Scams Targeting the Elderly: Types and How to Protect Parents

Scams targeting the elderly are not random. Federal authorities identify a recurring set of schemes built to reach older adults specifically, and they lean on a shared playbook: gain trust, manufacture urgency, and push the target to pay fast through channels that are hard to trace, like gift cards or wire transfers.1 The good news is that a scam that follows a script is a scam you can learn to spot, and a few simple family habits stop most of them before any money moves.

In This Guide

• Key Takeaways
• Why Scammers Target Older Adults
• The Most Common Scams Targeting the Elderly
• Warning Signs of Scams Targeting the Elderly
• How to Protect Your Parent from Scams
• How to Report a Scam
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Learn More

Why Scammers Target Older Adults

Scammers go where the odds favor them. The FBI notes that seniors are often targeted because they tend to be trusting and polite, and because they are more likely to have financial savings, own a home, and have good credit, all of which make them attractive to criminals. Older adults may also be less likely to report a scam, sometimes because they do not know how, and sometimes out of embarrassment or worry that relatives will lose confidence in their ability to manage their own affairs.

That last point matters for families. Shame keeps scams hidden, and hidden scams keep going. Treating fraud as something that happens to sharp, capable people, which it does, is what makes it safe for a parent to raise a suspicious call before any money moves.

The Most Common Scams Targeting the Elderly

The specific stories change, but federal authorities keep flagging the same core set of scams aimed at older adults.1 Recognizing the shape of each one is most of the battle.

The Grandparent Scam

In the grandparent scam, one of the recurring schemes federal authorities flag, a criminal calls posing as a family member in trouble, usually a grandchild, or as someone acting for them, such as a lawyer or a police officer.1 The caller typically claims the relative urgently needs money wired for bail, legal fees, hospital bills, or some other invented emergency. The pressure is the point: the caller wants the grandparent frightened and moving before they can stop to check.

Government Impersonation Scams

Here the caller claims to be from a trusted agency, such as the Social Security Administration, the IRS, or the FBI, and threatens arrest or prosecution unless the target pays immediately.1 A common version tells the victim a warrant has been issued and directs them to buy gift cards to settle it. No real government agency operates this way. As the FBI puts it, it will never call or email private citizens to request they move money via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid cards.

Tech Support Scams

A pop-up, a locked screen, or a call warns that a virus has infected the computer, phone, or tablet. The "technician," claiming to work for a well-known company, offers to fix a problem that does not exist and, in the process, gains remote access to the device and the personal information on it, then asks to be paid in gift cards or by wire.1

Romance Scams

On dating sites and social media, a criminal poses as an interested romantic partner, invests weeks or months in building trust, then invents a hardship and asks for money, gifts, or bank and card details.1 The requests keep coming, and there is always a reason the person can never meet in real life.

Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams

The target is told they have won a lottery or sweepstakes they never entered, and that a fee or tax must be paid to release the prize.1 The prize never arrives, because there is no prize. A simple rule covers it: no legitimate lottery or sweepstakes asks a winner to pay to collect.

Warning Signs of Scams Targeting the Elderly

Most scams share a handful of tells. Any one of them is a reason to pause; a cluster is a reason to intervene.

• Urgency. The caller insists it must happen right now, before your parent can hang up and think or ask anyone. Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and drive immediate action.1
• An unusual payment method. Being asked to pay with gift cards, prepaid cards, a wire transfer, or cryptocurrency is a near-certain sign of fraud. Legitimate agencies and businesses do not demand payment that way.1
• Secrecy. The caller tells your parent not to discuss the call with family or the bank.
• A request for personal or financial details out of the blue, or a demand for remote access to a device.
• Something that does not add up: a prize for a contest never entered, a "grandchild" whose voice or story is slightly off, a new online partner who cannot ever meet.

How to Protect Your Parent from Scams

Prevention is mostly about slowing money down and taking the pressure out of the moment.

• Agree on a family password. Settle on a private code word, and make it a rule that any emergency call asking for money has to be verified with it, or by calling the relative back on a known number, before a cent moves.
• Name the payment red line. Talk openly about the fact that no real agency or company demands gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency, so a request for any of them can be treated as an automatic stop.
• Make it safe to ask. Tell your parent plainly that scams fool smart, careful people every day, and that running a suspicious call by you costs nothing. Removing the shame is what surfaces a scam early.
• Slow the moment down. Encourage a standing habit of hanging up and calling the agency or company back on a number your parent looks up independently, never the number the caller provides.
• Use the bank's tools. Many banks let an account holder set alerts for large or unusual transactions and name a trusted contact the bank can reach about suspicious activity, both of which add a second set of eyes.
• Keep devices current. Up-to-date security software and pop-up blockers cut down on the fake-virus warnings that drive tech support scams.

How to Report a Scam

If your parent has been scammed, reporting quickly does two things: it creates a record that can support recovery, and it feeds law enforcement's ability to shut the operation down. Take these steps.

1. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. For everything else, work through the steps below.3
2. Contact the bank or financial institution right away. Ask them to safeguard the accounts, and if a wire transfer was sent, ask about a recall. Speed matters, because a quick call gives the best chance of stopping or recovering the money. Our elder financial exploitation guide covers the bank-recovery step in more detail.
3. File with the FBI's IC3. Report the scam at the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, ic3.gov, which receives and refers complaints to law enforcement.2
4. Report to the FTC. File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; the Federal Trade Commission shares reports with its law enforcement partners to help with investigations.2
5. Get help from the National Elder Fraud Hotline. A victim who needs help reporting can call the U.S. Department of Justice's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-372-8311.3

One distinction is worth keeping clear. The scams above are run by strangers. When the person taking an older adult's money is someone they know and trust, a relative, a caregiver, or a professional, that is elder financial exploitation, and the front door is different: it also runs through Adult Protective Services, the state and local program that receives reports of financial exploitation of older adults.4 You can reach your state's program through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.5 Our guide to elder financial exploitation covers that situation, including the bank and APS steps, in full.

Learn More

Find personalized help protecting an older adult from scams and fraud at brevy.com.

The information on Brevy.com is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional legal, financial, or medical advice. Rules vary by state and program and change frequently. Always verify with the relevant agency or a qualified professional. Brevy is not a law firm, financial advisor, or healthcare provider.