Published in RINewsToday on August 3, 2026
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer just changing how we work and communicate. It is rapidly transforming how criminals steal money from older Americans. Last week, the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging examined how AI-generated scams—from cloned audio to realistic deepfake videos—are creating an alarming new wave of fraud powered by artificial intelligence.
The afternoon hearing in room SD-562 dealt with AI-driven scams and financial exploitation. Since AI was introduced, the world of scams has changed significantly because criminals can now produce highly convincing deepfake videos and imitate voices with very little effort or technical knowledge, making them even harder to detect.
Taking a Closer Look at Computer-Generated Scams
The 83-minute hearing, held on Wednesday, July 29, featured testimony from victims who experienced devastating voice-cloning and deepfake fraud, medical professionals whose identities were weaponized, and experts from banking, cybersecurity, and consumer protection sectors who offered suggestions on combating it.
Scams have advanced far beyond annoying phone calls and deceiving emails,” says Chairman Rick Scott (R-FL) in his opening remarks. “AI can also be used to clone someone’s voice, a terrifying development that has been used in heartbreaking and evil ways to impersonate a loved one and deceive their family,” he says.
The Florida senator cautions that scams, fraud, and financial exploitation are now the main problem confronting seniors across the country. “With the development of AI, scammers have obtained new tools for carrying out their criminal activities, and we need to adjust our response to these emerging threats,” he stated.
Like Scott, Ranking Member Kristen Gillibrand (D-NY) expressed concern about the use of AI in scamming older adults. “By making it easier for bad actors to clone voices, fabricate images, and deceive targets, AI has facilitated an alarming rise in financial scams that rob our seniors of their hard-earned savings and personal information,” she said.
To combat the growing threat of technology-assisted fraud and scams, Senators Smith and Gillibrand called for strengthening the federal government’s ability to crack down on scammers and for Congress to pass legislation to promote the responsible development of AI.
Personal Stories, Calls on Congress to Tackle Issue
Dr. David Amron, the founder and medical director of the Roxbury Institute in Los Angeles, California, and founder and chair of the Lipedema, told lawmakers how he discovered that scammers in the summer of 2025 had taken real footage from his YouTube channel and combined it with digitally fabricated likenesses and the voice of a colleague as well as AI generated celebrity images and stolen media logos, to create a polished advertisement that appeared to be entirely legitimate.
Dr. Amron, who has treated patients with lipedema for more than three decades, testified that his office began receiving calls from people who watched a convincing video showing him endorsing a so-called “miracle” lipedema cream. Several had already purchased the product before realizing it was fraudulent.
Even after an 11-day battle with Meta, a Today Show investigation ultimately led to the removal of the fraudulent video. Dr. Amron’s frustration was that it kept resurfacing, underscoring how persistent and difficult it is to remove AI-enabled fraud schemes.
“The consequences extend far beyond financial loss,” remarked Dr. Amron, noting that patients may delay getting needed medical care to treat a progressive disease (like lipedema), placing their trust in unproven products and fraudulent services.
During the hearing, Dr. Amron urged lawmakers to strengthen protections against computer-generated impersonations, improve accountability for those who create and distribute them, and ensure laws keep pace with AI technology. He argued that pressure must be placed on platforms that host fraudulent content, stating they “have to have consequences.”
While Dr. Amron described how criminals easily use technology-assisted fraud to exploit public trust in medical professionals, the next witness described how voice cloning took a devastating emotional toll on her family.
Deborah Del Mastro, a Martinez, California resident, recounted a phone call she received last May during breakfast. This cloned call of her daughter crying and apologizing, from an unrecognized phone number, began a five-and-a-half-hour ordeal.
“I am usually very, very calm and collected in the face of crisis,” Mastro told the Senators, noting that she is always the person who “runs to the fire, now away from it.” She was totally convinced that she heard her daughter’s voice.
The veteran, living on a Social Security check and performance income made from acting and singing, with Mastro and her husband pulling a total of $ 5,400 cash from four separate transactions from MoneyGram and Western Union to send to Mexico.
Local police told Mastro that the “ransom” funds are unrecoverable. A detective told her that he “sees these by the hundreds.”
Education is key to protecting people from AI scams, asserts Mastro, telling the Senate panel that there is an absence of publicly available resources on how to protect yourself from AI-driven scams as opposed to the abundance of resources on how to use the emerging technology.
Financial institutions are also witnessing the rapid evolution of AI-driven scams. Paul Benda, the Executive Vice President for Risk, Fraud, and Cybersecurity of the American Bankers Association (ABA), describes how criminals are using AI to expand the scale and sophistication of traditional scams.
Benda, who chairs the ABA Fraud Coordination Group, reframes the new, evolving AI-driven scams not as a story of misused technology but as an industrial one.
“Generative AI is not replacing traditional scams. It is industrializing,” Benda asserts.
Benda explained that criminals are now using chatbots to initiate conversations before seamlessly handing victims off to human scammers once they become engaged. A survey of 14 large banks found that bank impersonation scams rose 150% from 2024 to 2025, Banta said, illustrating this growing threat.
Benda encouraged Congress to establish a national office for scams and fraud prevention, describing it as necessary to provide clear and national leadership to attack this problem. He also called for stronger telecom safeguards to keep criminals off calling networks and to restore trust in caller ID. He argued that if a name and number appear on caller ID, the telecom provider should be held accountable if it is accurate.
At this point, the hearing turned from personal and industry experiences to the broader cybersecurity challenges posed by this rapidly advancing technology.
Cybersecurity expert Matthew F. Ferraro, a Partner at Crowell & Moring LLP and a former official at the Department of Human Services, personally testified at this hearing, noting that his views do not represent his firm or clients.
Ferraro argued that “deepfakes can supercharge scams and cyber frauds, especially targeting senior citizens.” According to an industry report, financial losses from deepfake-enabled fraud exceeded $200 million in the first quarter of 2025.
Citing another study, Ferraro further illustrated the cost of AI-generated fraud. Consulting firm Deloitte expects that generative AI could enable fraud losses to reach $40 billion in the United States by 2027, he said.
In his testimony, Ferraro pointed out a successful national educational model to combat AI scams. Finland has integrated media literacy and AI-media spotting training into educational programs for both young and old.
Ferraro urged lawmakers to promote AI detection tools and provenance technology that tags media as human-created or AI-generated, comparing the potential to email spam filters operating in the background.
Ferraro concluded that stronger coordination among federal and state governments, law enforcement, and the private sector is essential for policymakers to successfully attack this problem and stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated fraud operations.
Holding Big Tech Accountable
While several witnesses focused on prevention and consumer education, another argued that Congress must also hold technology companies more accountable.
“I want to be clear that the devastating deception we’re seeing is not a result of technological ineptitude for older users…but rather a crisis emboldened by the biggest tech companies we know paired with a failure to rein them in,” charges Ben Winters, Director of AI and Privacy at the Consumer Federation of America.
“This is not an issue of personal responsibility, but something Congress is uniquely positioned to address,” says Winters.
Winters urged Congress to reject any legislative proposals that would prohibit states from regulating technology or limit tech company liability – characterizing such proposals as being “pushed by tech companies right now.”
Winters also recommended passing comprehensive data privacy laws with data minimization requirements and bans on the sale of sensitive data – specifically citing the practice of selling lists of people battling Alzheimer’s for targeting purposes as something that must be prohibited.
Winters supported the other witnesses’ call for sustained oversight of enforcement agencies to ensure that the federal government remains totally focused on upstream prevention of scams – “choking out the scam upstream, not just chasing individual scammers after the fact.”
The hearing also underscored that no family, not even a U.S. Senator’s family, is immune from these increasingly convincing scams.
Senate Aging Committee Member, Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) disclosed that his mother-in-law was scammed by a voice clone impersonating his granddaughter, sending $10,000 to someone claiming to be stranded in Europe.
Report Sheds Light on AI-Driven Scams, Impact
At this hearing, Chairman Scott (R-FL) and Ranking Member Gillibrand released a joint report: Artificial Intelligence & Older Americans: Confronting New Threats, Unlocking New Opportunities. The document details both the potential benefits of AI and the unique financial risks it poses to older Americans.
The 25-page report cited research, shedding light on the negatives of this emerging technology. Americans reported nearly $21 billion in cybercrime losses in 2026, with $893 million tied to AI-enabled scams across more than 22,000 complaints. More than 82 percent of phishing emails are now created with the help of AI.
Recognizing warning signs early can potentially prevent huge financial losses from AI-enabled fraud. Any unsolicited contact by phone, text, email, or social media should be treated with immediate skepticism, regardless of how professional it looks or how urgent its message appears, the report warns.
Slow down and pause before acting, the report recommends. Review your financial accounts regularly for unauthorized transactions and set up transaction alerts through your financial institution. For protection, the report notes that the Federal Trade Commission recommends placing a free credit freeze on all three major credit card bureaus.
Any payment requests can be a red flag for a scam. Any request for payment by gift card, wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or cash is a clear indicator of fraud, the report notes.
AI-simulated threats using deepfakes and voice cloning can replicate a loved one’s voice or image to perpetrate financial fraud. The report suggests that a family code word or verbal safe phrase be used to verify the identity when a family member appears to be calling in. AI voice cloning or deepfakes.
Finally, the Senate Aging Committee report stresses the importance of reporting fraud, recommending that victims contact the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-336.
On a positive note, older persons using AI company devices experienced a 95 percent drop in feelings of loneliness, along with substantial gains in overall well-being. This technology can also potentially reduce preventable adverse drug reactions, lower hospitalization costs, and improve the quality of life of millions of older persons managing multiple chronic conditions.
Increased efficiency through the use of AI scribes saves physicians time on administrative paperwork, increasing productivity and allowing them to spend more quality time with their older patients.
Meanwhile, AI use in clinical decision-making can improve sepsis detection, improve cancer diagnosis, and help the physician understand multiple drug interactions, all of which have a significant impact on providing care to older adults.
Finally, the report notes that AI use to reduce falls, to track vital signs, medication adherence, sleep patterns, and activity levels can help older adults age in place.
As lawmakers continue debating how best to regulate AI, one message clearly emerged repeatedly during the hearing: technology will continue evolving, but awareness remains the strongest defense. For older Americans, taking a moment to verify an unexpected phone call, text, or email may well be the simplest—and most effective—way to avoid becoming the next victim.
To watch the Senate Aging Committee AI hearing, go to https://www.aging.senate.gov/hearings/the-ai-deception-machine-deepfakes-chatbots-and-the-new-frontier-of-senior-fraud
To read the Joint Senate Aging Committee AI report, go to FINAL VERSION AI Report.
Tag Archives for scams
Medicare Fraud Prevention Week Puts Focus on Protecting Seniors from Scams
Published in RINewsToday on June 8, 2026
As skyrocketing Medicare fraud schemes cost taxpayers billions each year, congressional leaders, federal agencies, and consumer advocacy groups intensify their efforts to combat aggressive scams targeting older Americans.
Experts estimate that Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse may cost as much as $60 billion annually. However, no federal agency publishes a definitive total amount because much of the activity goes undetected.
The growing incidents of Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse framed the discussion on June 3, 2026, at the Leon Mathieu Senior Center in Pawtucket, where more than 40 older adults gathered for the Fifth Annual Medicare Fraud Prevention Week event.
During the 75-minute presentation, three federal officials shared valuable information with the attending Medicare beneficiaries, designed to increase their awareness of fraud tactics and equip them with practical strategies to safeguard their personal and health care benefits.
The afternoon program was hosted by Rhode Island’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP), along with special agents from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), and the City of Pawtucket.
At the gathering, municipal, state, and federal leaders warned that Medicare recipients remain primary targets of fraudsters who use fake medical claims and identity theft. Specific types of fraud were highlighted, including durable medical equipment (orthotic braces, urinary catheters), genetic testing, and fraudulent billing by medical providers.
Learning to Spot the Warning Signs
Christine Anderson, Health Information Manager at the Rhode Island Office of Healthy Aging (OHA) and the leader of the state’s SMP program, said the program’s goal is to provide beneficiaries with practical tools to protect themselves and encourage them to be more proactive in reporting suspicious fraud activity, potentially reducing the success rate of scams within Rhode Island.
Anderson emphasized that scammers will often pose as representatives of Medicare, Social Security, or local human services offices to obtain or confirm Medicare numbers, which can be used to bill for unnecessary durable medical equipment such as back or knee braces.
SMP’s Program Manager urged attendees to review their Medicare Summary Notices (for Original Medicare) or their Explanation of Medical Benefits (EOMB), and to seek assistance from the SMP program and the Leon Mathieu Senior Center (or their local senior center) if they see unfamiliar charges.
“If something doesn’t look right, ask questions,” Anderson urged.
“We are grateful to the OHA, HHS-OIG, CMS, and the SMP for bringing this important information directly to our residents,” Donald R. Grebien, Mayor of Pawtucket said. “Education and awareness are critical in protecting older adults and preserving the integrity of the Medicare system.” It is one of the strongest defenses against scams targeting older residents,’ he says. Grebien pointed out that fraud can threaten both the financial security and well-being of seniors.
Echoing Grebien’s sentiment, Elizabeth Moreira, Pawtucket’s Deputy Director of Administration, said community education is key, stressing that awareness of the growing prevalence of scams is one of our strongest tools for preventing fraud. “Events like today give our community and caregivers the tools they need to recognize warning signs, protect their personal information, and report fraud before it can harm them,” Moreira said.
Federal Enforcement Efforts
HHS-OIG Special Agent Victoria Mens and Assistant Special Agent Lindsay Walford described their federal agency’s role in investigating fraud, waste, and abuse across more than 100 HHS programs, including health, social, and Medicare and Medicaid programs.
The federal agents also explained how they fight Medicare fraud, waste, and abuse.
They highlighted how the Office of Audit Services and the Office of Evaluation and Inspections publish reports on systemic problems including nursing homes lacking emergency power and using antipsychotic drugs to control residents.
To safeguard $2 trillion in federal healthcare funds, HHS-OIG conducts audits, evaluations, and criminal investigations.
The federal officials also cited prosecutions involving overbilling for medical equipment, large-scale catheter fraud schemes, and psychiatric billing for services that were never provided.
One of the most costly schemes involving urinary catheters was estimated to have resulted in attempted losses of about $4.5 billion, notes Walford.
During the presentation, Walford cited a Rhode Island case. She noted that Zynex Medical allegedly overbilled multiple payers about $873 million for TENS units and excessive supplies, leading to criminal charges against company leaders and a non-prosecution agreement with the company.
“A lot of that has been stopped, and so that money hasn’t all gone out, but that’s the tune and counting as to how much they’re attempting to pull out of the Medicare Trust Fund,” Walford said. She gave an overview of HHS-OIG accomplishments. Between April and September 2025, OIG work led to $2.2 billion in recoveries through settlements and criminal restitution. The agency said it returns nearly $13 for every dollar spent on oversight.
During the same period, investigators completed more than 900 investigations and issued hundreds of recommendations to prevent improper payments, says Walford.
Protecting Yourself
Mens urged seniors to treat their Medicare number with the same care as a Social Security number. “Don’t give out that information,” she warns. “If someone calls claiming to be from Medicare or says they are your healthcare provider, hang up and call back using a number you know is legitimate,” she says.
“Scammers rely on urgency,” Mens said. “Take time to talk with a family member, Medicare representative, or healthcare professional before making any decisions,” she says.
Jennifer Syria, Regional Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, pointed out that beneficiaries play a critical role in preventing fraud. “When you review your statements and notice unfamiliar charges, you become a valuable investigator in preventing fraud,” Syria said.
Syria encouraged residents to report suspected fraud and have key details ready, including provider names, dates of service, payment amounts, and Medicare Summary Notices.
“If you suspect you are a victim of fraud, our trained staff can meet with you to help resolve the issue,” says Mary Lou Moran, Director of the Leon Mathieu Senior Center. If you need assistance, call 401-728-7582. Moran notes that protecting yourself comes down to three key actions: prevent, detect, and report.
For more details about Rhode Island’s Senior Medicare Patrol program, call (401) 1-888-884-8721.
Older adults attract scammers with popularity of cyberdating
Published in RINewsToday on February 10, 2025
Digital technology is not just a way to find information and news, shop, or even search and apply for jobs. For older single adults, getting back into the dating scene can be difficult. It could be after a divorce, or death of a spouse, or just deciding some years too late that having a mate is something desirable at this time of your life.
Dating rules have changed since years ago. But, since the mid-1990s, when Match.com, the world’s first online dating website was launched, millions have utilized internet dating as a way to meet potential partners without leaving their home.
Today, online dating, sometimes referred to as cyber-dating, has replaced traditional ways (like belonging to civic groups, clubs and attending church) singles use to find that special person.
Even though many might consider on-line dating a crap shoot in finding that perfect person to spend the rest of your life with, a growing number of older adults are using online dating platforms. And many, unfortunately, are falling for online dating scams, as well.
A Snapshot of Older Online Daters
Last July, an article penned by Olivia Sidoti, research assistant, and Michelle Favero, research associate at Pew Research Center, provided an analysis of how older adults experience dating sites and apps and their views of online dating.
The data, obtained from a survey conducted in July of 2022, was taken from a 74-page report, “From Looking for Love to Swiping the Field: Online Dating in the U.S., released on Feb. 2, 2023.
According to the Pew study, about a quarter of older Americans in their 50s have used an online dating site, compared to 14% percent in their 60s and 12% in their 70s and older.
However, just 3% of the older respondents are currently using online dating platforms or have used them with the last year, compared with 15% of those under age 50.
The Pew study found that 6% of the respondents over age 50 who were married, living with a partner or in a committed relationship, found their significant other online.
With so many dating sites and apps available to choose from, the survey findings indicate that about 1 in 5 online daters have used Tinder.
About half of the adults age 50 and over cite seeking a long-term partner or spouse as the reason they have online dated in the past year. Meanwhile, about 36% say they want to date casually, with 22% saying their motivation is casual sex.
The researchers found that women aged 50 and over are more likely than males who use a dating site or app to say their dating experiences have been negative.
About half of the online daters ages 50 and over say they have encountered someone who they thought was trying to scam them. Furthermore, about four-in-ten online daters ages 50 and older (45%) report unwanted behaviors while seeking a date online. Specifically, they were sent sexually explicit content they didn’t ask for (33%), and 26% were continually contacted after they expressed disinterest. Seventeen percent of the older users report they were called offensive names, and 4% were physically threatened.
Protecting Yourself When Online Dating
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), nearly one in four individuals older than age 65 are considered socially isolated. Older adults are at risk of isolation and loneliness due to living alone, loss of family and friends, chronic illness and hearing loss.
CDC says that there are also physical health risks as well. Those dangers include significantly increased chances of an early death, 50% increased risk of dementia, 29% increase in the likelihood of developing heart disease and a 32% higher chance of having a stroke.
There’s a Class for that!
With so many older adults not having meaningful relationships with their family or without having a significant partner, Sun City, Arizona-based Banner Olive Branch Senior Center offered a class covering the basics of finding love and companionship online.
“We feel this is an important topic to address because there are many seniors [in our community] who are alone,” says Jackie Cromer of Banner Olive Branch and instructor of the online dating class held last April. “It’s an approach to add some fun and excitement into their lives and allow seniors to feel connected and potentially even find love,” she said.
The class covered which dating sites to select, how to write and choose photos for your dating profile, the best ways to find and connect with potential matches, how to handle rejection, and emphasized safety tips such as not giving personal information, meeting in a public place, transporting yourself to the date and letting loved ones know your whereabouts.
Tips on Protecting Yourself Against Romance Scams
As a growing number of older adults go online to search for that special person, scammers take advantage of these individuals. According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), in 2022 almost 70,000 people reported being a victim of a romance scam.
Be aware of “red flag” indicators of a potential romance scam, when approached on a dating site, warns Home Security Investigations (HSI), the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, noting that scammers seek to gain the victim’s trust and then provide false information or misrepresentation to gain a financial benefit.
Here is some advice from Home Security Investigations (HSI):
HSI urges older online daters to watch out for the following indicators of a potential romance scam, when a potential partner:
· Claims they live, work or are traveling abroad.
o Lacks proper grammar, although they claim to speak English.
· Claims to be notably younger than you.
· Quickly professes love to you.
· Has a story that is inconsistent.
· Has a minimal online presence.
· Sends general photos (mostly fake/AI generated) of themselves traveling, shopping, or dining at luxurious locations.
o Sends or requests explicit photos or videos.
· Mentions the idea of meeting and being together soon.
· Provides periodic excuses for being unable to make a video call (e.g., Facetime).
o If a video call happens, you’re unable to see their face clearly.
· Requests to have conversations/texts be moved to a separate app (e.g., WhatsApp, Telegram).
Asks for money, often via non-traditional methods such as cryptocurrency or gift cards.
o Asks if you’ve ever invested in cryptocurrency and/or foreign exchange market.
o Sends a business link of a cryptocurrency and/or foreign exchange trading platform.
o Is combative with you or tries to divert your attention when you question their intentions.
Lastly, if your bank contacts you to express concern you are being victimized, this is perhaps the most significant red flag that you are being targeted.
You can also call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 1-877-908-3360 to talk with a trained specialist about protecting yourself when seeking a relationship on a dating site.
Matchmaker, Matchmaker, make me a match!
Many are now saying that the most successful way to find that appropriate partner is to be introduced to her/him by someone you know – be that family or friend. And, while not plentiful, and sometimes expensive, matchmaking services that match you up for a date, one on one, are around, even in Rhode Island. The good part is they will coach you on what to where, what to talk about if it’s been awhile since you had a date-convo, and if after the date, it doesn’t work out, they will handle the uncomfortableness of that conversation with the other party – and keep working on your behalf. Some matchmaking services advertise on local radio, and that may be a good place to start. All the rules of scams and checking out the company or person are still advisable, of course – ask for references!
And let us know how it goes – until then – Happy Valentine’s Day (week)!
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Herb Weiss 