How to Protect Elderly Parents From Scams and ID Theft

The best online scam protection for elderly parents combines a few account-level safeguards, not a single app or service. Set up multi-factor authentication (MFA), a login step that requires a second code or prompt beyond just a password, on their key accounts. Add a credit freeze, a free lock on a credit report that blocks new accounts from being opened until the account holder actively lifts it, at all three credit bureaus, plus spam-call blocking and a family verification code word for emergency requests.

No single tool stops every scam, but layering these controls meaningfully reduces how often a scammer succeeds and limits the damage if one gets through. Adults over 60 are targeted specifically because scammers assume they have savings, home equity, and a reluctance to report embarrassment to family. That assumption doesn't require your parent to be careless online; it just requires one convincing phone call, text, or email on the wrong day.

Scammers target older adults because they are statistically more likely to have savings, own their home outright, and pick up calls from unfamiliar numbers. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), the federal clearinghouse that collects public reports of online and phone fraud, adults over age 60 reported more than $3.4 billion in losses in IC3's 2023 Elder Fraud Report, released in 2024, an increase over the prior year.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the federal agency that tracks national fraud statistics and enforces consumer protection law, has separately found that people age 70 and older report the highest median dollar losses of any age group. Scammers targeting this group often go straight for high-dollar tactics such as gift cards, wire transfers, and cryptocurrency ATMs rather than small, repeatable charges.

Cognitive decline plays a role in some cases, but plenty of victims are sharp, engaged people who answered a call at the wrong moment, under time pressure, using a script built to bypass skepticism. Treat this as a targeting problem, not a competence problem, when you bring it up with your parent.

Most elder fraud follows a handful of well-documented patterns. Knowing the names helps your parent recognize one in the moment.

• Grandparent or family emergency scams: a caller claims to be a grandchild in jail, in a car accident, or stranded abroad and needs money wired or sent via gift cards immediately, before the parent can call anyone else to check.
• Government impersonation: callers pose as the IRS, Social Security Administration, or Medicare, threatening arrest or benefit suspension unless payment or personal information is provided right away.
• Tech support scams: a pop-up or phone call claims the parent's computer is infected and directs them to install remote-access software or pay for fake "cleanup" services.
• Romance and companionship scams: built over weeks or months on dating apps or social media, ending in a request for money for a supposed emergency.
• Phishing texts and emails: fake shipping notifications, bank alerts, or "unusual login" warnings designed to harvest account credentials. Our guide to spotting smishing text scams covers the warning signs in detail.

Researchers have also reported scammers using AI-generated voice cloning to mimic a family member's voice during a panicked phone call, which makes the grandparent scam harder to catch by ear alone. See our breakdown of how AI voice cloning scams work for what to listen for.

Beyond the big steps above, a few smaller habits close common gaps. Make sure their phone and computer use a screen lock, and keep the operating system and apps updated so known vulnerabilities get patched automatically.

A SIM swap is an attack where a scammer convinces a mobile carrier to transfer a victim's phone number onto a new SIM card, which lets the scammer intercept calls and text-based verification codes. If this happens to your parent's number, it can lock them out of accounts that rely on SMS for two-factor login. Our guide to SIM swap attack protection covers the warning signs and how to lock down a mobile account against it.

If you want a broader starting point for helping an aging parent or relative, our senior protection resources walk through the same account-level basics covered here in more detail.

Act on the money first, then on the data. If a payment went out by wire, gift card, or cryptocurrency, contact the bank or payment provider immediately. Some transfers can be reversed or flagged within a narrow window, but only if reported fast.

Report the incident to the FTC and to the FBI's IC3, and place a fraud alert or credit freeze if one isn't already active. If account credentials or a Social Security number were shared, change those passwords immediately and watch statements closely for weeks afterward, since identity theft damage often surfaces later than the original scam.

Reassure your parent that reporting matters even if the money is gone. Fraud reports feed the data law enforcement uses to track scam patterns, and reporting quickly is what makes recovery possible at all.