Enlighten Me: Are you being scammed and how to detect fraud?

By Joe Irizarry

Published April 17, 2026 at 11:19 AM EDT

Fraud targeting seniors and older adults is becoming more prevalent, especially financial scams. — A new AARP report has found that an estimated 38 percent of American adults say they’ve lost money to fraud, rising to 41 percent among those 50 and older.

April is AARP Fraud Prevention Month.

As part of the organization’s efforts to address the issue, AARP conducted a survey to understand the public’s concerns regarding fraud, and will host free events in Delaware this month to help residents protect themselves from fraud.

In this edition of Enlighten Me, Delaware Public Media’s Joe Irizarry is joined AARP Delaware’s Communications Manager Kimberly Wharton to discuss what AARP’s research found, what types of fraud and scams people should be aware of and best practices to avoid becoming a fraud victim.

Enlighten Me: Scams and Frauds in 2026

DPM's Joe Irizarry spoke to AARP Delaware’s Communications Manager Kimberly Wharton about their latest report surveying people's knowledge on different scams.