Scam warnings for older adults and the families who help them: phone, text and email scams, the red flags, and what to do if a parent was targeted.
Scams aimed at older adults are often personal and built on trust: a grandchild in trouble, a Medicare card replacement, a romance that turns into requests for money, or a caller claiming a bank account has been compromised.
This section is written for seniors and for the family members and caregivers who help them. Each guide uses plain language, explains the warning signs to talk about at home, and lists the right people to call, including the National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-372-8311 for anyone 60 or older.
A simple habit prevents many losses: agree as a family that nobody sends money or shares personal numbers because of an unexpected call. Our free printable scam safety card is a good reminder to keep next to the phone.
Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026, and scam calls are already rising. See the data, the scripts callers use, red flags and what to do if you shared your Medicare number.
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Charging you before lowering your rate breaks federal law. See why the fee itself proves the call is a scam, and how one operation took $100 million.
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Adults over 60 reported $7.7 billion in losses in 2025, up 59 percent. See which five scams took the most money and the average loss in each category.
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Of all AI-linked fraud the FBI logged in 2025, $632 million came from investment scams. See how the fake video works and the one check that defeats it.
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NYPD has investigated over 100 gold bar cases in two years, one victim losing $9.8 million. See how the pop-up leads to a courier at the door, and what stops it.
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Scammers can clone a grandchild's voice from 3 seconds of audio. See how AI voice clone and grandparent scams work, the red flags, and how a family code word stops them.
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Screen locked by a fake virus warning? Two keys close it. Learn how to shut down tech support pop-ups on any device, stop them returning, and what to do if you called.
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Medicare scams in 2026 include fake plastic chip cards, hospice fraud and free test offers. See the red flags and what to do if you gave out your number.
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Social Security scams in 2026 include suspended number calls, fake statement emails, cloned voices and polite verification calls. Here is how to spot and stop every version.
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