Don't Be Fooled: 5 Steps to Help Avoid Financial Scams

Scam artists are more prevalent now than ever. In fact, Americans reported losing $1.5 billion to fraud in 2018, up 38% from 2017, according to the Federal Trade Commission. And in today's information age, when much of our financial life is managed through a computer, mobile phone or other electronic device, fraudsters have many tools at their disposal.

You might think that older Americans would be at particular risk, because they may not be aware of the different ways they could be swindled through what seems like an innocent or legitimate communication. However, according to the FTC,