Bob Sullivan

Many years ago, a very smart book editor I worked with (Jill Schwartzman at Dutton now) gently admonished me because I failed to include resources for consumers in my tirades about the mistreatment of consumers.  So was born concepts like “Red Tape Tips” I’d include at the end of my columns and an appendix in each book listing consumer advocacy organizations.  But that experience forced me to face a stark reality: Most of these organizations don’t really take phone calls. While there are plenty of well-meaning non-profit groups out there who try to fix broken policies that favor the Gotcha Capitalists and criminals — there are hardly any organizations set up to field calls from people who are hurting and need help right now.

There’s no 9-1-1 for a consumer who’s about to get ripped off.

Actually, there is. It’s AARP’s Fraud Watch Network helpline. And I’m proud to say that my work on AARP’s Perfect Scam podcast helps highlight the important work they do.

First, let me say I don’t fault the folks who created or work at various grassroots consumer organizations. They often toil away with skeleton staffs and meager funding, true Davids in a battle against billion-dollar Goliaths.  But it’s just not practical for them to take calls and offer customer support to individual victims or take on their cases.

And yes, if you are the victim of a crime, you can and should call 9-1-1 (or the non-emergency line) and report that to the police. Unfortunately, many in-progress scams are difficult to report — “what’s the crime?” — and local police aren’t always set up to offer on-the-spot advice or empathetic listening.

That’s why I’m happy to talk about the Fraud Watch Network. It’s staffed Monday-Friday, from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., mainly by trained volunteers. They reach out to every caller within 24 hours or so. It’s staffed mainly by volunteers who are ready to help victims within a day or so, and offer both empathetic listening and practical advice.  They’ve stopped millions of dollars in criminal transactions by giving people a place to turn when they’re in crisis.

Who are these guardian angels of this dangerous digital age? In this week’s Perfect Scam episode, I spotlight two volunteers who do this work.  Like most helpline volunteers, Dee Johnoson and Mike Alfred are both former victims who once called the helpline, and now they are two of the 150 volunteers who give their time because they are called to help others.

At this link, you can find a partial transcript of the episode, in case podcasts aren’t your thing. I do hope you’ll listen, however. You’ll really like Mike and Dee. I want readers to see their kindness and empathy in action — those are in short supply these days, I fear.  But more than anything, I want readers to know that there is a 9-1-1 for scams.  If you or someone you love is caught up in an Internet crime right now, I urge you to call the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline at 877-908-3360 or visit the website. You’ll get near-immediate help from experts who really care.

You can also email me, of course, at the address on my contact page. Or you can email The Perfect Scam team at theperfectscampodcast@aarp.org.

AARP’s Helpline is part of AARP’s Fraud Watch Network. In addition to volunteers helping victims, the network has roughly a thousand trained volunteers working in their communities and online to spread the message of fraud prevention. To learn more, visit