Scammers Targeting Seniors and Older Adults

Perhaps because they know seniors remember a time when technologies were simpler, criminals increasingly prey upon them. But with age comes wisdom, and many older people are fast to remind would-be criminals that they weren’t born yesterday. Increasingly, they know how to spot possible fraud but law enforcement warns they should pay closer attention.

Here are some tips and considerations to help protect yourself.

At the Front Door

Sometimes trouble really does come knocking at your front door, but it’s also your side door you have to watch. Talking to someone at your front door can give an accomplice valuable time to run around back and break in. So, if the front doorbell rings, first check the other doors.

Frequently, people at the front door misrepresent themselves as delivery persons, or the cable company or an electrician. Does the person have a real identification card that matches his or her driver’s license? Is there a truck to go with the uniform? If not, don’t open the door — your biggest piece of security equipment.

Carry your cell phone to the door with you, so you can speed dial 911 just in case of a problem — or use your pendant if you have central-station security. If you have a car with a remote “panic” button, you can hold that just in case. Any noise behind you, especially the other doors, and you can sound the alarm. A honking car alarm is annoying but may cause neighbors to check on you. Even if they don’t respond, thieves depend on not attracting attention, so the noise alone may be enough to scare them off or at least buy you some time to alert the authorities.

On the Telephone

The telephone lets people enter your home without a door. But, are callers who they say they are? If someone sounds suspicious, hang up. Charities need our help, but you never know who’s calling. Don’t give out personal information or do business with a stranger without first checking them out.

One common scam says the caller is from “The Help Desk” or “IT Department.” He has detected a problem with your computer and tries to sell you software to fix a problem that doesn’t really exist. Someone may call claiming to be from the IRS or the police department or your bank. Then, the caller asks you for your account information. The federal government will only notify you of a problem by mail, and other organizations will give you a real phone number where you can check them out. If you get these kinds of calls, they are probably scams.

Even caller ID is not always a safe bet. Scam artists make “spoof calls,” where they are able to put anything on your caller ID in the hope you will trust them as they steal your identity.

If a call seems to be from the police, call information and ask for the business number of your local police department (don’t tie up 911 with business calls), and then call them and ask them to check out if the caller was real. They never ask for account information.

If a caller says he or she is from your bank, the individual should already know your account number. You can phone the bank’s main number to check on the validity of the call. Or ask at your local branch where you know the bank employees and they know you.

Tax Scams

The IRS warns that scammers attempt to mislead taxpayers about tax refunds, credits and payments. They may pressure you for personal, financial or employment information. In some cases, they threaten victims with arrest or deportation if they don’t make a payment for a fake tax bill. Click here for more about the types of tax scams the IRS has identified.

Vendor Calls (live and phone)

When having work done on your home, get at least three solid bids. Seek bids from known vendors who have done good work for an acquaintance of yours. If someone comes to you unsolicited, be suspicious. Check the person out with the local town hall. See if he or she is licensed for the type of work you want done, and check with the local Better Business Bureau. Has anyone complained about the person online? Use a search engine to check it out.

Never give a partial payment to anyone before checking references. Speak to previous customers in your neighborhood. If the vendor has no references you can check, say no. Too many people have given someone a $5,000 deposit for a $100,000 contract — and never heard from these so-called vendors again. You may wonder why anyone would enter such a deal in the first place. Generally, the vendor presents a price that is too good to pass up. For example, he may look for a house with a roof that is badly in need of repair. He knocks on your door, tells you he’s replacing a roof on the next block and happened to pass by your house on his way home. He just happens to have materials left over and will do your roof for a fraction of the price if you can give him a deposit. Say no. Even if he is legitimate, he shouldn’t be asking for money up front.

Email and “Phishing”

Never respond to an email with money. If your credit card or bank tells you there’s a problem, don’t click on the email. Call the bank directly. Their number is on your last statement. There are just too many scammers asking you to do something right from the email. In fact, don’t even open an email until you know who sent it, because it could contain dangerous software or “malware.”

Another email scam is a new spin on the “confidence game,” where a con artist sends you a check, and in response you wire him much less cash. Often, it’s someone from Nigeria looking for the heirs of a wealthy industrialist who just died. The check always turns out to bounce after a recipient sends in a few thousand dollars of his or her money. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

One heinous fraud comes when an emailer first hacks personal information about a relative. Then, the criminal positions the email as if he or she is the relative, stranded in an airport, unable to get home safely, without access to a phone, and must get $1,000 wired to a certain address immediately.

Under the pressure of a simulated threat to a relative, many will panic and send money. In reality, the relative has no knowledge this is even going on, and a simple phone call might prove that. Sometimes it comes as a phone call but be suspicious of any such situation.

Using Social Media Sites to Prey on Grandparents

Have you heard of this scam? Criminals scour publicly available data on Facebook, Twitter and other social media sites. Then they locate a relative — generally a grandparent — and call the person pretending to be a college-aged grandchild or perhaps in the military, on leave.

Here’s a typical “grandparent scam” phone call using information gleaned from the Internet: “Hi Grandma, it’s Billy. I’m in Toronto on break from (the name of the university he attends). I got into a car accident and need some money to pay for the damage. Can you wire me $1,000 right away? Please don’t tell my parents because they’ll get upset.”

In some cases, the scammers pretend the grandchild was arrested and is in jail or needs emergency medical treatment. If money is wired, the grandparents may be contacted again and told additional money is needed.

Meanwhile, the victim’s grandchildren are actually safe at home or school.

To pull off these scams, criminals go through social media accounts, searching for information. Scammers easily gather names, locations, schools attended, photos and other details that allow them to overcome skepticism when calling the grandparents.

According to the FBI, criminals often call “late at night or early in the morning when most people aren’t thinking that clearly.”

There are variations on the scam, the FBI reports, including:

Instead of the “grandchild” making the phone call, the caller pretends to be an arresting police officer, lawyer, doctor at hospital, or other person. Sometimes, the “grandchild” talks first and then hands the phone over to an accomplice…to further spin the fake tale.

If you receive such a call:

• Don’t be pressured to act quickly. Never let fear overcome common sense.
• Ask questions that would be difficult to answer unless you are in the family.
• Ask to contact the individual directly. Call the parents or friends to see if the grandchild is really traveling.
• Don’t wire money or purchase a prepaid credit card to pay the bill unless you’re certain it is a family member.

If you’ve been scammed, contact law enforcement immediately.

Keep Your Guard Up

The scams described above are only some of the ways that thieves steal from honest people. New scams are being introduced all the time. We’re blessed to live in a golden era of technology. But where there’s gold, there will likely be criminals looking for people who will let down their guard. This is where wisdom and experience become invaluable.

Copyright 2025

This article appeared in Walz Group’s March 10, 2025 issue of The Bottom Line e-newsletter, produced by TopLine Content Marketing. This content is for informational purposes only.