Older adults lost billions to scammers last year, FBI warns

The FBI is warning that older adults continue to face growing financial losses from scams, fraud, and cybercrime.

Americans aged 60 and older reported more than $7.7 billion in losses in 2025 alone, the bureau announced last week. Officials say scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, using emotional manipulation, impersonation tactics, fake investment opportunities, and even AI-generated content to target victims.

Key takeaways

• The FBI says adults over the age of 60 lost more than $7.7 billion to scams in 2025.
• Investment fraud, impersonation scams, and tech support scams remain among the biggest threats.
• Criminals increasingly use AI-generated content and emotional manipulation to pressure victims.
• Families can help reduce risk through open conversations, scam awareness, and ongoing digital protection.

Real stories behind the statistics

During an investigation into a fraudulent call center operating out of India, FBI special agent Ron Miller said he identified an older American woman who was being targeted by scammers and lost $500,000 in cash, wire transfers, and gift cards.

According to the FBI, the victim initially ignored calls from investigators and even blocked Miller’s number because she believed the situation was legitimate. After meeting her in person, Miller eventually convinced her she was being scammed.

“The victim just broke down emotionally in disbelief after realizing that she had lost her life savings to a scam,” Miller said.

Why older adults are heavily targeted

Scammers often target older adults because they believe they may have retirement savings or accumulated wealth, are more likely to answer phone calls or respond to emails, feel isolated or emotionally vulnerable, and are less familiar with rapidly evolving online scam tactics. Criminals frequently tailor their approach to exploit trust, urgency, and emotion rather than relying purely on technical tricks.

Scammers may pose as:

• A bank employee warning about fraud
• Technical support claiming a computer infection
• A government agency threatening legal action
• A grandchild or relative in distress
• A romantic partner asking for financial help

The scams inflicting the biggest losses

Investment and cryptocurrency scams continued to cause some of the biggest financial losses for older adults in 2025. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), investment-related fraud led to more than $3.5 billion in reported losses last year alone. Cryptocurrency scams were particularly damaging, affecting more than 42,000 older victims and resulting in $4.3 billion in losses.

Phishing and spoofing scams were the most commonly reported frauds targeting seniors in 2025. These scams usually arrive via convincing emails, text messages, or phone calls that appear to come from trusted organizations, banks, delivery companies, or even family members. The goal is to trick victims into sharing passwords, financial details, or other sensitive information. According to the IC3 report, more than 48,000 older adults reported phishing or spoofing scams last year, accounting for nearly a quarter of all complaints submitted by senior victims.

Government impersonation scams and AI-powered family impersonation scams are also becoming more common. Criminals may pretend to be from the IRS, Medicare, or the Social Security Administration and contact victims with threats, fake investigations, or urgent requests for money. The FBI says these impersonation scams generated nearly $798 million in reported losses across all age groups in 2025, including more than 8,600 complaints from older adults.

You may also want to read:

• They Wear Our Faces: How Scammers Are Using AI to Swindle American Families
• ‘Your Boss Needs This ASAP!’ How AI Impersonation Scams Trick Employees
• Florida Woman Loses $15K to AI Voice Scam Mimicking Daughter in Distress

The FBI’s advice: hang up and verify

Ron Miller, special agent with the FBI Washington Field Office, warned that scammers become more effective the longer they keep victims engaged.

“The best way to avoid scams is to ignore unsolicited communications, especially calls from unknown numbers,” he said. “The longer scammers talk to victims, the more successful they are with the scam.”

The FBI encourages people to slow down, verify requests independently, and discuss suspicious situations with trusted family members before sending money or sharing information.

How families can help protect older loved ones

One of the strongest defenses against scams is communication.

Many victims feel ashamed after being targeted and may avoid discussing suspicious calls or financial activity. Unfortunately, scammers often exploit this silence.

Families can help by:

• Talking openly about common scams and fraud tactics
• Encouraging relatives to verify urgent financial requests
• Creating family “safe words” for emergencies
• Reviewing privacy settings and account security together
• Helping older relatives identify phishing attempts and fake websites

Consider ongoing protection for the whole family

Scams often spread through families.

A Bitdefender Family Plan includes tools such as Scam Protection, along with device protection, email security, a Premium VPN, and digital identity monitoring.

Protection across multiple devices can help reduce the risk of account takeovers, phishing attempts, and identity misuse, particularly for households supporting older relatives.

You can also use free tools like Bitdefender Scamio to analyze suspicious messages and Bitdefender Link Checker to verify potentially dangerous links before opening them.

Take a look at one of our family plans to help keep everyone safer online.