Scams Targeting Seniors in 2026: What They Sound Like, How to Protect a Parent and Where to Report

This guide is for older adults who want to know what the scams of 2026 sound like, and for the adult children who worry that a parent will get one phone call too many. The one thing to know: almost every scam asks for the same two things, urgency and a payment that is hard to reverse. If a call, text or pop-up demands both, it is almost certainly a scam, no matter who it claims to be.

Scams targeting seniors in 2026: the numbers

The most recent federal data cover 2025, and both main sources show losses climbing fast.

• FBI. The elder fraud section of the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report counts 201,266 complaints from people 60 and older, up 37% from 2024, with $7.748 billion in reported losses, up 59%. The average loss was $38,500, and 12,444 older complainants lost more than $100,000. People 60 and older filed more complaints and reported larger losses than any other age group.
• FTC. The FTC's October 19, 2026 report to Congress says reported fraud losses among people 60 and over grew about fivefold, from about $600 million in 2020 to roughly $3 billion in 2025. Because most fraud is never reported, the FTC estimates the true cost to older adults in 2025 "could be as high as $119.5 billion."

The two totals differ because they come from different complaint systems: the FBI counts reports to its Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and the FTC counts reports made to the FTC. Both point the same way.

In the FBI data, the costliest crimes against people 60 and older in 2025 were investment fraud ($3.52 billion), tech and customer support scams ($1.04 billion), romance and confidence scams ($584 million) and government impersonation ($413 million). Cryptocurrency was involved in $4.35 billion of the losses, and more than 3,100 complaints mentioned artificial intelligence (AI).

The most common scams, and the giveaway in each

The FBI report notes that fake crypto investment schemes often start with a text, a social media message, an ad or a dating app, and that some tech support and government impostors now send couriers to collect cash or gold in person.

Three scams behind the biggest losses

Tech support scams

The FTC's tech support scam guide is blunt: "Legitimate tech companies won't contact you by phone, email, or text message" about a computer problem, and "real security pop-up warnings and messages will never ask you to call a phone number." Once a scammer has remote access, they pretend to find viruses and charge to remove them. If a warning takes over the screen, don't call the number. Turn the computer off and call someone you trust.

"Move your money to protect it"

This is the script behind many of the biggest losses. Someone posing as the bank's fraud department, a tech company or a federal agency warns that your accounts are at risk and tells you to move the money somewhere "safe." The FTC reported in August 2025 that older adults' reports of losing $10,000 or more to these impostors rose more than four-fold since 2020, and combined losses in reports over $100,000 rose eight-fold, from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024. The FTC's advice is simple: don't move money to "protect it," whoever the caller says they are.

Family emergency calls and AI voices

A caller sounds like a grandchild in trouble, after a car accident or an arrest, and begs for money and secrecy. The FTC's fake emergency guide warns that "some scammers use artificial intelligence (AI) to clone your loved one's voice" from a short audio clip. Its advice: resist the pressure, hang up, and call your relative at a number you know is right. Ask a question only the real person would know, and call another family member even if the caller asked you not to.

Medicare scams to know about

Medicare numbers are valuable to criminals because they can be used to bill Medicare for things you never got. Watch for these:

• The "new Medicare card" call. The FTC's Open Enrollment alert says "real Medicare cards are free and mailed to you automatically." Anyone who wants a fee, or your number, to send a new card is a scammer. The Senior Medicare Patrol also warns about offers of plastic Medicare cards.
• Free genetic tests. The HHS Office of Inspector General warns that scammers offer "free" cheek swabs at health fairs, by phone or door to door to collect Medicare information. If Medicare denies the claim, you could be billed thousands of dollars (HHS OIG). Only accept genetic testing ordered by your own doctor.
• Free equipment. Medicare's equipment booklet warns that some dishonest suppliers offer expensive power wheelchairs and scooters to people who don't qualify. Treat calls offering free braces, medical alerts or other devices "covered by Medicare" the same way.
• "Flex card" offers. Ads and callers promise hundreds of dollars on a card "from Medicare." AARP notes that Medicare doesn't issue flex cards, and some callers use the offer to steal a Medicare number or push a plan switch. Our guide to what Medicare Advantage extras really cover explains the real benefit.

These calls tend to rise during Medicare Open Enrollment, October 15 to December 7. Medicare says it "will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home," and advises against joining a plan over the phone unless you made the call. Check each Medicare statement against your calendar for services you never received.

How families can help without taking over

Most older adults don't want to be treated as easy targets, and a lecture can make a parent less likely to mention a strange call next time. These steps protect money while keeping your parent in charge.

1. Talk about scams as news, not as a test. Share a story you read and ask, "Have you gotten one of these?" It keeps the door open for next time.
2. Agree on a family check-in rule. Any request for money, from anyone, gets a call to a family member first. Some families also agree on a question or code word only relatives know, which fits the FTC's advice to ask something only the real person would know.
3. Turn on call blocking. The FTC recommends blocking unwanted calls. Ask the phone company what call blocking and spam filtering it offers, and check the phone's own settings for silencing unknown callers.
4. Freeze credit. A credit freeze stops anyone from opening new credit in your parent's name. The FTC says it is free to place and lift with Equifax, Experian and TransUnion.
5. Add a trusted contact. Brokerage firms can ask for a "trusted contact person" they may call if they suspect exploitation. FINRA explains that this person gets no authority to trade or see balances, which makes it an easier yes for many parents.
6. Set up account alerts for large withdrawals or transfers, sent to your parent and, with permission, to you.
7. Plan ahead. A durable power of attorney lets a trusted person step in if your parent can no longer manage money. The CFPB's Managing Someone Else's Money guides explain the role.

If your parent lives alone, scams are one more reason to stay in regular touch. Our guides to an elderly parent living alone and checking on a parent remotely have ideas. Memory changes can make anyone more vulnerable, so if you notice them, raise it gently with your parent's doctor. Our memory section can help.

If it already happened

• Stop all contact and payments. Don't send "one last fee" to release money.
• Call the bank or card company right away and ask them to stop or reverse the payment.
• Change passwords if a scammer had computer access or login details, along with any other accounts that use the same password.
• Report it using the list below, even if the amount was small or the money is gone.
• Be ready for a second wave. The FBI's 2025 report warns that investment scam victims are also targeted by "recovery" scams that claim they can get lost money back. Hang up on anyone who wants a fee to recover your money.

How to report elder fraud

The Justice Department's hotline page adds a warning of its own: scammers have impersonated the hotline and threatened lawsuits. Don't send money or a Social Security number in response to a call like that. More caregiving guides are in our caregiving section.