Fraud Cleanup

Elder Fraud: What It Is and How to Report It

If a scammer just took money from you or your parent, here is what elder fraud is, how to spot it, and how to report it to the FBI.

Money is gone, or a call is happening right now, and you need to know what this is and what to do. Elder fraud is any financial scam or confidence scheme aimed at an older person. The FBI says millions of older Americans are cheated each year. The losses add up to billions.

What elder fraud is and why older people are targeted

The FBI says scammers gain trust and then take money. They may reach an older person online, by phone, through the mail, TV or radio. Many scams go on for a long time. The scammer hopes for a big payday.

The FBI says older people are often targeted for specific reasons. Seniors tend to be trusting and polite. Many have savings, own a home and have good credit. Those things make them attractive to scammers, and none of them is a flaw. Being kind and having worked hard for what you have is exactly who these crimes are built to find.

Why so many cases go unreported

The FBI says seniors may not report fraud because they do not know how, or because they feel too ashamed. Some fear family will think they can no longer handle their own money.

If that is you or your parent, hear this plainly. Falling for one says nothing about a person's ability to run their own life. The FBI also says an older victim may not be able to give police all the details. That is expected, and it is not a reason to stay quiet.

The most common ways scammers reach older people

Contact can come from almost anywhere.

  • Phone. The FBI says scammers may contact older people by phone.
  • Mail. The FBI says scammers also reach older people through the mail. The IRS scam mail page covers one common type.
  • TV and radio. The FBI says crooks run fake ads about real services, like reverse mortgages or credit repair.
  • Online. The FBI warns about email attachments and pop-ups. A romance scam often starts there.
  • Family and caregivers. The FBI says a family or caregiver scam works like this. A relative or friend of the older person takes their money.

One FBI example involves a victim named Webster, who was the target of a lottery scam.

Warning signs and how to spot a scam in progress

The FBI gives clear warning signs to watch for.

  • Pressure to act quickly. Scammers create urgency to produce fear.
  • Calls, mail or door-to-door sellers you did not ask for.
  • A pop-up message or a locked screen on a computer. The FBI says to disconnect from the internet and shut down the device if you see one.
  • Email attachments from someone you do not know, or forwarded attachments.

The FBI says to search online for the contact information and the proposed offer, because others have likely posted about scammers.

What to do while the scam is still happening

Is a call or message happening right now? The FBI says to see it for what it is and stop talking to the scammer. Hang up. Delete. Close the door. You do not owe a scammer politeness.

If you feel there is danger to yourself or a loved one, the FBI says to call the police immediately.

The victim may be an older person or have a disability. The CFPB says to call your local adult protective services agency too.

How to report elder fraud to the FBI

The FBI says to file an elder fraud complaint at its Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. People can report elder fraud there, and the FBI says to report a scam no matter the dollar amount. A small loss still belongs in a report.

The FBI fraud report page has more on how the process works.

What to include in your report and what to keep

The FBI says a scam report should include:

  • Who the scammer claimed to be, when they got in touch, and how they made contact.
  • Any phone number, email address, mailing address or website tied to the scammer.
  • How the money was paid and where it went.
  • What the scammer told you to do, and how you talked with them.

The FBI also says to keep the papers, emails, faxes and notes on calls. Do not clean out the inbox or toss the envelopes.

What happens after you file

The IC3 says it serves as the FBI's central repository for the collection of cyber-enabled crime complaints. It also says it does not share details about any one complaint or how it ended. So you may not hear back with details about your complaint.

The IC3 also says it cannot tell you about one company.

Protecting yourself or your parent going forward

The FBI gives steps that make the next attempt harder.

  • Create a shared verbal family password or phrase that only you and your loved ones know.
  • Be careful with calls, mail and door-to-door sellers you did not ask for.
  • Turn on pop-up blockers so you do not click one by mistake. The FBI says pop-ups are regularly used by perpetrators to spread malicious software.
  • Use trusted anti-virus software and a firewall.
  • Watch your accounts for anything odd.
  • Guard your identity if a crook gets into your device or account.

If the scam involved taxes or a caller posing as the IRS, the IRS scam page covers that type in detail.

The FBI's IC3 2023 Elder Fraud Report says elder fraud complaints increased by 14 percent in 2023, and losses rose by about 11 percent. More people reported, in other words.

Sources