Helena Mayor Signs Proclamation Naming April Fraud Prevention Month

Helena Mayor Emily Dean signed a proclamation March 23 naming April 2026 Fraud Prevention Month, as residents who testified before the City Commission disclosed more than $140,000 in collective losses to scams, figures that reflect both the depth and the underreported nature of fraud targeting Lewis and Clark County families.

AARP Montana representatives Kristin Page Nei and Marcus Meyer coordinated the proclamation with the city, part of a sustained push to make fraud prevention a public health priority in Helena. The effort drew community members and volunteers to the meeting, where personal testimony from victims gave weight to statistics that might otherwise feel remote.

Those statistics are striking. Montana residents reported $22.5 million in fraud losses in 2024, according to figures cited in the proclamation. Nationally, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center recorded a record $16.6 billion stolen through scams and fraud last year, up 33% from 2023, with an average loss of just over $19,000 per victim. The Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network, which received 6.5 million consumer reports in 2024, the most since tracking began in 1997, put reported losses at $12.5 billion, a 25% increase over the prior year.

The disparity between those two national totals reflects a grim reality: most fraud is never reported. The FTC estimates that actual losses experienced by older adults alone in 2024 may be as high as $81.5 billion when unreported cases are factored in.

Older adults bear the sharpest burden. Adults 60 and older filed more than 147,000 fraud complaints with the FBI's IC3 in 2024, more than any other age group, and reported nearly $4.9 billion stolen, a 43% jump from 2023. The average loss per older victim reached $83,000, more than four times the all-ages average. Helena's $140,000 in locally reported losses, at that average, could represent as few as two victims.

Bank transfers and wire transfers are the most dangerous payment method in the current fraud landscape. The FTC reported those transfers accounted for $2 billion in losses nationally in 2024, as scammers increasingly coach victims into authorizing direct transfers from their accounts before they recognize the threat.

AARP's Fraud Watch Network, established in 2013, provides free resources to all Americans regardless of AARP membership, including a fraud resource center, a scam-tracking map, and Watchdog Alerts delivered by email or text. Montana-specific tools and up-to-date scam alerts are available through AARP's Montana Fraud Watch page. Local officials urged residents to verify any request for money or personal information, treat pressure tactics and unusual payment demands as immediate red flags, and report suspected scams quickly to limit further losses.

AARP Montana and city staff have planned additional outreach throughout April aimed at older adults, caregivers, and the broader Helena community.