RICHMOND, Va. — AARP Virginia is hosting three upcoming webinars in April focused on protecting your personal information online.
In 2023, scammers stole $158.3 billion from Americans, according to the Federal Trade Commission.
AARP Virginia’s associate state director, Brian Jacks, said his group has made a concerted effort to help individuals recognize the threats that exist online.
Their upcoming webinar on Wednesday afternoon titled "Protecting Your Personal Information Online" will focus on how to stay safe in cyberspace and recognize online scams.
“We need to be very careful on what information we're posting online, whether that's on social media or elsewhere,” Jacks said. “If you're letting people know through your social media channels that you're on vacation for a week in Costa Rica, that presents an opportunity for thieves or criminals to exploit that data and in some way come after you.”
The April 16 webinar on April 16 titled "Intro to Managing Your Privacy" will include tips on how ads target us online, how to limit tracking and where to find browser settings and extensions to better control how our information is shared.
Staff from the Virginia Office of the Attorney General will participate in an April 22 webinar that will highlight current scams targeting families in Virginia and guidance on how to prevent, deny, and report fraud by highlighting state and federal resources.
AARP has partnered with Senior Planet to host these online classes that are free and open to the public (an AARP membership is not required).
“It’s wise to be updated, and that's what our webinar is all about, helping people recognize when there are issues,” Jacks said.
Jacks said online scammers are using AI to help steal your money.
"All of a sudden, the grammatical errors and the unusually phrased statements all have vanished because of these online tools," he said. "So some of those things that were red flags in the past are no longer the case."
AARP offers another free tool where you can call 1-877-908-3360 and chat with a live person who can help you determine whether you’ve been contacted by a scammer.
You can also click here for the latest information about scams.
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