DENVER -- Using federal coronavirus stimulus checks as bait, criminals are finding new ways to separate Coloradans from their money.

On Thursday, Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser will join a webinar organized by AARP Colorado to give residents tips for avoiding fraud during the public health crisis. Weiser said scammers ramp up efforts during times of crisis, when people are afraid and looking for hope and solutions.

"So, for example, 'You want to get tested quickly, and not have to wait on lines? Just go ahead and give us your credit card number.' These are the sorts of scams that we're seeing now," Weiser said. "And we need people to know about them so they can protect themselves."

Weiser said since the federal government has not yet cut a single stimulus check, anyone promising cash now is up to no good. He added the government will not require any payment to get checks, and will not call to ask for Social Security or Medicare numbers.

To register for the webinar, visit www.aarp.org/co and click on upcoming events.

Robocalls continue to be a tool of choice for crooks. Weiser advised not to assume an incoming call is an official from a company or the government. The best way to ensure you're talking to someone legitimate is to initiate the call yourself.

"Those robocalls are designed to get you to part with your money. So the best thing to do when you get one of those robocalls, don't even answer it. Let it go to voicemail," he said. "If it's legitimate, you'll get a voicemail. But most of the time they're scammers and they won't even leave one."

Scammers also have set up websites to sell fake treatments and other bogus products, and have convinced people to donate money to fake victims' charities using emails, texts and social media posts.

To report scams, contact Stop Fraud Colorado toll free at 800-222-4444 or online at www.StopFraudColorado.gov.


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CHEYENNE, Wyo. -- Social Security, the program credited with lifting 15 million older residents in Wyoming and across the U.S. out of poverty, will become insolvent by 2034, according to the most recent report by Social Security Trustees.

However, some economists say dire predictions do not reflect the reality of how the program operates.

Max Sawicky, senior research fellow at the Center for Economic Policy Research, has studied the program for nearly three decades. He said any actual threats to Social Security are not economic, they are political.

"If people are persuaded that the program will fail, then it's easy to take it away from them," Sawicky contended. "We've been hearing these scare stories about deficits forever, and none of the doom that was predicted has panned out."

Social Security always has delivered full benefits owed to people who paid into the program their entire working lives, in part because presidents and Congresses of both parties have taken steps to keep revenues and spending in balance.

Sawicky suggested the easiest fix would be to remove the cap on taxable wages. Currently, top earners only pay Social Security taxes on the first $142,000 of their income.

Sawicky pointed to the TRUST Act as the latest attempt to cut so-called entitlement spending. The measure, proposed by Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Krysten Sinema, D-Ariz., would create a committee to fix Social Security's finances, which Sawicky argued are not broken.

He worried the so-called remedies could be attached to larger spending packages, out of the public eye, and with very little opportunity for debate.

"It's really a way to evade democratic accountability, by people who are really hell-bent on cutting benefits and shrinking the program," Sawicky emphasized.

Social Security has long been viewed as a "third rail" of U.S. politics, largely due to its popularity among a strong majority of Americans.

Sawicky recommended instead of reducing average benefits of $1,500 dollars a month, the program should be expanded, through payroll taxes on the nation's wealthiest earners, tapping general funds, or harnessing growth in wages and productivity.

PORTLAND, Ore. -- The pandemic presents some future funding challenges to benefits for older Americans, according to the 2021 Social Security and Medicare Trustees' Reports.

Walt Dawson, assistant professor in the School of Public Health at Oregon Health and Science University, said the programs are foundational to Americans' health and economic security as they age.

While the reports are troubling, he noted they are not exactly surprising because a number of challenges to the Social Security program have been known for a long time.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has made the situation slightly worse," Dawson explained. "And increased by one year when Social Security, for example, will no longer be able to pay out all benefits."

Dawson said without major policy changes, benefits would have to be reduced by 24% in 2034, which he thinks would be devastating for older Americans. He said it is not only the pandemic and economic fallout to blame; a rapidly aging population is also a contributing factor.

Bandana Shrestha, state director of AARP Oregon, is concerned lawmakers in Congress could make cuts to critical programs behind closed doors.

"We really think that these important programs need transparent public input," Shrestha asserted. "Conversations that really allow us to make thoughtful decisions about the security and long term stability of these programs."

Dawson believes the pandemic could be an inflection point in how Americans think about Social Security.

"While there's this real need to fix the challenges that are facing this program, there's a real opportunity to think about how they can be enhanced and improved to provide for people, too," Dawson urged.

LANSING, Mich. - More than 80% of Michigan voters age 25 to 64 think the state should make it easier for workers to save for retirement, according to a new poll from A-A-R-P Michigan. Two in three respondents support a "Work and Save" approach, a public-private payroll-deduction retirement program as an option for folks who don't have retirement-savings plans through an employer.

Mark Hornbeck, AARP MIchigan director of communications, said his group is asking policymakers to consider using American Rescue Plan funds to cover the one-time startup costs for a long-term retirement plan.

"Retirement is a different animal in 2021 than it has been in the past," he said. "People's savings, employment, a whole array of financial areas were affected by the pandemic."

Hornbeck noted that many employers have replaced pensions with 401(k) accounts, which are more susceptible to the ebbs and flows of the market. He said as people live longer, many worry about stretching their savings. He added that support for making saving for retirement easier crosses party lines, with more than 90% of Democrats, more than 70% of Republicans and more than 80% of Independents.

Half of the Michigan respondents said they are "behind" in their savings goals. An overwhelming majority said they know they need to start saving, but Hornbeck said current living expenses - and for many, health-care costs - get in the way.

"Certainly, Social Security helps - and you'll never find an organization more supportive of Social Security than AARP," he said, "but in order to live in the way that people are used to living, they're going to need some additional savings to to augment the Social Security."

Nationwide, he said, the average retirement savings for most people is only about $2,500, and those close to retirement age have about $14,000 saved. But he said that just doesn't cut it. More than 40% of the poll respondents said they worry they won't be able to cover health-care costs in their retirement years.