Fraud and Identity Theft Are Concerns for Coloradans

Despite their concerns and experience with fraud and identity theft, many Coloradans need to take precautions to prevent these crimes from happening to them or a loved one.

Colorado currently ranks eighth in the nation in fraud complaints and 27th in identity theft complaints, with imposter scams topping the list. Though Coloradans have experienced fraud and have concerns, they still sometimes put their personal and financial information at risk.

At least half of respondents said they have been contacted by someone pretending to work for the IRS or Social Security Administration, someone offering fake tech support, and other imposter scams. A few also indicated that they were approached by someone selling phony COVID-19 cures or treatments, soliciting donations to a COVID-19 charity, or offering information about economic stimulus checks. Half of Coloradans say they or someone they know has experienced identity theft, and half of them say they or someone they know actually lost money.

AARP ElderWatch Colorado is a program with the state attorney general's office whose shared mission is to fight financial exploitation of older Coloradans and their families through outreach, data collection, information, and assistance programs.  This survey was commissioned to help identify and prevent fraud, and elicit consumers' concerns about fraud.

Methodology

This survey was fielded in April and May 2020, and 1,006 Coloradans ages 18 and older were interviewed.

For more information, please contact Jennifer Sauer at jsauer@aarp.org. For media inquiries, please contact media@aarp.org.