SAFFORD — “It can happen to any of us,” Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes told a crowd packed into the Graham County Senior Center on Monday.
Mayes was in Safford to speak with seniors about protecting themselves against the growing number of scams targeting them and their money, especially in Arizona. In 2023, seniors were victims of scams at a rate of 289 per 100,000 population — the highest rate in the nation.
“We’re seeing a rise in crypto currency scams against seniors; we’re seeing a rise in romance scams, especially on social media and platforms like Facebook,” Mayes said.
“We’re hearing stories — I heard this when I was up in Prescott from the Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office— of elderly folks walking into the food mart, literally with the phone in one ear, listening to the scammer, telling them to put their life savings into this crypto currency machine, and then it’s gone. Once it’s in the Bitcoin machine and crypto currency, it’s gone.”
Another scam that’s taking off, according to Mayes, is AI voice cloning. Scammers are using artificial intelligence to clone a family member’s voice and using that cloned voice to call and ask for money, usually by claiming the family member is in dire straits of some sort, either kidnapped or arrested.
– David Bell Photo/Gila Valley Central
“What we recommend at the Attorney General’s Office is develop a password or safe word with your loved ones that only you know. So, you can say to the cloned voice, or whoever it is on the other end of the line, ‘What’s our password, honey?’ And if they don’t know it, you know it’s a scam,” Mayes said.
Very often the senior is ashamed of falling for a scam or doesn’t want to share information with family members about what they are about to do with their money. Mayes said there are signs family members can look for to indicate if their senior may have been or about to be taken advantage of, including:
- Unexplained changes in behavior or mood
- Increased secrecy about financial matters
- Missing bills
- Unusual bank withdrawals
- Changes in spending patters
- Using unusual payment methods, such as gift cards, crypto currency or wire transfers
To protect themselves, Mayes said seniors should never give personal information over the phone, use secure passwords, monitor their bank accounts regularly, and discuss anything suspicious in person with family or trusted friends.
And if anyone thinks they have been the victim of a scam, they should immediately report it to the Attorney General’s Office at 602-542-5763 for a chance at prosecution of the scammers and restitution.
