Older Adult Scams

Impersonators Going after Your Life Savings

Fraudsters are using fear and urgency to trick older adults into giving them money by pretending to be a trusted organization.  They will call or message you and pretend to be the following:

• Bank or Credit Union:  They claim to be an employee warning you about suspicious account activity
• Police:  They claim you’re wanted for a serious crime or missed court date
• Tech Support:  They claim there is a security issue with your computer

They offer to “help” by sending money to them or someone else to make the problem go away.  They tell you to deposit money at a Bitcoin ATM and send it as crypto.

Protecting Yourself

• Never send money to anyone in response to an unexpected call or text.
• If they tell you to use a Bitcoin or Crypto ATM, refuse to do so.
• Talk about it with someone you trust.
• Verify the story by contacting the organization through their actual phone number or email.

If You Become a Victim

Take the following actions right away:

• Notify your bank or credit union of the transactions.
• File a police report.
• File a complaint with the FTC at https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/.

Video

For more information, watch this video from KCAL News on impersonators targeting older adults.