National Senior Fraud Awareness Day is May 15th, and FBI Philadelphia wants to remind families, friends, and caregivers, of the fraud schemes that are targeting older Americans.

In April, the FBI released the annual Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Elder Fraud report. This annual publication provides statistics about incidents of elder fraud—or fraud that explicitly targets older Americans’ money or cryptocurrency—that are reported to IC3.The goal of this report is to inform the public of the scams impacting the country and prevent future and repeat incidents.

Across the nation, tech support fraud was the most reported scheme impacting older Americans, with over 17,600 complaints of this scam. In tech support schemes, criminals pose as tech support representatives and offer to fix non-existent computer issues in order to gain remote access to victims’ devices and their sensitive information. Investment fraud resulted in the most reported victim losses, with about $1.2 billion in losses. Investment fraud schemes involve complex financial crimes, often characterized as low-risk investments with guaranteed returns.

“Scammers continue to victimize older citizens, a uniquely vulnerable population who we often see suffer significant financial loss at the hands of these criminals,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, Special Agent in Charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Our office remains committed to not only pursuing the criminals orchestrating these devastating schemes, but also educating our older population, and their loved ones, to bring awareness to this problem and prevent future victimization. We encourage anyone who thinks they or someone they know may be a victim of elder fraud to report it.”

Ways to protect yourself include:

Recognize scam attempts and end all communication with the perpetrator.

Search online for the contact information (name, e-mail, phone number, addresses) and the proposed offer. Other people have likely posted information online about individuals and businesses trying to run scams.

Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers create a sense of urgency to produce fear and lure victims into immediate action. Call the police immediately if you feel there is a danger to yourself or a loved one.

Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings, and door-to-door services offers.

Never give or send any personally identifiable information, money, jewelry, gift cards, checks, or wire information to unverified people or businesses.

Make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date. Use reputable anti-virus software and firewalls.

Be careful what you download. Never open an e-mail attachment from someone you don't know, and be wary of e-mail attachments forwarded to you.

The report is published in hopes of bringing awareness of the crimes impacting those over 60 and reducing the stigma in reporting to prevent not only future victimization but also revictimization.

If you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, contact FBI Philadelphia at (215) 418-4000, or submit a tip online at tips.fbi.gov. If the suspected fraud was Internet-facilitated, you can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.

To find additional elder fraud resources, visit:

https://www.fbi.gov/how-we-can-help-you/scams-and-safety/common-scams-and-crimes/elder-fraud

To view the 2023 Elder Fraud Report: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2023_IC3ElderFraudReport.pdf