Seniors at Risk
How to spot—and stop—common scams
By Paul Natinsky
With increasingly realistic deepfakes arriving by email, text, phone and even mail, everyone is vulnerable to fraudsters. Seniors, in particular, are prime targets.
My wife and I—not quite seniors yet—learned this the hard way. A couple of years ago, while trying to sell a couch on Facebook Marketplace, we were scammed out of $300 through Zelle. It wasn’t Facebook’s or Zelle’s fault. The fraudsters spun a convincing story, moved quickly and took advantage of our trust. We felt foolish, and aside from reporting it, there wasn’t much to do except chalk it up as a hard lesson.
But some scams are so slick that even the wary can fall for them. And it’s almost impossible to avoid the channels fraudsters use to reach us.
The FBI’s website says, “Seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite. They also usually have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit—all of which make them attractive to scammers.”
The Bureau also says seniors are sensitive to being duped and having relatives question their ability to manage their affairs.
There are thousands of scams, but most fall into a few common categories. The FBI and the National Council on Aging (NCOA) maintain detailed resources on the most prevalent schemes, along with tips on how to avoid and report them.
Common Scams Targeting Seniors
The “Grandparent” Grift: Scammers pose as a child or grandchild in immediate financial need, often demanding money through gift cards or electronic transfers. AI technology allows scammers to create very realistic scenarios involving fake government or law enforcement personnel and even fake voices. The scams prey on the emotional vulnerability of a grandparent and move the mark through the scenario quickly creating a sense of urgency.
Financial Services Swindle: These scams are easy to fall for because the perpetrators impersonate legitimate financial institutions and ask for seemingly innocuous personal information, which they then use to access the senior’s financial information, and, in turn, their accounts.
Tech Support Scams: According to the NCOA, these scams prey upon the doubts and discomforts that many people have around computers. In fact, when it comes to fraud committed against older adults, tech support scams top the list. How do they work? Typically, a person’s computer or phone screen will freeze or go blank. A pop-up message will appear with a phone number to dial for help. When the user calls it, the scammer on the other end will ask for permission to log on to the device remotely. This fake “tech support” representative also may demand a fee to repair the “issue.”
Government Impersonation Hustles:
In this fraud, callers pretend to be from the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), Social Security Administration, or Medicare. They threaten to arrest or deport the person who picks up the phone if they don’t pay their “unpaid taxes.” Or they may threaten to cut off Social Security or Medicare benefits unless the person provides personal details. This information can then be used to commit identity theft. As with other scams, government imposters may demand prepaid debit cards, cash, or wire transfers as payment. Using special technology, they often “spoof” the actual phone number of a government agency or call from the same ZIP code (202 for Washington, D.C., for example). This can trick some people into thinking the caller is from a valid source.
Other Schemes
Romance scams: Promise companionship while siphoning money or personal details.
Lottery/sweepstakes ruses: Demand payment to “claim” winnings.
Home repair hustles: Collect deposits for work that’s never done.
TV/radio rip-offs: Advertise bogus services such as reverse mortgages or credit repair.
Protective Measures
The FBI recommends several precautions to avoid becoming a victim:
• Recognize scam attempts and end communication immediately.
• Create a family password or phrase to confirm identities in emergencies.
• Search online for names, emails, phone numbers and offers—others may have already flagged them as scams.
• Resist pressure to act quickly; scammers rely on urgency.
• Call police immediately if you feel you or a loved one are in danger.
• Be cautious of unsolicited calls, mail or door-to-door offers.
• Never provide personal or financial information to unverified sources.
• Keep anti-virus and security software up to date. Enable pop-up blockers.
• Disconnect from the internet if a suspicious pop-up or locked screen appears.
• Be cautious with email attachments and downloads.
• Contact financial institutions immediately if you suspect compromised accounts.
Reporting Fraud
The FBI urges victims to report scams—not only for themselves but to protect others and help law enforcement track emerging schemes.
Complaints can be filed at the Internet Crime Complaint Center: ic3.gov.
When reporting, include as much detail as possible, such as:
• Names of the scammer or company
• Dates and methods of contact
• Phone numbers, emails, mailing addresses and websites used
• Payment methods and destinations (including account numbers, if applicable)
• Descriptions of interactions and instructions received
• Keep original documentation, emails and logs of communication whenever possible.
Stay Alert
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, so paying attention to news about scams and proceeding cautiously in online communications helps avoid being a victim.