Have you ever been a victim of a scammer scam?
Scammers are everywhere. What are the red flags?
James Yancey said his 67-year-old father hinted that he was “going through something” that he couldn’t talk about before finally opening up on Halloween.
Yancy’s father gestured toward his cell phone, “giving the impression that he thought he was being listened to or watched,” the 33-year-old said. Outside, away from his cellphone, his father tells Yancey that his identity has been stolen and that the FBI and IRS are working together to protect his life savings.
Yancey’s father had liquidated accounts worth about $400,000 and moved the cash into gift cards, Bitcoin and gold.
Yancy immediately knew it was a scam.
The scammers presented themselves as federal employees, received gift cards and Bitcoin in advance, took the money directly, and told the father they would pay the money back in the form of a check if the imposters were found.
“I told him as gently as I could, ‘That’s fake,'” Yancey said.
Amy Nofziger, senior director of fraud victim support at AARP, said online scams targeting seniors are not new, but they are changing. Scammers are getting more creative, demanding payments that cannot be traced to them, such as cryptocurrencies or gold. Romance scams are also changing and targeting older adults. Until now, scammers have used traditional dating sites. But now they find their victim on social media and start a friendship, not just a romantic ploy. Nofziger said older people are more attractive to scammers because they tend to have more money.
“It’s the same reason why criminals rob banks or try to rob the Louvre, right?” Nofziger said. “They go where the money is.”
Nofziger said that because awareness of online scams has increased in recent years, more people are reporting online scams when they occur. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports $16.6 billion in losses in 2024, with people 60 and older suffering the most losses and filing the most complaints.
“Celebrities” are also being used in elderly fraud
Jennifer Daley’s mother is also a target.
Daley never expected her mother to become romantically involved with a scammer. But looking back, she can understand how it happened.
The mother likely felt alone, Daly said. She doesn’t go out much. Daly’s parents live in rural Illinois, and her mother spends a lot of time shopping online.
When Daley’s father told him in September that her mother had made friends through Facebook Messenger, she became suspicious. Within a few weeks, her mother bought gift cards for this friend, John, and began spending more and more time exchanging messages with him online. Her mother ended up sending John more than $8,000.
Soon, messages between John and Daly’s mother became romantic, Daly said. Then he started asking for even more money.
Daley has not yet been able to separate her mother from the relationship.
Like Yancey, Daly has been posting updates on TikTok, where thousands of commenters have offered advice, prayers and shown compassion by sharing their own scammer stories.
One user commented: “I think my mom has an online relationship with Eric Clapton.” “It’s been over a year and she hasn’t heard anything. Good luck!”
“My grandmother is getting married to Morgan Wallen next month,” another wrote.
Daly said John claimed to be a famous musician who had a second home in Ireland and owned a private jet. Daley and her family believe her mother’s mental health may be deteriorating, which may be contributing to her poor judgment, and are consulting a doctor. But it was difficult.
“You can’t force someone to help themselves if they don’t want to be helped,” Daly said.
‘willing to listen’ to victims of online fraud
When Yancey’s father talked about his financial situation, Yancey did his best to remain calm.
“I wasn’t at peace inside,” Yancey said. “But I’m good at hiding it.”
Nofziger said that’s exactly how the situation should be handled.
“Be willing to listen with kindness and empathy. Don’t criticize, shout, or argue,” Nofziger said. She suggests telling parents: “I’m really sorry that this happened. Together we will figure out next steps.” Then stop talking to the scammer and call the police.
Yancey said he helped his father file a report with the FBI and local police department. However, his father was “distraught” over the whole incident and used up his entire life’s savings. Yancey launched a GoFundMe to help replenish her father’s bank account and said she is taking steps to jointly own her father’s assets to protect him from future fraud.
How to spot online scammers
Although scammers are becoming more sophisticated, Nofziger says there are still red flags people should be aware of.
Here are signs that the person you or your loved one is talking to online is actually a scammer.
- they ask for money. Especially if it’s through non-traditional payment methods like gift cards, cryptocurrencies, or gold bars.
- If they lie to you or ask you to keep the relationship secret.
- They tell you that if you don’t follow the plan, you’ll be arrested or else you’ll cause fear.
Adults can protect their elderly parents from scams by setting alerts on bank and brokerage accounts, so they can know when their parents are withdrawing large sums of money. Nofziger said families should be prepared by having “non-authoritarian” conversations with parents about money and role-playing scam situations.
“This is very similar to other role-playing conversations we have in life, like where would you gather if there was a fire? What would you do?” she said. “So if that happens, they’re not necessarily caught off guard and don’t know what to do. In the back of their minds, they’re like, ‘Oh, I remember this.'”
Madeline Mitchell’s role covering women and the care economy for USA TODAY is supported by partnerships such as: extremely important and Journalism funding partners. Funders do not provide editorial input.
Contact Madeline at: memitchell@usatoday.com and @maddiemitch_ With X.
