7 Online Scams Older Adults Should Know About

A scam does not always look like a scam.

It might arrive as a text about a package, an email about your bank account, a message from someone you know, or an online investment opportunity that appears unusually promising. The details change, but many scams rely on the same basic pressure: make you react before you have time to stop and verify what is happening.

Adults of every age can be targeted. Some scams, however, have caused particularly significant losses among older adults, including investment scams, tech support scams, romance scams, and government impersonation schemes.

Knowing what to look for can make it easier to pause before giving someone your money, information, or access to your devices.

1. Phishing Emails and Fake Text Messages

Phishing scams use messages designed to look as though they came from a legitimate company, financial institution, government agency, or other familiar organization.

You might receive a message claiming there is a problem with your account, a suspicious charge that needs attention, or some other issue that requires you to click a link or provide information.

The warning sign is often the pressure to act immediately.

Unexpected messages that ask you to click a link, provide personal information, or respond to a problem you did not know existed deserve extra caution. The FTC recommends checking with the organization directly using a website, phone number, or app you already know is legitimate rather than using contact information provided in the suspicious message.

A safer approach: Don’t click the link. Open the company’s official website or app yourself and check whether there is actually a problem.

2. Tech Support Scams

A pop-up suddenly warns that your computer has a serious security problem. Or someone contacts you claiming to be from technical support and says your device or account has been compromised.

The goal may be to convince you to pay for unnecessary services, reveal financial information, or give the stranger remote access to your computer.

The FTC says tech support scams are among the fraud types for which older adults report losses at significantly higher rates than younger adults.

Watch for: unexpected security warnings, unsolicited calls about computer problems, demands for immediate payment, or requests to give someone remote access to your device.

If you are genuinely concerned about a technical problem, contact the device manufacturer or a company you already know and trust. Don’t rely on a phone number that appeared in an unexpected pop-up or message.

3. Government Impersonation Scams

A message or phone call may claim to come from a government agency. The person might say your Social Security number has been connected to a crime, that you owe money, or that you must move your savings to protect them.

These scams can be particularly convincing because the caller may know some information about you and may sound authoritative.

But an unexpected demand to transfer money to “protect” it is a major warning sign. The FTC says government agencies will not tell you to move your money to protect it, deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM, or hand cash or gold to a courier.

A safer approach: End the conversation and contact the agency independently using contact information you find yourself.

Don’t assume a phone number displayed on your caller ID proves who is calling. Scammers can manipulate caller ID information.

4. Romance and Relationship Scams

Not every online relationship is what it appears to be.

In a romance scam, someone creates a fake identity and gradually builds trust with another person through a dating site, social media, or another online platform. After the relationship becomes emotionally important, the person may eventually ask for money because of a supposed emergency, travel problem, medical issue, or other crisis.

The FBI notes that romance scammers can appear genuine, caring, and believable.

Watch for: someone who quickly becomes intensely attached, avoids meeting in person, has repeated emergencies, or asks you to send money or provide access to financial accounts.

A person you’ve never met should never need access to your bank account simply because you’ve developed an online relationship.

5. Fake Delivery and Shopping Scams

You may receive a text saying that a package cannot be delivered because of a small problem with your address, postage, or delivery preferences.

The message may appear to come from a familiar shipping company and include a link to fix the issue.

That link can lead to a fake website designed to collect your credit card number, address, passwords, or other personal information. The FTC has specifically warned about fake delivery texts impersonating shipping services.

A safer approach: If you’re expecting a package, check the order directly through the retailer’s website or app. Don’t use the link in an unexpected text.

There is another variation worth knowing about: an unexpected package may be part of a “brushing” scam, in which your information is used to create fake product reviews. The FTC advises changing passwords on online shopping accounts if this happens and watching for signs of identity theft.

6. Investment and Cryptocurrency Scams

Investment scams can be especially costly because they may involve large amounts of money.

A stranger on social media, a supposed financial expert, or even someone you’ve developed an online relationship with may present an investment opportunity promising unusually high or supposedly guaranteed returns.

Some scams show fake account balances or apparent profits to make the investment seem legitimate.

The FTC reported more than $7.9 billion in reported losses to investment scams in 2025, with a median individual reported loss of more than $10,000.

Be especially cautious when someone:

• promises high returns with little or no risk;
• pressures you to invest quickly;
• asks you to use cryptocurrency;
• directs you to an unfamiliar investment platform;
• discourages you from discussing the opportunity with someone else.

Before investing, independently research the person and company involved. For investment professionals and firms, the FTC recommends checking licensing and registration through Investor.gov.

7. Family and Friend Impersonation Scams

You receive a message from someone claiming to be your child, grandchild, friend, or another person you know.

They say they’re in trouble and need money immediately.

The story may involve an accident, arrest, lost phone, medical emergency, or travel problem. The message may also ask you not to tell anyone else.

The emotional pressure is the point. A scammer wants you to react to the emergency before you verify who is actually contacting you.

A safer approach: Contact the person through a phone number or another method you already have for them. You can also check the story with another trusted family member or friend.

If someone genuinely needs help, taking a few minutes to verify their identity is reasonable.

What If You Already Responded to a Scam?

Don’t assume that making a mistake means there’s nothing you can do.

If you sent money, contact the bank, payment service, card issuer, wire-transfer company, gift-card company, or cryptocurrency provider you used as soon as possible. Depending on the payment method and circumstances, they may be able to stop or reverse a transaction.

If you gave someone a password, change it immediately. If you reused that password elsewhere, change it on those accounts too, and turn on two-factor authentication where available.

If someone gained access to your computer or phone, update your security software, run a security scan, and change important passwords.

You can also report scams to the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. The FBI recommends that people who believe they have been victims of elder fraud also contact their financial institutions and report the incident to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at IC3.gov.

The Most Useful Rule: Stop, Verify, Then Act

You don’t have to recognize every new scam that appears online.

A better habit is to recognize when a situation deserves a pause.

An unexpected message. A demand for immediate payment. A request for sensitive information. A stranger asking for remote access. A promise of unusually easy money.

Those are all reasons to stop.

Then verify the situation independently, using contact information you find yourself rather than information supplied by the person who contacted you.

Scammers want you to act before you think. Taking a few minutes to check what is really happening can give you something they don’t want you to have: time.