Use 'Pass It On' to talk about fraud this Older Americans Month

By Bridget Small

This month, we join the nation to celebrate Older Americans Month. It's also the 10th anniversary of Pass It On, the FTC's fraud education campaign for older adults. As Older Americans Month recognizes the power of social connections, we recognize the many thousands of people who've connected through Pass It On, starting conversations to help others avoid scams.

When the FTC first developed Pass It On, we asked older adults what they wanted from fraud education. They told us: clear language, direct advice, and easy readability. In response, we created plain language materials that respect readers and their life experience. At the start, Pass It On covered the seven most relevant topics. But as scams and scam tactics changed, the topics covered nearly doubled, including topics from Grandkid and Family Scams to Unwanted Calls and Text Messages. You can read articles online, or order print copies to share, in English and Spanish.

While older adults represent a variety of cultures, ages, and learning styles, they all may experience scams. Recently, a group of government partners, consumer advocates, and industry representatives released principles to help guide any organization that wants to reach older adults. Pass It On is grounded in these principles, and did we mention it's free to use or share?

Over the past ten years, thousands of trusted community partners have delivered Pass It On messages to their clients, neighbors, and wider communities. Dedicated folks in aging services, consumer protection civic groups, financial services, law enforcement and more have given presentations, led calls, and shared information with friends and family. We even heard that Pass It On ideas have been added to fraud Bingo games in New York and community theater presentations in Florida. Want to join our network? Start at ftc.gov/PassItOn.

-Small is a Consumer Education Specialist with the Federal Trade Commission