Keep Scam Artists at Bay with Common Sense
Technology can bring scams into our homes, but it also gives us tools to fight them.
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We’ve all seen these high-pressure sales tactics on TV and in junk mail. Most of us tune them out—anything that seems too good to be true probably is, right?
But it’s more frightening when the “hurry up” message is followed by: “You owe the government thousands of dollars.” Or maybe “... because your grandchild is in trouble.” Or “Your friend needs your help.”
Almost certainly, these messages—on your phone, in your email or on your social media feed—aren’t what they seem. They are scams, and if you’re not careful you could lose thousands of dollars or even your identity.
According to the Federal Trade Commission’s report Protecting Older Consumers, 2023–2024, older adults reported losing more than $1.9 billion to fraud in 2023. But because only a fraction of fraud is reported, the actual number may be as high as $61.5 billion.
Older adults reported losing more money ($538 million) to investment scams than to any other type of fraud, followed by business imposters ($311 million) and romance scams ($277 million). Although they reported losing more money to fraud using bank transfers and cryptocurrency than other forms of payment, gift cards were the most frequently used forms of payment for many common scams.
Scammers target older adults for three reasons. First, they assume mature adults have more assets—savings, investments and property—that they can steal. Second, older adults may not be as familiar or comfortable using internet-enabled technology. Third, older adults may be more trusting or vulnerable to making hurried decisions, especially when presented with an urgent call to action, like a relative in trouble or a serious computer problem.
What scammers don’t seem to realize is that as older adults, we also have experience with hard-sell pitches. We’ve seen this before. Common sense is the best tool we have to keep from becoming victims.
The top tactic in the scammer’s toolkit is urgency—creating the sense that the potential victim has to act now without taking time to think. Don’t fall for it; no emergency is so urgent that you can’t take time to think it through.
If you get an email, a text or a post on your social media, sit back and think. If it seems suspicious or too good to be true, there’s a good chance it’s a scam. If you get a phone call, tell the caller you’ll call back. If they tell you that you can’t and that you have to do what they’re asking immediately, you know that’s a scam.
Here are some easy steps to take to minimize exposure to criminal schemes.
On the computer: Fraudsters have gotten very good at mimicking legitimate email from the government, banks and other institutions. They can even mimic a government or business website.
Don’t call phone numbers or click links in the email. Instead, look up the institution’s website and customer service phone number using a search engine such as Google, Bing or DuckDuckGo, or keep your own list of verified contact information for institutions you deal with regularly, like your bank and credit card companies.
Don’t click on email attachments. If the email is a scam, that’s a good way to download a virus or other malware onto your computer. Verify the attachment’s authenticity with a phone call first.
On the phone: Always check your phone’s caller ID before answering, and don’t answer unknown numbers. If it’s something important, they’ll leave a message. If a caller asks you for personal information or for payment, hang up. That’s a red flag for a potential scam call.
Remember: the government will never call and ask you for personal information or payment over the phone. If you want to verify that you don’t have an issue with the institution the caller says they represent, look up the customer service phone number using a search engine and call that number. Don’t call a number you’re given over the phone or left in a voicemail.
Finally, no legitimate business or government agency will ever ask you to pay for anything using gift cards or cryptocurrency such as bitcoin. That’s a scam!
If you think you may be the victim of a scam, help yourself and your peers by reporting it! You can report fraud, scams and bad business practices to the Federal Trade Commission online at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
For online fraud, the FBI also maintains the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) online at ic3.gov. The IC3 offers more information and resources for senior citizens at ic3.gov/crimeinfo/elderfraud
Common Scam Scenarios & Solutions
The Scam: Tech support panic
Type: Online scam
The Signs: A pop-up on your screen saying your computer has an urgent issue that must be resolved immediately, and you need to call or download/install a program to fix it. These pop-ups often claim to come from Microsoft, but such firms do not monitor individual computers and they certainly will not ask you to call.
The Solution: If one of these pop-ups appears, close it immediately. When you start using a new computer, install an antivirus program to protect your computer and your peace of mind. If you’re not comfortable adding the program, have a trusted tech-savvy friend, relative or computer service technician do it for you. Pro tip: Current versions of Microsoft Windows include Microsoft Defender, a basic, built-in antivirus protection app.
The Scam: Fraud refund fraud
Type: Phone or email scam
The Signs: This scam is particularly sneaky. You’ve been the victim of a scam, and you get a call or email purporting to be from an agency that can help you recoup the money you’ve lost—but they need your personal or financial information, or an up-front fee.
The Solution: Online criminals often buy, sell and trade information about victims, so this scam may be run by the same criminals who defrauded you in the first place, or there may be a new group of thieves targeting you. Report scams and business fraud to the Federal Trade Commission at reportfraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov, and verify any communications by contacting the agencies yourself.
The Scam: Government imposter
Type: Phone or email scam
The Signs: A phone call or email saying you owe the IRS or a business money, and you must pay immediately to avoid further fines, fees or a shutoff of some service or benefits.
The Solution: Don’t rely on your own ability to sniff out a fake call or email; it’s the fraudster’s job to convince you it’s authentic. Instead, contact the institution using information you know is legitimate to verify the situation. Chances are you’re not the only one the fraudster is trying to fool.
