We know the old stereotypical troupes about older adults. Leave those behind, and let’s look at how they have become the prime target for scammers looking to steal identities and money, what the scams are and how you can protect yourself.
Hey, I have become a scam victim — twice. I have been in the financial field for over 50 years. I have been around the block once or twice. But the concept of losing all my work made my brain freeze with fear. The hair on the back of my neck bristled.
An official-looking message popped up while I was on my computer that said that my computer was compromised by a virus and that I would lose all of my documents. I write books and articles, and the manuscripts for these live in my documents file. I panicked.
The message included a number to call. I did call, and a nice man, who was new to English but very patient, offered to fix my problem. I gave him access to my computer … and the rest is history. Yes, I gave him my Social Security number, credit card and my mother’s maiden name and her birthday. Yes, it happened — twice.
I’m over that now and feel foolish. These creeps are phishing to steal identities and money.
Do older adults even use computers?
Older adults are using the internet. In fact, Statista reported that 88% of people 65-plus are using it. But we are also the ones who are most preyed upon by scammers. If this has happened to you or any of your loved ones, you are not alone. MedicareFAQ polled older adults to learn about their experiences with scams. Their survey results were shocking. They found that 2 in 5 older adults have fallen for a scam, and 49% lost money.
Those findings were not as frightening as the FBI’s. The FBI reported that elder fraud complaints rose by 14% last year, and the average victim lost $33,915. In 2024, more than half of older adults have already encountered a scam attempt. The total complaints that were warranted resulted in over $3.4 billion of losses in 2023 for older adults.
There are lots of scams out there:
Internet scams. This is like the one I feel prey to. A message pops up on your computer, and you can click through to “help” or call a number. Like the ones I was caught in, they claim that your computer has been infected with a nonexistent virus.
Health insurance scams. These scammers can call you or even show up at your door. They know that all 65-year-olds qualify for Medicare benefits, so older people are easy to identify. They can tell an older adult that they need a new Medicare card, and therefore the scammer needs your Social Security number. Or they could ask you to pay a fee for help to navigate the Obamacare landscape. They could also tell you that you need a new supplemental policy. MedicareFAQ found that 26% of surveyed older adults have been contacted by someone falsely claiming to be from Medicare. Thirty-two percent were pressured into signing up for a new Medicare plan.
Tech or computer support scams. Often, older adults will get a call from someone who promises to help them with all of their computer problems. They may even offer a “senior discount.” Older adults are vulnerable, as 94% of those surveyed by MedicareFAQ reported that they believe that their lack of understanding of technology puts them at risk for scams.
Telemarketing posers. These are pretty common because there is no face-to-face interaction. The scammers are hawking goods or investments. They will sound official and offer free trials, extended warranties on goods, “great” investment opportunities or timeshares or property that only they can offer.
The pigeon drop. This is when a scammer offers a larger sum of money to the victim in exchange for a fee. Several people can be in on the scam who act like lawyers or innocent bystanders to make this all the more convincing. Often, this is done at tourist spots.
The “grandparent scam.” The scammer says they are, for instance, a lawyer representing a relative who is in monetary trouble — they can’t pay rent or medical bills or the like. The victim is usually asked not to tell anyone because the “relative” is embarrassed and knows they can count on the person being scammed to bail them out. Recently, a group of scammers were accused of operating a network of call centers targeting older people in the Northeast. The scammers pretended to be a relative having an emergency that required a financial bailout.
Mortgage schemes. Con artists can send out official-looking letters that look like they’re from a county assessor and claim your property taxes can be reduced if the victim pays a fee.
Funeral fraud. How low can you go? Some con artists track obituaries to find their next target. They will get in touch with the surviving family members to say that the recently deceased had debts that need to be paid off.
Fake prescription drugs. Scammers will offer discounts to older adults. Many are living on a fixed income, and these offers are very enticing.
Charity scams. These bad people prey on the goodness of others to entice the victim to give to a “good” cause or charity. They may call right after a natural or other disaster.
Robocalls. These are pre-recorded calls that get the victim to say, “Yes” when asked, “Are you there?” They can record the voice signature and then use the voice to make credit card charges.
How do you protect yourself from creeps?
One bright spot in the MedicareFAQ survey was that 83% of older adults feel confident that they can identify a suspicious link in an email or text. One of the main issues that the survey found was that 42% of those surveyed said they didn’t know where or how to report being scammed, and 22% felt too embarrassed to report the incident.
There are several free smartphone apps that can identify and automatically block phone numbers that are involved in scams.
If you think it looks like doo-doo and smells like doo-doo, don’t step in it. Here’s what to do instead:
- Don’t click on a suspicious link. Reach out to a family member, the police, your bank, your lawyer or a link below to check things out.
- Don’t pay out money until you have verified the source.
- Ignore unsolicited emails.
- Verify the identity of the caller.
- Regularly check your bank balances to see if there is suspicious activity. If you spot something, report it to your bank.
- Older adults who’ve been victims of a scam can reach out to AARP’s Fraud Watch Network Helpline for assistance.
- The National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311) is a trusted source to reach out to as well.
To learn more about how to spot, avoid and report scams, or steps to help you recover money you’ve lost to a scammer, visit the FTC's scam reporting page. And if you spot a scam, you can report it directly to the FTC's fraud report site.
You are not alone if you have been caught in a scam. There are resources out there to help — consider taking advantage of those.
