Financial scam awareness for seniors is your first step to staying safe from clever and deceptive schemes. Scammers are always finding new ways to trick people, and older adults are often their favorite targets. By staying alert and knowing what to watch for, you can protect yourself, your money, and your personal information.
Here are nine warning signs of common scams against seniors—and tips to stay safe:
🚨 #1: “You Must Act Now”
Fraudsters pressure you to act quickly. They may claim to be government officials threatening penalties, or pretend to be your bank, saying your account will be closed.
- Remember: The government will never threaten fines or arrests over the phone or email.
- Call the organization in question using a number from their official website or their verified number saved on your phone.
🚨 #2: “Don’t Tell Anyone”
Con artists try to isolate victims by demanding secrecy. They may claim you’ve won a prize that must remain confidential or pretend to be a grandchild in trouble, begging for money but insisting on keeping it quiet.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: Secrecy is usually a clue that something isn’t right.
- Double-check any story with family, friends, or the organization directly.
🚨 #3: “Pay Me with Gift Cards, Crypto, or a Wire Transfer”
Scammers often demand unusual payment methods that are hard to reverse. Requests for payment using gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers are almost always fraudulent.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: Valid businesses and government agencies will never insist on these types of payment.
- Check any payment request using official contact information.
🚨 #4: “We Just Need Your Information”
Identity thieves may ask for personal details, such as your Social Security number, bank account, or passwords. They may send official-looking emails or create fake websites asking you to “confirm” your information.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: Legitimate organizations will never request sensitive details through unsolicited calls, emails, texts, or forms.
- Only share personal information if you initiated the contact.
🚨 #5: “This is Tech Support”
A dishonest caller may pretend to be from tech support, claiming your computer or internet account is compromised and asking you to give them remote access. Their real goal is to install malware or steal your information.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: If you didn’t request support, the caller or message isn’t legitimate.
- Never let anyone connect to your computer unless you initiated the request.
🚨 #6: “This Deal Is Too Good to Miss”
Swindlers tempt people with exciting and generous offers. They may promise guaranteed investments or “free” luxury items, but they want something from you.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
- Ask a trusted family member or financial advisor to review the offer.
🚨 #7: “I Really Care About You”
Romance scammers express deep affection for you and quickly form an emotional bond—but once they have your confidence, they invent an emergency and ask for money.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: True relationships don’t come with urgent requests for money, especially from someone you haven’t met in person.
- Talk to a reliable friend or family member, and never send money or personal information to someone you only know online.
🚨 #8: “Donate Now for Disaster Relief”
A common scheme exploits generosity by pretending to represent a real charity or inventing a fake one. These scams often appear after natural disasters or during holidays, asking for urgent donations.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: A legitimate charity will never pressure you to give immediately.
- Donate directly through a charity’s official website.
🚨 #9: “It’s Really Me”
Impostors may pretend to be friends or family using hacked accounts, phone calls, or AI-generated voices and deepfake videos. These hoaxes are designed to trick you into trusting what seems familiar.
Pause and Verify:
- Remember: Unusual or urgent requests should always raise suspicion—even if they appear to come from someone you know.
- Call the person using a trusted phone number to confirm.
Other Ways to Stay Safe
In addition to watching for warning signs, here are some additional financial fraud protection tips for seniors:
- Monitor your bank, credit card, and retirement accounts for unusual activity.
- Use strong, unique passwords and enable multi-factor authentication when available.
- Make “pause and verify” a habit: always call an organization using the number on their website or a confirmed number saved on your phone.
- Discuss suspicious calls, emails, or offers with someone you trust.
- Report suspected fraud promptly to your credit union, local authorities, or resources like the Federal Trade Commission and the AARP Fraud Watch Network.
Knowledge Is Your Best Defense
The more you know, the harder it is for con artists to succeed. Stay alert, talk with family or friends, and keep up to date on common elder scams.
At Excite Credit Union, we’re dedicated to helping our Members stay informed and confident in safeguarding their finances. Check out more fraud prevention tips from Excite, and explore additional scam-prevention resources from BALANCE, our trusted financial education partner.
At Excite, your security and peace of mind always come first.
