Scams are designed to steal money or personal information. They remain widespread, with reported losses to American consumers reaching a whopping $12.5 billion in 2024 and growing. Older adults are often targeted for scams because they possess life savings, are less acquainted with technological updates, and possibly are more trusting and polite due to their generational upbringing. Being proactive can help. Just as people lock their doors to protect their cars and homes, taking practical steps can help reduce your risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
How Most Scams Begin
Most scams begin with unexpected messages, calls, emails, or social media contact that come from scammers. That is why it is important to treat unsolicited outreach with caution. You do not have to answer calls, texts, or emails from people you do not know. Scammers often pretend to be someone they are not, invent urgent stories, and pressure people to send money or share sensitive information such as bank account details.
Why Scammers Are Effective
Scammers are skilled at persuasion and often rely on urgency, fear, or false friendliness to manipulate their targets. Their goal is simple: to get money or information. Because they are willing to exploit trust and emotion, staying alert and recognizing their tactics is one of the best ways to reduce risk.
Scam Prevention
A key part of scam prevention is learning how to recognize common warning signs before you respond. Be sure to check out our sister article entitled Increasing Scam Awareness Part II – which identifies frequent scam types and practical reminders to spot these scams – all within an easy chart form that you can print out, post, or share.
Reporting Scams
Reporting scams to the FTC or other authorities is also important. In some cases, reporting may help stop the scammer, improve the chances of recovering funds, and protect others from becoming victims. Know that you are not helpless – you can step up and do your part to slam the scam – part of the ongoing awareness campaign led by the Social Security Administration (SSA) and its Office of the Inspector General to help the public identify, avoid, and report government imposter scams. Note that AMAC plays a vital role supporting anti-scam initiatives.
How Scammers Build Trust
Many scams do not begin with obvious threats. Instead, scammers may appear friendly, helpful, or polite to gain trust. This process is sometimes called grooming. Once trust is established, the scammer may ask for money, personal information, or access to accounts and devices.
The Rise of More Sophisticated Scams
Scams are becoming harder to detect as criminals use newer technology, including voice cloning, photo or video manipulation, and other deceptive tactics. It is helpful to understand a few common terms used to describe digital scams (online fraud):
- Phishing is a method of cyberattack that uses fraudulent emails or websites to trick people into sharing personal, financial, or login information.
- Smishing is phishing delivered through text messages.
- Vishing is phishing carried out through phone calls (a live call or a robocall) or voice messages (a voicemail).
Scammers use these common forms of social engineering or manipulation techniques to exploit people to gain private information, access, or valuables.
Why Scams Are Hard to Spot
Some scams are obvious, but many are carefully planned, highly convincing, and challenging to identify. Scammers may use some stolen personal details, including information bought and sold online, likely on the dark web, to make their stories seem believable. Because of this, scams can be complex and difficult to detect. Staying informed about current scam trends and warning signs can make it easier to protect yourself.
Practical Ways to Avoid Scams
- Do not automatically trust caller ID, email addresses, or display names. These can be spoofed.
- If someone claims to be from your bank, a government agency, or another trusted organization, hang up and contact the organization using the official number you already have. Never use contact information provided by the caller or message sender.
- Be cautious with unsolicited offers, especially those involving money, prizes, jobs, or urgent requests.
- Keep your computer and devices up-to-date and use the latest security measures available. Also use strong passwords and multi-factor authentication that requires users to provide two or more verification methods to access an account.
- Manage device security by locking your phone, tablet or laptop with a PIN or biometric (fingerprint/face ID).
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi to conduct important business due to high risk of malware and data exposure.
- Protect sensitive information. Do not share account numbers, passwords, verification codes, or other personal details unless you independently confirm who is asking. Note that most companies or financial institutions won’t ask for your passwords or personal information – that is likely a scammer.
- If you might have disclosed sensitive information to a potential scammer, such as providing your bank account number, act fast and swiftly notify your banking institution.
- Avoid unusual or hard-to-trace payment methods, including gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or payment apps requested by strangers. Real companies won’t ask you to transfer money to protect accounts – that is likely a scammer.
- Trust your instincts. If something feels suspicious, pressured, or inconsistent, stop communicating immediately. It’s okay to hang up on potential scammers.
- Watch for suspicious links, website addresses, messages, attachments, and QR codes. When in doubt, do not click, scan, or respond.
- Learn the common signs of scams, including urgency, secrecy, pressure to act quickly, and requests for payment or personal information.
The Emotional Toll of Being Scammed
Scams often cause more than financial harm. Many victims also experience a deep sense of violation, embarrassment, or self-blame. These reactions are common, but it is important to remember that being scammed is not the victim’s fault.
Scammers are highly practiced manipulators. They refine their tactics, exploit trust, and use increasingly sophisticated methods to make their schemes believable. Because of this, anyone can be targeted, and many scams are difficult to recognize in the moment.
The emotional impact can be serious and may feel traumatic. And the rush to judgement by others can hurt. Some people need support to process the stress and psychological effects of fraud. Reaching out for help is an important step.
If you or someone you know has been scammed, consider taking these actions:
- Report the scam to the FTC.
- Contact your bank or credit card provider right away if money or account information is involved.
- Notify local law enforcement if theft, threats, or harassment occurred.
- For elder financial fraud, seek help through the National Elder Fraud Hotline or call 833-FRAUD-11.
Be sure to check out our sister article entitled Increasing Scam Awareness Part II that provides common scam examples for 2026 and ways to spot those scams.
Disclosure: This article is purely informational and is not intended as a substitute for professional advice.