How to protect yourself from scams

[Rebroadcast] Tens of billions of dollars are lost each year to consumer fraud and when the economy is down, fraud goes up.  These last years have been boom times for scammers.  While research shows that many of us are susceptible to swindles, older people are particularly vulnerable. A new study found that changes in our brain as we age make detecting a con more difficult.  This hour, we’re looking at scams, the tactics that con artists are using, and how to protect ourselves from them.  Marty talks with DOUG SHADEL, the senior state director of Washington State’s AARP and the author of “Outsmarting the Scam Artists: How to Protect Yourself from the Most Clever Cons,” and SHELLEY TAYLOR, a social neuroscientist at UCLA and senior author on the new study looking at brain changes in the elderly and their perception of trust.