Scam Alert! The Qatari Airplane Con

POTUS has fallen for it. Don’t be next

There’s a sucker born every minute, but they aren’t usually President: image created in ChatGPT

As the FBI, the DOJ, the IRS, the AARP, and our grandchildren constantly warn us, scammers are everywhere. These bottom-feeding bandits, gleefully buying into ageist stereotypes, see elders as their ideal marks.

As far as they’re concerned, we’re techno-phobic, credulous stooges with bad hearing and fat nest eggs.

We’re just ready for the cracking.

Luckily, most of us are sharp enough to stay one step ahead of the swindlers. We’re too savvy to fall for the Nigerian prince ruse, the too-good-to-be-true investment appeal, or that heinous grandparent scam.

We know better than to wire cash to an offshore account, or to offer up our credit card info or our Social Security number.

And yet, grift happens.

The National Council on Aging reports that in 2023 alone, folks 60 and older lost over $3.4 billion worldwide to scammers.

And those are only the losses we know about. Many victims, once they realize they’ve been fleeced, are reluctant to come forward. They feel ashamed, embarrassed, and they blame themselves.

The crooks know this and are happy to use it to their advantage.