Scams Targeting the Elderly: Types and How to Protect Parents

Scams targeting the elderly are not random. Federal authorities identify a recurring set of scams that target older adults, and the common thread is pressure to pay quickly by methods that are hard to trace, like gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.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 can stop one 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

The FBI lists grandparent scams among the common scams that target older citizens.1 The Justice Department lists them as "grandparent scams/person in need."3 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 a government employee and threatens to arrest or prosecute the victim unless they agree to provide funds or other payments, as the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime describes it. A common version tells the victim to get gift cards from the store to provide payment, and not to tell anybody about the call.1 No real government agency works this way: the FTC says government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information, and only a scammer will do that.3 The FBI says the same of itself: it will never call or email private citizens to request they move money via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid cards.1

Tech Support Scams

Tech support scams are on the FBI's list of common scams that target older citizens. The Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime describes the payment demand: the scammer asks the victim to pay for tech support through gift cards or wire transfers.1

Romance Scams

The FBI lists romance scams among the common scams that target older citizens.1 The Justice Department lists them under financial fraud, the kind committed by a stranger.3 The FTC also names them in its loss findings: it found that fraud losses reported by older adults grew about fourfold from 2020 to 2024, from about $600 million to $2.4 billion, an increase largely driven by reports of losses over $100,000, often to investment scams, romance scams, or impersonations.3 Those are reported losses only, so they are a floor, not a count of all elder fraud.3

Sweepstakes and Lottery Scams

The target is told they won a foreign lottery or sweepstakes, which they can collect after paying "fees/taxes," and the caller may claim to work for a charitable organization.1 The prize never arrives, because there is no prize. A simple rule covers it: treat any prize that costs money to collect as a scam.

Other Scams on the Federal Lists

The FBI also names home repair scams and TV/radio scams, and the Justice Department's Office for Victims of Crime adds phishing, email extortion scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and fake check or overpayment scams.1

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. Federal authorities describe the common thread in these scams as pressure to pay quickly.1
• An unusual payment method. Being asked to pay with gift cards, prepaid cards, a wire transfer, or cryptocurrency is a red flag. The FBI says it will never call or email private citizens to request they move money those ways,1 and the FTC warns against paying anyone who says they're with the government by wire, gift card, or cryptocurrency, because it is hard to track that money, and just as hard to get it back.3
• Secrecy. The caller tells your parent to keep it quiet. Government impersonators, in the Office for Victims of Crime's description, tell the victim not to tell anybody about the call.1
• An unsolicited request for money or personal information, which no government agency makes by call, email, text, or social media message, according to the FTC.3
• 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 the FBI says it will never call or email private citizens to request they move money via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, gift cards, or prepaid cards.1 The FTC adds that government agencies will never call, email, text, or message you on social media to ask for money or personal information, and only a scammer will do that.3
• 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. Banks and credit unions may allow your parent to choose one or more trusted contacts whom the bank can alert, for example when it is unable to reach your parent or suspects possible financial exploitation.3
• Consider a credit freeze. The FTC says freezing credit can help stop identity theft, a freeze lasts until it is lifted, and there is no cost to place or lift one.3

How to Report a Scam

If your parent has been scammed, speed matters. The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center sets out the steps in order, starting with the bank.2 Take these steps.

1. If someone is in immediate danger, call 911 first. For everything else, work through the steps below.4
2. Contact the bank and other financial institutions first. Ask them to safeguard the accounts. If wire transfers were sent, request a recall and a hold harmless letter, because doing so as quickly as possible may reduce or eliminate the financial losses.2 Our elder financial exploitation guide covers the bank step in more detail.
3. Safeguard credit. Contact the three major credit bureaus.2 Those are Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion.3
4. Contact local authorities and file with the FBI's IC3. File a report at the Internet Crime Complaint Center, ic3.gov, and if identity theft is suspected, also file a report at identitytheft.gov.2
5. Report to the FTC too. File at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The Federal Trade Commission uses and shares reports with its law enforcement partners to help with investigations, but it says it cannot resolve an individual report, so this report does not replace the call to the bank.2
6. Get help from the National Elder Fraud Hotline. Anyone who needs assistance filing with the IC3 can get help through the U.S. Department of Justice's National Elder Fraud Hotline at 833-372-8311, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern Time.2,4

Be realistic about the money. The FBI says rapid reporting to IC3 can sometimes support the recovery of lost funds, but recovering money lost in scams, especially those originating overseas, is challenging and unlikely.3

One distinction is worth keeping clear. The Justice Department divides financial exploitation of older adults into two types: financial fraud, committed by a stranger, and financial abuse, committed by someone the older adult knows.3 The scams above are fraud. When the person taking the money is someone your parent knows, the front door also runs through Adult Protective Services, a social services program provided by state and local governments that serves older adults and adults with disabilities who need assistance because of abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation.5 The National Adult Protective Services Association lists phone numbers for programs in each state, or can be reached at 202-370-6292.5 You can also find your parent's program through the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116.3,6 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.