This Week in Elder Fraud · 2026-10-26 to 2026-11-01
Callers posing as officials asked for cash, checks and crypto this week
Of the 290 articles our crawler collected, 95 involved robocall and phone scams, and 58 covered government impersonation. Reports this week described callers posing as the FBI, courts and Medicare, along with several cases of trusted helpers taking money from older adults.
Drawn from 290 news reports collected by Elderus this week. Most reported from Florida, New York, California.
Callers posing as federal agents and court officials
Reno police said callers claiming to be the FTC and law enforcement took about $200,000 from at least three residents over two weeks. In Virginia, a caller posing as a federal cyber crimes agent was linked to more than $819,000 from at least eight people, who were asked to send cashier's checks. In Illinois, a couple handed cash to a courier after a caller claimed to be an FBI agent. A Quincy, Illinois resident was told they had missed jury duty and paid a fine at a crypto ATM, and a federal case this week saw 25 defendants plead guilty in a $65 million scheme in which victims mailed cash.
No real agent will ask you for cash, checks or crypto, so if anyone says they are from the FBI or the court, hang up and call me.
Reported by ksl.com, alxnow.com, ktvn.com, whig.com, goldrushcam.com
Bail requests from a relative, a lawyer or a court clerk
In Fairfield, Connecticut, callers posing as a man's son-in-law, an attorney and a court representative persuaded him to withdraw $12,000 for bail. Police used license plate readers to find the rideshare driver hired to pick up the package and recovered the money about two minutes before delivery. The Madison County, New York sheriff's office described a similar bail scam in which callers ask for payment by QR code. The sheriff's office said deputies do not call families to arrange bail.
If anyone calls saying a family member is in jail, hang up and phone that person or me directly before you send anything.
Reported by patch.com, connecticut.news12.com, oneidadispatch.com
Medicare open enrollment calls, texts and fake websites
Open enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, and local outlets in Missouri, Arizona, New Mexico and Maryland carried warnings this week. Reports described unsolicited calls, texts and emails from people posing as brokers or Medicare staff, including one claiming a Medicare card was expiring. One article noted fake sites that copy government pages. Senior Medicare Patrol and Medicare at 1-800-633-4227 were named as places to check or report.
Medicare will not call you asking for your number, so if someone does, hang up and call 1-800-633-4227 yourself.
Reported by joplinglobe.com, yourvalley.net, abqjournal.com, newswav.com, kiowacountypress.net, thenewsenterprise.com
Romance and crypto schemes that begin with a friendly message
Twin brothers from Ghana and an American woman pleaded guilty in a romance scam that took more than $9 million from over 130 victims, mostly older Americans, and used AI-generated video. A Nigerian woman sentenced to eight years for a romance scam involving $851,207 in losses is being sought by the FBI after she did not report to prison. A local news report described wrong-number texts that lead to crypto investment pitches. Pennsylvania's attorney general began placing warning signs at Bitcoin ATMs.
If someone you have only met online starts asking for money or talking about crypto, tell me or a friend before you send anything.
Reported by morganton.com, nigerianeye.com, wgal.com, route-fifty.com, aol.com
Money taken by people with legal access
A Michigan man was ordered to stand trial for allegedly taking over $100,000 from a man with dementia while holding power of attorney. A Connecticut art dealer who served as agent, executor and trustee was sentenced to 5½ years for stealing over $2 million from an 87-year-old man's estate. A Pennsylvania attorney faces charges over $156,781.78 taken from two clients, and four people in Florida were arrested in a deed fraud case involving a man with dementia. In each case the person held a role of trust.
Let's sit down together once a year and look at who has access to your accounts and papers, and I'll help keep it all organized.
Reported by upnorthlive.com, courant.com, dailyhodl.com, moneywise.com
One person's story
An older couple in Burbank, Illinois, received a call from a man who said he was an FBI agent looking into suspicious activity at their bank. He told them some of their bills might be counterfeit and that the money needed to be checked. They went to their bank, withdrew $18,400, their life savings, and handed it to a man in a black SUV who was introduced as a courier. The caller built a believable story step by step, and the couple followed what sounded like official instructions.
Forward this to your parent
You have spent a lifetime handling money and making sound decisions, and that has not changed. The people behind these calls do this as a full-time job, and they are skilled at sounding official. A real agency will never ask you for cash, gift cards, checks or crypto, and you always have the right to say, "I will call you back," and hang up. Look up the number yourself. If something sounds odd, call me or someone you trust before you do anything. I will never think less of you for checking, at any hour. A quick call is always welcome.
One thing to do this week
This weekend, agree on a family rule: any request for cash, checks, gift cards or crypto, from anyone claiming to be an official or a relative, gets a call to a second family member first.
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