FARGO — Hundreds of older adults gathered at the Fargodome on Tuesday for Fraud Fest, an event hosted by AARP to help seniors protect themselves from scams.

The program featured a former San Diego prosecutor who worked on more than 750 cases of elder abuse and fraud.

Josh Askvig, AARP’s state director in North Dakota, said scams are becoming harder to detect every day. He added that spreading awareness of the latest tactics criminals use is the best way to protect older adults.

“They’re using AI to make what we call deep fakes, or it sounds like your grandson, or it’s a picture of your long lost cousin or whatnot,” Askvig said. “But if you can recognize the red flags that go along with these deep fakes, you’re more likely again to take that pause, to reflect and then protect yourself.”

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