The Scams Targeting Seniors Right Now — and How to Stay Safe

Scammers have always targeted older adults. But in 2026, the threat has reached a level that's genuinely harder to defend against — not because seniors are less savvy, but because the technology criminals are using is sophisticated enough to fool almost anyone.

Here's what's happening, how it works, and what you or someone you love can do about it.

What the Data Shows

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) is where people report online scams and fraud.

The numbers they publish come from these reports. They are based on what people say happened to them and how much money they believe they lost. They are not final, confirmed totals, and they do not represent every case that actually happens.

One report does not always mean one person was victimized, and one person can sometimes file more than one report. Also, many people never report scams at all, often because they feel embarrassed or think they will not get their money back.

Because of this, the real number of people affected by scams is likely higher than what the FBI reports show.

With that context: the FBI's 2025 IC3 elder fraud reporting data shows that complainants aged 60 and older submitted over 201,000 complaints reporting losses exceeding $7.7 billion — which the IC3 describes as a 37% increase in losses over 2024. The average reported loss exceeded $38,000, and more than 12,000 complainants each reported losses over $100,000.

The Scams You Need to Know About

According to the IC3's published 2025 data for complainants 60+, the top categories by reported losses were:

• Investment fraud: $3.5 billion
• Tech and customer support scams: $1 billion
• Confidence/romance scams: $584 million
• Business email compromise: $568 million
• Government impersonation: $413 million
• Lottery, sweepstakes, and inheritance scams: $136 million

Here's how these schemes work in practice — and how to recognize them.

1. The Grandparent Scam — Now with AI Voice Cloning

The FBI’s scam reporting system (IC3) keeps track of “grandparent scams” and similar emergencies where someone pretends to be a family member in trouble.

What has changed recently is the technology scammers use to carry them out.

Using just a few seconds of audio from a social media video, a voicemail greeting, or a brief phone call, criminals can now generate a convincing synthetic copy of someone's voice — replicating pitch, tone, accent, and emotional inflection. A panicked call arrives that sounds exactly like your grandchild, your son, your daughter. They've been arrested, or hurt in an accident, or are in the hospital. They need money now. They beg you not to tell anyone else.

The emotional mechanism is the point. Panic is designed to override the urge to verify.

What to do: Establish a private family "code word" — something not on social media and not findable through a basic search. If someone calls claiming to be a family member in an emergency, ask for the code word. Then hang up and call that person back at their known number. Do not use any callback number the original caller provided.

2. Government Impersonation ($413 million in 2025 IC3 complaints, complainants 60+)

A caller claims your Social Security benefits are being suspended, your Medicare account has been flagged, or there's a warrant out for your arrest over unpaid taxes — and you must pay immediately to avoid consequences. Some versions run the other direction, promising extra benefit money you can claim by "verifying" your personal information.

The tactics: official-sounding language, phone numbers spoofed to appear as though they're from the IRS or SSA, and urgency calibrated to prevent you from stopping to think or involve anyone else.

What to do: Hang up. The IRS, Social Security Administration, and Medicare communicate through the mail — they do not call to threaten arrest or demand immediate payment. If you're uncertain, find the agency's official number independently and call them yourself.

3. Tech and Customer Support Scams ($1 billion in 2025 IC3 complaints, complainants 60+)

These scams often start with a warning on your computer saying you have a virus, a fake bill that looks like it’s from a well-known company like Amazon or Geek Squad, or a phone call you didn’t ask for.

A person then talks you through “fixing” the problem and asks to control your computer from a distance. Once they have access, they can steal passwords, get into your bank accounts, and install programs that let them keep access even after the call is over.

What to do: Legitimate companies do not send unsolicited pop-ups asking you to call them. Close the window. If you're genuinely worried about your computer, contact a trusted local technician or a family member — not a number from a pop-up screen.

4. Romance Scams ($584 million in 2025 IC3 complaints, complainants 60+)

A relationship develops over weeks or months — through a dating app, Facebook, or email. The person is attentive and consistent. They can never quite meet in person, always with a plausible explanation. Eventually a financial need emerges: a medical emergency, a failing business, a plane ticket to finally visit.

The losses tend to be large because the trust built over time makes people less inclined to question the request.

What to do: Be cautious about anyone you've met only online who asks for money, regardless of how well you feel you know them. Tell a trusted friend or family member about the relationship. Run their profile photo through Google Images (reverse image search) to see whether it appears under other names.

5. Lottery and Sweepstakes Scams ($136 million in 2025 IC3 complaints, complainants 60+)

You've won a prize — but you must pay a fee, taxes, or processing charge before it can be released.

No legitimate lottery or sweepstakes requires upfront payment to claim winnings.

What to do: If you didn't enter it, you didn't win it.

The Pattern That Runs Through All of Them

Every scheme above uses the same pressure structure: urgency, secrecy, and a demand to act before you can verify or involve anyone else. The goal is to compress the time between contact and payment so that rational evaluation doesn't happen.

Slowing down breaks the mechanism. Legitimate organizations — banks, government agencies, family members in actual emergencies — will wait.

Hang up. Verify independently. Call back using a number you already have.

Practical Steps to Take Now

• Set up a family code word for emergency verification calls — something not findable online.
• Never pay in gift cards. No government agency or legitimate business accepts gift cards as payment. If someone insists on gift cards, that is the scam.
• Talk to your bank about alerts for large or unusual transactions.
• Enable two-factor authentication on email and financial accounts, or ask a family member to help set it up.
• Tell someone before acting on any unexpected financial request, however official it sounds.

If You've Been Targeted

Report it — even if you don't expect the money back. IC3 data is how the FBI identifies criminal networks, spots cross-case patterns, and builds prosecutions.

• FBI IC3: ic3.gov
• FTC: reportfraud.ftc.gov
• DOJ National Elder Fraud Hotline: 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311)
• AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline: 1-877-908-3360 (free, open to anyone)

Sources: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center 2025 Elder Fraud Brochure (ic3.gov). IC3 figures represent self-reported complaints and stated losses, not verified victim counts or independently audited losses.

Aster Aging, Inc. is a nonprofit senior services organization in Mesa, AZ, serving older adults through Senior Centers, Meals on Wheels, Outreach & Social Services, and In-Home Support. Visit asteraz.org.