Senior Scam Prevention & Fraud Resources in Kansas
Kansas seniors reported $56 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 2,013 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides Kansas-specific scam prevention resources, official reporting contacts, and five years of FBI elder fraud data for the state.
Already been scammed? Read our First 24 Hours Emergency Guide for critical steps to take immediately.
I. Overview: Kansas’s Senior Population & Key Cities
As of 2024, Kansas has an estimated population of 2.94 million, with more than 520,000 residents aged 65 and older, representing approximately 17.7% of the total population. Kansas’s seniors are increasingly targeted by scammers through Medicare fraud, romance and grandparent scams, tech support hoaxes, lottery schemes, and government impersonation.
Fraud attempts are especially common in the state’s largest cities, which also have high concentrations of older adults:
- Wichita (approx. 400,000 people)
- Overland Park (approx. 200,000 people)
- Kansas City (KS) (approx. 155,000 people)
With many seniors living independently or in rural areas, the 2025 data underscores the urgency of prevention. Kansas seniors lost $56 million to fraud. Government impersonation exploded 1,143% from $584K to $7.3 million, and romance scams more than tripled (+230%). Investment scams grew 85% to $27 million. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 18%.
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted Kansas’s Seniors
In 2025, Kansas had 2,013 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $55,730,977 — up 78% in victims and 137% in losses compared to 2024 (1,129 victims / $24M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $27,465,479 | $14,837,122 | +85% |
| Tech Support | $4,149,467 | $2,157,320 | +92% |
| Romance | $4,739,904 | $1,434,191 | +230% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $369,301 | $449,514 | -18% |
| Extortion | $45,863 | $59,222 | -23% |
| Government Impersonation | $7,261,224 | $584,210 | +1,143% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — Kansas
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — Kansas (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 575 | $7,273,058 | — | #34 |
| 2022 | 472 | $24,435,433 | +236% | #29 |
| 2023 | 579 | $13,900,498 | -43% | #37 |
| 2024 | 1,129 | $23,511,153 | +69% | #37 |
| 2025 | 2,013 | $55,730,977 | +137% | #31 |
| 5-Year Total | 4,768 | $124,851,119 | +666% (2021—2025) | — |
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Annual Reports, 2021—2025. Covers victims aged 60 and older. National rank is by total dollar loss among 52 states/territories. National totals: $1.7B (2021), $3.1B (2022), $3.4B (2023), $4.9B (2024), $7.7B (2025) — $20.8 billion stolen from American seniors over five years.
Top Crime Types Targeting Kansas Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 102 | $27,465,479 | $55,984,200 | +11,609% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 114 | $7,261,224 | $9,308,605 | +3,356% |
| Personal Data Breach | 79 | $5,793,057 | $7,033,928 | +4,836% |
| Romance | 111 | $4,739,904 | $14,780,852 | +47% |
| Tech Support | 175 | $4,149,467 | $11,247,948 | +174% |
| BEC | 24 | $3,089,276 | $14,758,141 | +198% |
Top 6 crime types by 2025 losses. Growth calculated from 2021 to 2025. For national crime type trends, see our Crime Type Migration Analysis.
What the data reveals: Kansas’s elder fraud losses reached $56 million in 2025, with 2,013 seniors victimized. The most dramatic finding: government impersonation exploded 1,143% from $584K to $7.3 million, becoming the #2 crime type behind investment fraud ($27 million). Romance scams more than tripled (+230%) from $1.4 million to $4.7 million. Tech support nearly doubled (+92%). Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 18%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 1,476 Kansas residents.
National context: Kansas ranks #13 in per-capita victim rate (67.76 per 100,000), placing it in the top quarter nationally — higher than states like Michigan, Ohio, or North Carolina. The 1,143% government impersonation surge is among the largest of any state and accounts for 13% of all Kansas losses. The combination of rural isolation and a high per-capita rate suggests Kansas seniors face disproportionate risk relative to the state’s population.
For the full national picture, including how Kansas compares to every other state, visit our national hub page with interactive data and rankings.
III. Emergency & Official Contacts
Local Police Departments – Elder Fraud & Financial Crimes
1. Wichita Police Department – Fraud Division
- Phone: (316) 268-4111 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.wichita.gov/WPD
- Ask for Financial Crimes to report elder fraud or digital scams.
2. Overland Park Police Department – Investigations Division
- Phone: (913) 895-6300 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.opkansas.org
- Request help with scams, identity theft, or elder financial exploitation.
3. Kansas City (KS) Police Department – Fraud Unit
- Phone: (913) 573-6000 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.wycokck.org
- Report suspicious calls, elder scams, or tech fraud.
FBI & Federal Scam Reporting
FBI Kansas City Field Office (serving eastern Kansas)
- Phone: (816) 512-8200
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/kansascity
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Report phishing, romance scams, tech support fraud, and other online crimes.
Kansas Attorney General – Elder Fraud & Consumer Protection
Office of the Kansas Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division
- Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 432-2310
- Website: www.ag.ks.gov
- Provides scam alerts, complaint forms, and elder fraud prevention tools.
Statewide Elder Services & Medicare Fraud Support
Kansas Adult Protective Services (APS)
- To report abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation:
APS State Hotline: (800) 922-5330 - Website: www.dcf.ks.gov
Kansas Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (800) 860-5260
- Website: www.kdads.ks.gov
- Assists seniors in identifying and reporting Medicare billing fraud.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)
- Info Line: (785) 296-4986
- Website: www.kdads.ks.gov
- Provides legal help, protective services, and public education for older Kansans.
Be Smart. Be Cautious. Be Heard.
- Kansas seniors lose millions of dollars annually to scams, but many cases go unreported.
- Save and share these trusted contacts with caregivers, loved ones, and senior community centers.
- Visit our Education Center to learn common scams, red flags, and safe reporting steps.
- If something feels off, slow down, talk to someone you trust, and report it. You are not alone.
Recent Kansas scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting Kansas seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
Sedgwick DA urges vigilance after $2.3B elder fraud report
A Kansas district attorney urges older residents to stay alert after a report tallied $2.3 billion in elder fraud losses.
Read at Wichita Eagle →New federal bill would let banks hold transactions up to 90 days to stop wire fraud against seniors
A member of Congress has introduced the Protecting Elders from Wire Fraud Act, which would let banks place a hold of up to 90 days on a transaction leaving a senior's account when financial exploitation is suspected, giving time to determine whether the transaction is legitimate. The bill would also require financial institutions to notify a trusted contact associated with the account when a hold is placed, and it would give banks safe harbor from liability when they act in good faith to prevent a suspected scam. Supporters point to FTC data showing $334 million lost to wire fraud in 2025. The bill is still in the early stages of the legislative process, with no funding details, effective date, or committee action yet reported. The takeaway for families: ask your own bank whether it already offers a trusted-contact option or a hold policy for suspicious transactions, since these tools are becoming more common even before any new federal law passes.
Read at Antelope Valley Press →IRS warns of rising senior scams ahead of National Grandparents Day
Ahead of National Grandparents Day, the IRS and federal investigators are warning that scams targeting older adults keep evolving. In "grandparent scams," callers pose as a grandchild claiming to be hospitalized, in an accident, or under arrest, demanding money right away and pressuring the victim not to contact police or other family members to check the story. In a newer twist on romance scams, criminals target widows and widowers on dating sites, build a relationship over time, then claim an overseas emergency, sometimes using AI to alter their voice or appearance on video calls; victims never meet them in person and only ever send money. Common warning signs across both: contact you did not initiate, requests for personal or financial information, and pressure to act immediately. If you get a call or message like this, slow down, hang up, call the family member directly using a number you already have, and never send money or personal information based on an unverified emergency claim. Report suspected fraud to the National Elder Fraud Hotline, the FBI's IC3.gov, or the DOJ's Elder Justice Initiative.
Read at KATV →Seven Medicare fraud red flags to watch for after CMS blocked $1.6 billion in improper payments
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says enforcement actions have stopped more than $1.6 billion in potentially improper Medicare laboratory payments, part of a broader crackdown on Medicare billing fraud. Consumer red flags to watch for include: someone asking for your Medicare number in exchange for a "free" test or product, a lab test or medical equipment showing up that you never ordered, a caller claiming Medicare "wants" you to get something, anyone offering cash, gift cards, or other perks for your Medicare information, a statement listing a diagnosis or service that doesn't make sense, or pressure to ask your doctor for something you don't need. The advice: compare your Medicare claims against your own appointment calendar and receipts, review your Medicare Summary Notice regularly, check your claims through your secure Medicare account online, and report anything suspicious to 1-800-MEDICARE or your state's Senior Medicare Patrol.
Read at Saving Advice →Inside one senior center's fight against scams: 'Stop, Think, Verify'
The National Council on Aging profiles a Florida senior center's approach to fraud prevention, built around a simple habit: stop, think, verify before responding to any unexpected call, text, or email. Staff describe cases where an older adult lost nearly a lifetime of savings before family stepped in to help monitor the accounts, and use real examples to teach a short list of universal red flags: pressure to act immediately, a supposed relative in an emergency, a government agency demanding payment, a prize that requires a fee, requests for sensitive information, or threats of legal trouble. Their core message: a bank will never tell you to buy gift cards, and the IRS will never ask you to buy Apple gift cards to settle a debt. Other safeguards recommended include freezing your credit, setting up account alerts, and avoiding links or phone numbers you did not look up yourself.
Read at National Council on Aging →AI is making elder fraud harder to spot, and their adult children are picking up the pieces
USA Today and Moneywise report that AI is helping scammers research victims, write convincing scripts, and even generate deepfake voices, images, and video, making elder fraud more convincing and harder to catch than ever. Some scammers now scour published obituaries for identifying details, a spouse's name, employer, and hometown, to target grieving widows and widowers while they are most vulnerable. In one case described, a grieving widow lost more than $7,000 after callers claimed they had worked with her late husband to hide tax issues and that she had to pay to protect what was left of her inheritance. More adult children, many already stretched thin caring for both kids and aging parents, are becoming go-between liaisons for their parents' accounts: locking down bank access, redirecting mail, and asking doctors not to hand paper records to caregivers. Shame keeps many victims quiet, experts say, which only deepens the losses. The FBI logged more than 200,000 fraud complaints from people 60 and older in 2025, totaling $7.7 billion in losses, an average of about $38,500 per case, numbers experts believe are still an undercount. The advice for families: talk openly with aging parents about current scams before a crisis, not after, watch for unusual attention right after a loved one's obituary is published, and if a loss does happen, save screenshots and documentation right away and report it.
Read at USA Today →IV. Learn More: Kansas Scam Prevention Guides
Explore Kansas-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in Kansas — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in Kansas — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in Kansas — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in Kansas — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in Kansas — Step-by-step guide to reporting fraud and starting recovery.
For national-level data on each scam type, see our Investment, Tech Support, Romance, and Government Impersonation national guides.
See how Kansas compares. Curious where Kansas ranks in the national picture? Stolen Trust, our 2026 special study, ranks every state and territory using five years of FBI data and lays out one practical plan to fix elder fraud.