How to protect elderly parents from scams

How big the problem is

• In 2025, people 60 and over filed 201,266 complaints with IC3, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, and reported $7.748 billion in losses. Both rose from 2024: complaints by 37% and losses by 59%.
• The FBI's 2025 IC3 Annual Report gives an average loss of $38,500 for those complaints. It says 12,444 of the people who filed them lost more than $100,000.
• The FBI says the call centers behind tech support and government impersonation scams overwhelmingly target older adults.
• These numbers count only complaints filed with IC3 that gave an age.

Common scams aimed at older adults

• Family emergency and grandparent scams. The FTC says someone calls or messages, saying they're a family member or friend who needs money to get out of trouble. The FBI says criminals make short audio clips of a loved one's voice and ask for money in a crisis.
• Government impersonation. The FBI says criminals pose as a government official or law enforcement to extort money. Common examples include a claim that you missed jury duty.
• Tech support scams. The FBI says criminals pose as technical or customer support, for a computer, a bank or a utility, for example. The FTC says they ask for remote access to your computer.
• Romance scams. The FBI says criminals pose as interested romantic partners on social media or dating websites. The FTC says never send money or gifts to anyone you haven't met in person.
• Investment scams. The FBI says they usually offer large returns with minimal risk. If someone you met on social media, a dating site or by text pitches an investment, it says that's likely an investment fraud scheme.

What a family can do

1. 1

   Talk about scams now, before a call comes. Agree to check with each other before anyone sends money, even if a caller says to keep it secret. The FTC says to stop and talk to someone you trust before you do anything else. Talking about it could help you realize it's a scam.

2. 2

   Pick a family safe word together, in person or on a call you start. The FBI says to create a secret word or phrase with your family to verify their identity. How to set one up: Pick a family safe word

3. 3

   If a call is about money, hang up. Call back on a number you know is right, even if the voice sounds like family. The FTC says scammers are good at faking it.

4. 4

   Agree on a payment rule together. The FTC says never pay someone who insists that you can only pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service, a payment app or a gift card. If anyone says to withdraw cash and give it to someone, the FTC says it's a scam. Don't give it to a courier.

5. 5

   Help them freeze their credit at all three credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. The FTC says it's free and lasts until they lift it, and that it can help by making it harder for scammers to open new credit accounts in their name. They can lift it for a while when they need credit.

6. 6

   Their phone number and address may be listed on people-search sites. California's privacy agency says data brokers may sell information to scammers. Our guide shows how to ask sites to take them down: How to remove your personal information from the internet

7. 7

   Not sure about a text or email they got? Paste it into our free scam check. It's an automated check, so it can be wrong: Is this a scam?

8. 8

   If a scam gets through, help them call their bank first, then report it. For a parent 60 or older, the National Elder Fraud Hotline can help: 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311), Monday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Eastern time, except some holidays. Tell the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and file with the FBI at: ic3.gov (opens in a new tab)

What if my parent already sent money?

The FTC says the sooner you act, the better. Help them call their bank right away. For a wire transfer, the FBI says to ask the bank for a recall as quickly as possible. For a gift card, the FTC says to report it to the gift card company right away and ask for the money back.

Can I report it for my parent?

Yes. IC3, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, says you may file on behalf of another person. Is your parent unable to speak? The National Elder Fraud Hotline says its case managers can help you fill out IC3 and FTC complaint forms for them. The hotline also warns that scammers have pretended to be its staff, so call it yourself.

Can scammers really copy a family member's voice?

Yes. The FTC says that with a short audio clip, maybe from something posted online, and a voice-cloning program, a scammer could sound just like your family member. If possible, the FBI says, limit online content of your image or voice and make social media accounts private.

What if my parent feels embarrassed?

Start without blame. The Justice Department says many crimes go unreported because victims are scared, embarrassed or don't know who to call. Its National Elder Fraud Hotline says any caller can stay anonymous.