara said check it once or twice a week. He said for those customers who regularly visit the branch, banking officials will notice a change in behavior and will ask questions. It is not to pry, but to help protect the individual.

“Right now spoofing is big and hackers have the ability to change the caller identification on the phone. So you may get a call from Chase Bank, but in fact it is not the bank,” Lara said.

Other times scammers call pretending to be the Internal Revenue Service, Medicare or even a local government agency. Individuals can call directly and figure out if there is an outstanding issue.

Core said it’s important to stay “vigilant.”

“People can be a victim of fraud without realizing it,” he stated. “Being vigilant is key to avoiding fraud, as well as protecting your private information by not sharing it with anybody. If you suspect anything, call the bank. Even if it’s legitimate, it never hurts to get the bank involved.”

He added that fraud and scams can take many forms.

“It’s almost like a spider’s web, don’t get caught,” Core stated. “Scammers are always creating new ways to take what’s not theirs.”

He recommended having conversations with trusted individuals in your life so you’re not making decisions by yourself. He added education can help people “stay alert and avoid fraudulent activity.”

Scammers are now using AI to create a message with a grandchild’s voice picked from social media. Lara said the person will sound just like a grandchild, but it is not. He said hang up the phone and call your grandchild yourself and confirm it is them.

“Scammers will inject fear into us by making us believe we have to do something right away, and if we do not comply something bad will happen,” Lara said.

As the holidays roll around, it is a good time to set up a trust passcode with family or trusted friends and, in the event they need something from someone in that group, they can recite the family passcode.

Individuals need to understand a bank institution does not need you to provide your account number or social security number over the phone because they have that at their disposal.

“Call us immediately and explain the situation with as many details as possible,” Core stated. “Let the fraud team decide what’s important and what’s not.”

Reporter Zev Black can be reached at zblack@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to azopinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.