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OpenAI says millions already use ChatGPT to check scams, but it can't independently verify if a message is genuine. This is an AI-Generated Image

For older Americans, a convincing text message, phone call or email can turn a moment of uncertainty into a costly mistake. Now, OpenAI and AARP are teaching older adults how to use artificial intelligence to scrutinise suspicious messages before responding.

On 16 September, OpenAI launched its Older Adults AI Skills Jam with AARP's Older Adults Technology Services (OATS), offering free, in-person ChatGPT training across 10 US communities. The programme aims to reach 1,000 older adults and includes practical lessons on recognising potential scams.

The timing highlights the scale of the problem. The FBI recorded 201,266 complaints from people aged 60 and over in 2025, with reported losses reaching $7.748 billion, up 59% from the previous year.

OpenAI Brings AI Training to Older Americans

The workshops are being held in Denver, Miami, San Antonio, Montgomery County, Queens, St Louis, the Twin Cities, Nashville, Fresno, and Boise. Participants are being taught practical ways to use ChatGPT, including how to examine suspicious messages, emails, and websites. OpenAI says the scam-awareness lessons focus on warning signs such as urgent language, demands for secrecy, and suspicious links.

The programme builds on a wider partnership between OpenAI and OATS that began in 2025. That work included AI training, privacy education, and guidance on using ChatGPT as a second pair of eyes when something appears suspicious. OpenAI has also said it plans a longer programme using a mobile centre to reach additional urban and rural communities in 2027, according to USA TODAY.

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FBI Reports $7.7 Billion in Elder Fraud Losses

The initiative comes as reported fraud losses among older Americans continue to rise. The FBI said people aged 60 and over filed 201,266 complaints with its Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025. Reported losses reached $7.748 billion, a 59% increase from 2024. The average reported loss was about $38,500, while 12,444 complainants reported losing more than $100,000.

Phishing and spoofing generated more than 48,000 complaints among older victims. Investment scams, however, accounted for more than $3.5 billion in reported losses. The FBI has also documented cases showing how quickly such scams can escalate.

In a case highlighted in May, a woman in her 70s was deceived by someone impersonating a government official. She sent more than $500,000 through cash, wire transfers, and gift cards and also used the equity in her home. An FBI agent eventually convinced her that she had been scammed.

Millions Already Ask ChatGPT About Scams

OpenAI says people are already using ChatGPT to examine potentially fraudulent communications. The report estimated that 24.7 million people worldwide use ChatGPT to check possible scams on an average day. Among ChatGPT users aged 45 to 64, about 3% ask about possible scams in an average week, compared with about 1.9% of users aged over 64.

Jack Stubbs, who leads OpenAI's scams detection and prevention work, believe the lower figure among older users may partly reflect the younger age profile of ChatGPT's overall user base.

Online shopping was identified as the most common category of scam-related checks in OpenAI's analysis, followed by banking, payments, and account security. The figures describe how people use ChatGPT and do not establish whether the messages or websites they checked were actually fraudulent.

AI Can Help, But It Is Not a Guarantee

The new programme reflects a growing role for artificial intelligence in helping people assess suspicious online activity. ChatGPT can help users identify unusual wording, examine claims in a message, and organise questions to ask before responding. But an AI response should not be treated as proof that a caller, website or message is genuine.

OpenAI's partnership with OATS encourages older adults to combine ChatGPT with basic safety measures, including avoiding suspicious links and not sharing sensitive personal information. The FBI also advises people to be cautious about unsolicited communications, requests for wire transfers or gift cards, demands for secrecy, and claims involving urgent threats.

For someone facing an unexpected demand for money or personal information, the safest response begins with taking time to verify the request through an independent source. OpenAI's workshops are intended to make that process more practical by giving older Americans another tool for questioning what they encounter online.

As fraud becomes harder to recognise at first glance, the programme's message is not that AI can determine whether every message is real. Instead, it encourages users to slow down, examine warning signs, and seek additional confirmation before acting.

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