Traditionally, con artists were thought to operate as lone wolves working out of their basement, but today’s scammers are more like cogs in a much larger operation.

Most scams now start with a phone call often originating from foreign telemarketing businesses operating just like legitimate call centers.

The office hierarchy mimics legitimate business. “Executives” and “supervisors” manage “salespeople” – the scammers calling to “close the deal.”

These are professional criminal enterprises good at what they do.

If you or someone you care about falls victim to their operations, know that it’s not the fault of the victim for “falling for” something.

Blame the criminal enterprise and fight back by sharing your story so the next person targeted by the scammers may not end up as the next victim.

Report scams to local law enforcement.

For help from AARP, call 1-877-908-3360 or visit the AARP Fraud Watch Network website at www.aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork.