Mayor Emily Kaden signed a proclamation this week declaring April 2026 as Fraud Prevention Month in Helena, citing federal estimates that fraud cost Americans $196 billion in 2024, including up to $81.5 billion stolen from older adults. In Montana alone, residents reported $22.5 million in fraud losses last year. Older Montanans were hit especially hard, losing an average of $83,000 per incident — four times the average loss across all age groups. AARP representatives Kristen Paige Nye and Marcus Meyer accepted the proclamation and outlined awareness events planned for the month.

Two Helena-area men shared their own experiences with the commission. Rob Fryad, 71, a retired teacher and former Last Chance Gulch business owner, said scammers kept him on the phone for eight hours before directing him to deposit $16,000 into a Bitcoin machine. Tom Schneider, 78, a former three-term state Public Service Commissioner and petroleum engineer, described a multi-week scheme in which imposters posing as Microsoft support, his bank's fraud department, and a Federal Trade Commission officer ultimately persuaded him to liquidate his entire IRA into gold bars, which he handed to a man posing as an undercover federal agent at his own home. Schneider credited Helena Police Officer Josh Graham with taking his report seriously.

Aarp announced two upcoming local events: a fraud prevention webinar on April 15 and a shred event on April 22 at the Helena UPS store, where residents can bring up to two boxes of personal documents for free destruction. Commissioner Logan told the commission that family members and caregivers of elderly relatives should treat every unsolicited contact — by phone, email, or in person — as a suspected scam until it can be verified otherwise.