Grandparent Scams

Lunenburg County is offering free safety sessions for seniors at Bridgewater Fire Hall, with the opening session covering common scams targeting older adults including grandparent scams, romance scams, fake bank investigator calls, and advance-fee lottery schemes. Police and safety coordinators advised participants to avoid sharing personal or banking information over the phone, be cautious with unfamiliar links, and verify identities before transferring money. Additional sessions on safe investing, legal information, and other safety topics are scheduled throughout October.

Scammers placed fake QR code stickers on parking meters in Ann Arbor, Michigan's downtown area, with labels like "Scan to Park!" that direct users to fraudulent websites designed to steal personal and financial information. Ann Arbor police warn residents not to scan unfamiliar QR codes on meters and recommend using only official payment methods, with particular concern that older residents may be more vulnerable to this scam. City employees have been instructed to remove suspicious stickers from meters and residents are urged to report them to police to prevent identity theft and financial loss.

Approximately 72% of internet crimes targeting people aged 60 and older in 2024 involved personal data exploitation, resulting in estimated losses of $4.2 billion, according to an Incogni analysis. Scammers use exposed personal information combined with techniques like SIM swaps and AI voice cloning to impersonate family members through compromised accounts and family group chats. The FBI recommends verifying urgent requests through separate communication channels and using authentication apps instead of SMS-based two-factor authentication to prevent these scams.

Scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence technology to impersonate trusted people through deepfake photos, videos, and voice cloning to pressure seniors into sending money via texts, emails, and phone calls. Wisconsin loses approximately $1.4 billion annually to online scams, prompting the Wisconsin Alliance for Retired Americans to launch an awareness campaign called "United to Stop Online Scams" and advocating for government regulation of AI tools and cooling-off periods for financial transactions.

Elder fraud targeting seniors with lower tech literacy rose dramatically in 2024, with 72% of cases involving exposed personal data and resulting in $4.2 billion in losses. Scammers exploit family chat groups and use SIM swap attacks to intercept two-factor authentication codes, enabling them to impersonate family members and convince victims to send money. Protection strategies include minimizing personal data online, enabling authenticator app-based two-factor authentication, verifying identities through multiple communication channels, and establishing family passwords for emergency verification.

An elderly Tarrytown resident was defrauded of approximately $29,000 through a sophisticated scheme in which scammers impersonated Apple's financial department, gained remote access to the victim's computer, and falsely claimed an erroneous $50,000 deposit required repayment in cash. Benny Cai was arrested on September 24, 2026, after receiving a second fraudulent payment from the victim and was found in possession of cocaine; investigators believe he is part of an organized group targeting elderly victims. Cai was charged with Grand Larceny in the Fourth Degree, Scheme to Defraud in the First Degree, and Criminal Possession of a

Americans over age 60 filed more than 201,000 internet-crime complaints in 2025 with losses exceeding $7.7 billion, representing a 37% increase in complaints and 59% increase in losses compared to 2024, with average losses of $38,000 per victim. Scammers target seniors through various schemes including grandparent scams, fake law enforcement calls, technical support fraud, and romance scams, often manipulating caller ID and using urgency to prevent victims from verifying requests. North Dakota residents and authorities have reported increasing incidents of these fraud schemes, and law enforcement urges families to establish safeguards and teach seniors that legitimate government agencies will never demand immediate

Americans ages 20-29 reported over $500 million in internet crime losses in 2025, with college students particularly vulnerable to sophisticated scams including online shopping fraud, fake job offers, rental scams, and AI-enabled schemes. Scammers exploit students' digital familiarity and high demand for housing and employment by impersonating legitimate businesses, posting fake listings, and using deepfakes and cloned voices to deceive victims into sending money or sharing personal information. Students and parents can protect themselves by verifying website legitimacy, applying for jobs through official company websites, conducting reverse image searches on rental listings, and being wary of unsolicited job offers and unusually low prices.

Webster Parish residents are reporting scams to authorities three to four times weekly, with scammers increasingly using sophisticated tactics including spoofing the Sheriff's Office phone number and impersonating law enforcement to solicit bail payments for arrested relatives. One notable case involved a local businessman losing nearly $500,000 in a fake Bitcoin investment scheme, while romance scams remain prevalent among older adults, with perpetrators sometimes spending months building trust before requesting money. Officials emphasized that skepticism, independent verification of requests, and consulting trusted contacts are critical defenses against these evolving scams, which are often perpetrated by overseas criminals.

Pennsylvania's elderly population, which comprises over one-quarter of the state's residents, lost over $215 million to scams in 2025 alone, according to FBI data. Common scams targeting seniors include romance and investment fraud, online shopping counterfeit schemes, phishing scams impersonating government agencies like Social Security and the IRS, and grandparent emergency scams. Scammers exploit seniors' vulnerability by using spoofed phone numbers, fake websites, and increasingly AI technology to deceive victims into divulging sensitive financial information or transferring funds.