Posted on 06/18/25
| News Source: Maryland Matters
Annapolis, MD - June 18, 2025 - Jane Dean recalled the urgent phone call on Feb. 13, 2024, from Amazon about a possible fraud by someone trying to purchase a MacBook.
The retired 72-year-old nurse doesn’t have an Amazon account, but the caller was convincing. He knew the name of Dean’s local bank and the correct phone number for its fraud department.
The scammer convinced Dean to send $25,600 to a specific address and said her money would be protected as part of a federal investigation into a man from Mexico who was reportedly trying to open an account in her name to launder up to $300,000. If she didn’t help “nab the bad guys,” Dean was told ominously, she could be convicted for money laundering.
The scam unraveled when Dean went to the bank to withdraw more money, but was told by the teller that the bank did not have enough cash on hand for what she wanted. When she spoke to a branch manager, he told her, “‘I think you’re being scammed.’
“If it hadn’t been for him, I would be still under the ether,” Dean said of her experience.
Dean shared her story Monday as part of AARP Maryland’s annual week of free workshops, webinars and other activities to combat financial exploitation against older Americans. The initiative coincides with World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on Saturday.
Dean was joined by representatives of AARP, federal and state agencies and other advocates urgiong the public to help senior citizens from being exploited.
According to AARP, older Americans reported nearly $4.9 billion in losses due to fraud in 2024, a 43% increase from the previous year. The average loss for those 60 and older was $83,000.
Federal Trade Commission data showed that there were 44,195 fraud reports from Maryland residents in 2024 for a total loss of nearly $202 million, up from the 44,168 fraud reports in the state in 2023 that cost $168 million.
Marylanders age 60 and older were increasingly victimized by scammers, according to the FTC data. While the number of victims fluctuated, the cost of those crimes rose steadily, from $9.8 million in 2020 to $46.9 million in 2024. And 2025 is on pace to eclipse that number, recording $16.4 million in losses in the first quarter of the year alone.
Karen Morgan, who serves on the AARP Maryland Executive Council, said the state ranked fifth in the nation last year in terms of all fraud and eighth in identity fraud.
Morgan said there’s one main reason why scammers target Maryland.
“We have a large percentage of people that get pensions. We have a large percentage of federal, state and local government employees concentrated in this area and scammers target those funds,” she said after Monday’s news conference. “Scammers use your emotions as a weapon. That’s why they can be successful.”
Tony Salazar, commissioner of financial regulations within the state Department of Labor, said Senate Bill 305 should help to decrease the number of scammers, especially when it comes to advanced technology.
The legislation, sponsored by Sens. Pam Beidle (D-Anne Arundel) and Shelly Hettleman (D-Baltimore County), will require the operator of a virtual currency kiosk to register with the state. Although the law goes into effect July 1, registrations of virtual kiosks will not start until Jan. 1, 2026.
Salazar’s office will oversee and enforce all regulations that include consumer protections, reimbursements and disclosure requirements.
“Despite our collective efforts, the scams [are] not slowing down. They’re actually increasing,” he said. “There’s a great and urgent need for continued vigilance education to protect Maryland seniors.”
Salazar and others offered advice on how Marylanders can avoid scammers, such as not making financial decisions under pressure and regularly checking their financial accounts and credit reports.
Morgan said individuals can have a “frâuad buddy,” or a person they trust with whom they can talk if a financial situation doesn’t sound right.aDean yelled one word of advice for Marylanders: “Stop!”
“Do not respond or react to any heightened emotional state that you are in because of an email, a text or phone call,” she said. “You should not carry that burden alone. You should talk to somebody, trust someone. You can’t go through this by yourself.”
For more information or to report a possible scam, speakers Monday pointed to a number of resources that include the Commissioner of Financial Regulation at 410-230-6100; visit AARP’s Fraud Watch Network, or call the fraud hotline at 877-908-3360.