April 4, 2026, 4:00 PM HST
Free document shredding, a telephone town hall on fraud prevention, and webinars on online safety are being offered during AARP Fraud Prevention Month in April.
According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers in Hawai?i reported $63.7 million stolen by fraud in 2024, with the most common scams involving imposter scams followed by online shopping scams and fake negative reviews, and investment fraud.
To arm consumers with information to fight fraud and to use the Internet safely, AARP Hawai‘i is holding the following events in April, Fraud Prevention Month:
Fight Fraud Telephone Town Hall
Date: April 11
Time: 9 – 10 a.m.
Details: Fraud experts will share tips and answer questions about cryptocurrency and other frauds. To participate, call 1?866?654?9490 or visit the AARP Hawai?i Facebook page at 9 a.m. on April 11.
More…
Identity theft is the “foundational” fraud upon which many other crimes are built. It involves the unauthorized acquisition and use of a person’s personal identifying information (PII), such as an ID number, Social Security number, or passport details.
- How it works: Fraudsters obtain PII through data breaches, mail theft, or “social engineering” (tricking people into revealing details). Once they have this data, they can open new bank accounts, apply for credit cards or loans, and even receive medical treatment under your name.
- Synthetic Identity Fraud: A sophisticated variation where criminals combine real and fabricated information to create a completely new, “synthetic” person. This is particularly difficult to detect because there is no single victim to report the suspicious activity initially.