Kathy Stokes: Why Investment Fraud Is Growing by Leaps and Bounds

Our guest on the podcast today is Kathy Stokes. Kathy is director of Fraud Prevention Programs with AARP, where she leads AARP’s efforts to educate older adults on the risks that fraud represents to their financial security. Kathy currently serves on the advisory council to the board of the International Association of Financial Crimes Investigators and on the advisory council to the Senior Issues Committee of the North American Securities Administrators Association. Kathy also serves on a Federal Reserve Working Group on scam information sharing. Before joining AARP, Kathy managed her own company, KSM Communications, and she also held various roles in public affairs at the Brookings Institution, Ernst & Young, Mercer, and the Employee Benefit Research Institute. She received her bachelor’s degree in rhetoric and communications at the University of Pittsburgh and her master’s in American government at Johns Hopkins University.BackgroundBioInternational Association of Financial Crimes InvestigatorsSenior Issues Committee of the North American Securities Administrators AssociationFederal Reserve Fraud Definitions Work GroupFinancial Fraud“6 Common Types of Investment Fraud and How to Identify Them,” by Cheryl Winokur Munk, aarp.org, April 11, 2024.“Data Spotlight: Who Experiences Scams? A Story for All Ages,” by Emma Fletcher, ftc.gov, Dec. 8, 2022.“Data Spotlight: Social Media: A Golden Goose for Scammers,” by Emma Fletcher, ftc.gov, Oct. 6, 2023.“Americans Reported Losing a Record $10 Billion to Scams and Fraud in 2023,” by Christina Ianzito, aarp.org, Feb. 9, 2024.“Many Americans Worry About Becoming Scam Victims, New Report Finds,” by Christina Ianzito, aarp.org, May 8, 2024.“Precious Metals Scams Target Investors Amid the Pandemic,” by Hanna Kozlowska, aarp.org, Jan. 19, 2022.“What You Need to Know to Protect Yourself Against Bank Scams,” by Patrick J. Kiger, aarp.org, Aug. 12, 2024.Crypto and AI“What to Know About Cryptocurrency Scams,” by Patrick J. Kiger, aarp.org, March 15, 2024.“New Technology Has Supercharged an Old, Formidable Foe: Fraud,” by Martha Boudreau, linkedin.com, April 18, 2024.“AI Fuels New, Frighteningly Effective Scams,” by Christina Ianzito, aarp.org, April 3, 2024.Senior Fraud“‛She Hooked Me’: How an Online Scam Cost a Senior Citizen His Life’s Savings,” by Feliz Solomon, wsj.com, June 8, 2024.“5 Ways to Prevent Elder Financial Exploitation,” by John Rosengren, aarp.org, June 10, 2024.“How to Keep a Loved One With Cognitive Decline Safe From Scams,” by Christina Ianzito, aarp.org, June 28, 2024.ResourcesBrokercheck.finra.orgInvestor.govBankSafeThinkingaheadroadmap.orgaarp.org/scammapAARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 877-908-3360Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)