GACS Research Team

Free playbook · Public-safety guide

Elder Fraud Prevention

A plain-language playbook for protecting parents, grandparents, and older neighbours from scams. Warning signs, the exact conversation scripts that work, and free tools to check anything before money moves.

Check a phone, URL, or email Report a scam

Warning signs

Urgency, secrecy, gift cards, crypto, “don’t tell anyone” — the universal red flags.

Scripts that work

What to say (and what not to say) when you suspect a parent is being scammed right now.

Free checking tools

Verify any phone number, website, email, or wallet address in seconds. No signup.

Top 6 scams targeting older adults

1.Imposter scams — fake IRS, Medicare, bank, police, or tech-support calls
2.Grandparent scams — “It's me, I'm in trouble, please don't tell mom”
3.Romance scams — months of attention, then a sudden money emergency
4.Pig-butchering / crypto investment scams — fake high-return platforms
5.Lottery and prize scams — “pay a small fee to release your winnings”
6.Charity and disaster scams — fake fundraisers after news events

If money already moved

Call the bank or wire service immediately — many transfers can be recalled inside 24 hours
Freeze cards and change online-banking passwords from a different device
File with local police and ask for a case number
File at IC3.gov (US), Action Fraud (UK), CAFC (Canada), or your country’s equivalent
Submit the scam on GACS so other families are warned in time

Share this with someone who needs it

The best protection is a quick, kind conversation before money moves. Send this page to a family member or print it for a parent.

Quick answers

The most effective elder-fraud protections are a bank-level trusted-contact alert, a credit freeze, call and text screening, and one agreed family rule: never move money because of an unexpected call.

How do I protect an elderly parent from scams?

Add a trusted contact to their bank account, freeze their credit, turn on carrier call and spam screening, remove remote-access apps, and agree a single family rule: no money moves because of an unexpected call, text, or email — always hang up and call back on a known number.

What scams target seniors most?

The most common are grandparent and family-emergency scams, government or Social Security impersonation, tech-support pop-ups, Medicare and insurance fraud, romance scams, and sweepstakes or lottery fee scams.

What should I do if an elderly relative has already been scammed?

Call their bank immediately to freeze the account and request a recall, preserve all messages and receipts, check for remote-access software on their devices, then report to the national fraud authority and Adult Protective Services if coercion is involved.