QUESTION: What are the most common scams today that target elderly seniors? My 75-year-old mother has been swindled several times over the past year, so I’m being extra cautious.
ANSWER: Although many scams today are universal, certain types of fraud specifically target older adults or affect them disproportionately. And, unfortunately, these senior-targeted scams are on the rise.
In 2021, there were 92,371 older victims of fraud resulting in $1.7 billion in losses. This was a 74% increase in losses compared with 2020, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Here are five of the most common senior scams that were reported last year.
Government imposter scams: These are fraudulent telephone calls from people claiming to be from the Internal Revenue Service, Social Security Administration or Medicare. These scammers might falsely tell you that you have unpaid taxes, and threaten arrest or deportation if you don’t pay up immediately. Or they might say your Social Security or Medicare benefits are in danger of being cut off if you don’t provide personal identifying information. They might even “spoof” your caller ID to make it look as if the government is calling.
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