First, the reassurance
This happens to careful, intelligent people, and the scams are engineered to bypass good judgment. Older adults reported nearly $4.9 billion in fraud losses to the FBI in 2024 across more than 147,000 victims age 60 and over. Your parent is not foolish — they were targeted. Leading with blame makes them less likely to tell you the full story, which is exactly what you need.
Do these first (today)
- Stop the bleeding.Call their bank's fraud line the same day to flag accounts, stop pending wires, and reissue cards. If money moved by wire, also ask about a recall.
- Call the free hotline. The DOJ National Elder Fraud Hotline, 1-833-372-8311, has case managers who walk families through reporting step by step.
- Report it. File with the FBI at ic3.gov and the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov. If their identity was used, add IdentityTheft.gov.
- Preserve evidence. Save messages, call logs, receipts, gift-card numbers, and wire confirmations before deleting anything.
Then, protect them going forward
- Lock down accounts: new passwords, two-factor authentication, and a check for any added phone numbers or recovery emails the scammer may have set.
- Watch for the second wave: within weeks, “recovery agents” or fake “FBI investigators” often call promising to get the money back for a fee. That is a second scam. The rule: never pay an up-front fee to recover a loss.
- Connect to support: the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 links families to local services, and Adult Protective Services can help if there is ongoing risk.
When to bring in an investigator
For a large loss, a case headed to court, or repeated targeting, a forensic examiner can preserve court-admissible evidence and support a filing — honestly, including when recovery is not realistic. Elder fraud investigation explains the options. Reaching out is free and there is no obligation.
See also: Scam & Fraud Recovery Help — the hub that maps every scam type and the free reporting steps.
Sources
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), 2024 Internet Crime Report — Elder Fraud, 2024. https://www.ic3.gov/AnnualReport/Reports/2024_IC3Report.pdf
- U.S. Department of Justice — Elder Justice Initiative, National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-372-8311). https://www.justice.gov/elderjustice
- U.S. Federal Trade Commission, Report Fraud to the FTC. https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/
