A Southern California man lost $84,000 to a scam, and one person has been arrested in the case, KTLA reported. The victim was not identified, and the person arrested faces charges that have not been resolved. It is one case in a costly, fast-growing category of crime — and one that families can guard against.

How the scams work

Fraud aimed at older adults tends to follow a few reliable scripts, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and the National Council on Aging. In government-impersonation scams, a caller claims to be from the IRS, Social Security or a sheriff's office, warns of an arrest or unpaid bill, and demands immediate payment — often by gift card, wire or a courier sent to the door. The grandparent scam has a caller pose as a grandchild in trouble, or a lawyer calling on their behalf, urging secrecy and speed. Tech-support scams start with a pop-up or cold call from someone claiming to be Microsoft or Apple, seeking remote access to the computer. And romance scams, built over weeks online, end with an invented emergency and a request to wire money.

Why older adults are targeted

Scammers are opportunists. Older adults are more likely to own homes, hold retirement savings and answer the phone, and were raised to trust institutions that fraudsters now impersonate. Americans 60 and older consistently account for the highest total dollar losses of any age group in complaints to the FBI's IC3. The Federal Trade Commission has reported that older adults lost close to $2 billion to fraud in 2023, and researchers stress that most cases go unreported.

Warning signs

The AARP Fraud Watch Network and the National Council on Aging point to a handful of red flags:

  • Urgency and secrecy. Any caller who demands you act now and tell no one is running a script. Real agencies send letters; they don't call demanding same-day payment.
  • Unusual payment methods. No legitimate agency or company asks to be paid in gift cards, cryptocurrency or cash handed to a courier.
  • Remote-access requests. A real company won't cold-call and ask to take over your computer.
  • Threats of arrest over taxes or benefits — the IRS and Social Security do not operate that way.
  • A new online romance that quickly needs money.

How to protect your family

  • Agree on a family code word that a relative in genuine distress would know — a caller who can't supply it is an impostor.
  • Adopt a "hang up and call back" rule: end the call, then dial the agency, bank or relative using a number you look up yourself.
  • Add a trusted contact to bank and brokerage accounts, so someone is alerted to suspicious activity.
  • Freeze credit at the three major bureaus — it's free and blocks new accounts opened in a relative's name.
  • Talk without shame. Victims are often sharp, capable people caught by professional manipulation; a judgment-free "I got a weird call today" can stop a scam before money moves.

How to report it

  • FBI IC3 at ic3.gov is the main federal portal for internet-enabled fraud; its Elder Fraud Hotline is (833) 372-8311.
  • The FTC takes reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
  • AARP's free helpline, (877) 908-3360, connects callers with fraud specialists.
  • File a police report with the LAPD or your local sheriff — banks often require a report number to attempt recovery — and call your bank immediately, since wire transfers can sometimes be reversed within a few days.

Time is decisive: the faster a scam is reported and a bank alerted, the better the odds of clawing money back — or stopping the fraudsters before they reach the next family.