AARP Schedules Events in North Dakota for Fraud Prevention Month
One will be a cybercrime seminar in Fargo, while the other will be a document-shredding opportunity in West Fargo.
FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) – You may be used to hearing stories about attempted scams or cold-calling fraudsters and thinking, “Who would fall for that?”
Well, by the AARP’s tabulations – over 2,500 folks filed reports in just the first three quarters of 2025, with a total monetary loss of $14.3 million dollars.
AARP North Dakota director Josh Askvig says that the Internet remains the primary place for financial predators – especially those seeking to exploit the elderly.
“Criminals are targeting older adults because of their access to liquidity,” he said. “They’re often trying to get folks to act emotionally, act quickly, without thought.”
To that end, the organization is holding a Vigilance Against Cybercrime seminar on Wednesday, April 15, at the James Carlson Branch of the Fargo Public Library.
AARP wants to also remind people to not focus too heavily on the digital world, as there is plenty of printed material out there with social security numbers and other identifying information waiting to be stolen.
On Saturday, April 25, they’ll be hosting a Shred It day in West Fargo, where you can safely destroy such documents.
Askvig says that if these resources and events can help even one elderly person prevent getting tripped up, the organization will feel like they’ve done their job.
AARP North Dakota says that the three most common scams for those first three quarters of 2025 were: imposter scams, online shopping scams, and cyber threat scams.
