Senior Scam Prevention and Fraud Resources in Mississippi
Mississippi seniors reported $33 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 959 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides Mississippi-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: Mississippi’s Senior Population and Key Cities
As of 2024, Mississippi has a population of approximately 2.9 million, with about 495,000 residents aged 65 and older , accounting for about 16.8% of the total population. Many older adults live in small towns or rural areas, which can make them especially vulnerable to scammers who use phone, mail, or online tactics to commit fraud.
Mississippi seniors lost $33 million to fraud in 2025. Investment scams nearly quadrupled to $16 million (+283%), and government impersonation surged 1,061% from $144K to $1.7 million. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 55%. Mississippi has the second-lowest per-capita victim rate in the nation, but dollar losses are still significant.
The top three cities with the largest senior populations and highest reported scam activity are:
- Jackson (approx. 145,000 people)
- Gulfport (approx. 72,000 people)
- Southaven (approx. 56,000 people)
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted Mississippi’s Seniors
In 2025, Mississippi had 959 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $33,087,218 — up 59% in victims and 15% in losses compared to 2024 (604 victims / $29M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $16,436,648 | $4,295,035 | +283% |
| Tech Support | $1,981,853 | $1,822,203 | +9% |
| Romance | $2,656,691 | $1,941,479 | +37% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $100,550 | $223,905 | -55% |
| Extortion | $34,540 | $42,350 | -18% |
| Government Impersonation | $1,666,063 | $143,540 | +1,061% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — Mississippi
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — Mississippi (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 389 | $5,874,029 | — | #36 |
| 2022 | 356 | $5,459,509 | -7% | #47 |
| 2023 | 434 | $9,328,015 | +71% | #43 |
| 2024 | 604 | $28,870,444 | +210% | #34 |
| 2025 | 959 | $33,087,218 | +15% | #38 |
| 5-Year Total | 2,742 | $82,619,215 | +463% (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 Mississippi Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 78 | $16,436,648 | $25,155,135 | +23,381% |
| BEC | 28 | $5,640,218 | $24,083,501 | +5,940% |
| Romance | 86 | $2,656,691 | $8,426,990 | +12% |
| Tech Support | 109 | $1,981,853 | $7,757,532 | +280% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 76 | $1,666,063 | $2,869,690 | +271% |
| Personal Data Breach | 66 | $1,593,734 | $3,464,207 | +48% |
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: Mississippi’s elder fraud losses reached $33 million in 2025, with 959 seniors victimized. The dominant trend: investment scams nearly quadrupled from $4.3 million to $16 million (+283%), now accounting for half of all losses. Government impersonation surged 1,061% from $144K to $1.7 million. Tech support was essentially flat (+9%) and romance grew a moderate 37%. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 55%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 3,069 Mississippi residents.
National context: Mississippi has the second-lowest per-capita victim rate in the nation at 32.59 per 100,000 (#50 out of 51). While this may partly reflect lower internet adoption and underreporting, it also means individual Mississippi seniors are less likely to be targeted than those in almost any other state. The 283% investment surge and 1,061% government impersonation spike follow national trends but from much smaller bases.
For the full national picture, including how Mississippi compares to every other state, visit our national hub page with interactive data and rankings.
III. Emergency and Official Contacts
Local Police Departments – Elder Fraud and Financial Crimes
1. Jackson Police Department – Investigations Division
- Phone: (601) 960-1234 (non-emergency)
- Website: jacksonms.gov
- Contact for reporting scams, identity theft, or suspicious financial activity.
2. Gulfport Police Department – Criminal Investigations
- Phone: (228) 868-5959 (non-emergency)
- Website: gulfport-ms.gov
- Assists with fraud, elder abuse, and scam reports.
3. Southaven Police Department – General Inquiries
- Phone: (662) 393-8652 (non-emergency)
- Website: southaven.org
- Offers support for scam and elder fraud reporting.
FBI and Federal Scam Reporting
FBI Jackson Field Office (serving all of Mississippi)
- Phone: (601) 948-5000
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/jackson
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Use to report phishing, online scams, tech fraud, and digital financial crimes.
Mississippi Attorney General – Elder Fraud and Consumer Protection
Office of the Mississippi Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division
- Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 281-4418
- Website: www.ago.state.ms.us
- Offers scam alerts, complaint forms, and assistance for elder financial abuse.
Statewide Elder Services and Medicare Fraud Support
Mississippi Adult Protective Services (APS)
- To report elder abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation:
APS Hotline: (844) 437-6282 - Website: www.mdhs.ms.gov
- Coordinates investigations and intervention for at-risk older adults.
Mississippi Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (877) 272-8720
- Website: www.stopmedicarefraud.org/mississippi
- Helps identify Medicare fraud, overbilling, and health-related scams.
Mississippi Department of Human Services – Aging and Adult Services
- Info Line: (844) 822-4622
- Website: www.mdhs.ms.gov
- Provides elder advocacy, caregiver support, legal assistance, and scam prevention education.
Know the Signs. Report Early.
- Mississippi seniors lose millions annually to scams, often from calls, texts, or deceptive ads.
- Stay alert. Save these contacts. Share with family and community members.
- Visit our Education Center to learn common red flags and safe response strategies.
- You have the right to slow down, verify, and protect yourself. Help is just one call away.
Recent Mississippi scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting Mississippi seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
College student runs free seminars teaching Mississippi seniors to spot AI deepfake scams
A college computer-science student is running free seminars at senior centers across Madison County, Mississippi to teach older residents how to recognize AI-generated deepfakes and online scams, after hearing that a senior had lost $30,000 investing in a scheme built around a deepfake video of a famous tech entrepreneur. She has already reached about 100 residents across seven sessions, with more scheduled through mid-August. Attendees have asked detailed questions and taken notes, a reminder that awareness events like this make it easier to slow down and question a video or voice that seems too convincing before acting on it.
Read at Madison County Journal →South Mississippi woman tried to send $25,000 to scammers. Here's who saved her
A South Mississippi woman nearly sent $25,000 to scammers before someone stepped in to stop the loss.
Read at AOL →More Than Bingo: event aims to help seniors stay safe at home and online
A free Mississippi bingo event will bring scam-safety resources directly to older adults in a familiar setting.
Read at DeSoto Times →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 →IV. Learn More: Mississippi Scam Prevention Guides
Explore Mississippi-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in Mississippi — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in Mississippi — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in Mississippi — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in Mississippi — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in Mississippi — 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 Mississippi compares. Curious where Mississippi 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.