At 90, Paul Rusch has found a new calling as a Fraud Fighter.

No cape, no badge, but a talent for helping people in Wisconsin deflect overly persistent callers asking overly personal questions.

“I am sorry,” he suggested telling callers, “but I have to talk this over with my son, the police officer.”

Wayne Masnica, a 73-year-old Fraud Fighter from Salem, recommends: Hold the phone out and pretend to be a cop yourself. Talk loudly, he tells amused listeners, about “blood spatter.” Then get back on the line and, instead of being the victim of a crime, act like you are investigating one.

Masnica said he hasn’t actually used that technique, but it’s a memorable way of making a serious point: Don’t be compliant if someone’s questions make you uncomfortable.

“The reason people are so easily scammed, particularly in the Midwest, is they are too kind,” he said.

Rusch and Masnica are two of 26 volunteers in Wisconsin’s three-year-old Fraud Fighter program, according to Jeanne Benink, a program coordinator for AARP Wisconsin. Fraud Fighters, ranging in age from their 50s to their 90s, have done hundreds of presentations and reached thousands of people. All free of charge.

Yes, Benink says, it’s OK to be a “little less than polite” at times. She admits that, a few times, she has just put the phone down and turned on the vacuum.

Along with representatives of Wisconsin’s Office of Privacy Protection and Department of Financial Institutions, Benink provides volunteers with extensive training. Fraud Fighters then talk to groups or give one-on-one help telling folks how to protect themselves.

A few Fraud Fighters are former police officers. Masnica is a retired marketing consultant. Rusch worked as a human resources consultant. Fraud Fighters have all sorts of backgrounds.

“We absolutely love them and I think they are doing a marvelous job,” said Susan Schilz, a Privacy Protection senior regulatory specialist who called the Fraud Fighters invaluable.

“They are our legs and eyes and ears on the street. They do community work we cannot get to. They are an extension of us. We are grateful for the work they do,” Schilz said. “They have been effective in fighting fraud and educating consumers.”

There’s a need to warn the public about scam artists. In 2007, there were 12,302 fraud complaints filed in Wisconsin, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Nationwide that year there were more than 813,000 complaints of identity theft or other frauds ranging from bogus investments to real estate scams.

“We have had people in our state who have been completely wiped out by fraud and have had to go back to work,” said Benink.

Fraud Fighters want to prevent that.

Rusch, a Fraud Fighter for about two years, claims “I’m an old fogy.” Despite his self-deprecation, he was adventurous enough to try skydiving for the first time recently. “I’m retired. I didn’t have a lot to do. I thought [fighting fraud] is one thing I can do and it allows me to give something back.”

So he speaks at Rotary Clubs and retiree gatherings, any place he can help.

His sense of humor helps him make his points. He told a crowd of about a dozen at St. Anthony Catholic Church in Menomonee Falls one recent afternoon to be wary of anyone claiming to be a “senior adviser.” That “might just mean he is old.” But he was utterly serious when he said criminals often use fear to coerce information out of people.

Rusch succeeded in making his point. At the end of his 60-minute presentation, one of the audience members, 79-year-old Richard H. May, marveled: “Boy, there are a lot of crooks in the world, aren’t there?”

If you are interested in becoming a Fraud Fighter or having one speak to your group, please call Jeanne Benink at 1-866-448-3611 toll-free.

Mike Nichols is a freelance writer living in Wisconsin.