Senior Scam Prevention and Fraud Resources in Delaware
Delaware seniors reported $16 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 796 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides Delaware-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: Delaware’s Senior Population and Key Cities
As of 2024, Delaware has a population of approximately 1.02 million, with over 210,000 residents aged 65 and older , making up more than 20% of the total population. Delaware’s senior population is growing faster than the national average, with many retirees settling in coastal and suburban areas.
Older adults in Delaware face disproportionate risk — the state has the #5 highest per-capita victim rate in the nation. In 2025, losses reached $16 million. Investment scams led at $7.2 million (+86%), and government impersonation surged 471% to $1.1 million. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 81%.
The three largest cities where elder scam reports are most common are:
- Wilmington (approx. 70,000 people)
- Dover (approx. 40,000 people)
- Newark (approx. 31,000 people)
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted Delaware’s Seniors
In 2025, Delaware had 796 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $16,189,240 — up 55% in victims and 32% in losses compared to 2024 (514 victims / $12M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $7,174,698 | $3,852,275 | +86% |
| Tech Support | $2,924,979 | $2,540,564 | +15% |
| Romance | $1,686,893 | $967,449 | +74% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $64,075 | $344,368 | -81% |
| Extortion | $3,628 | $63,440 | -94% |
| Government Impersonation | $1,070,568 | $187,370 | +471% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — Delaware
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — Delaware (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 344 | $5,769,966 | — | #37 |
| 2022 | 305 | $14,023,134 | +143% | #38 |
| 2023 | 313 | $15,363,401 | +10% | #35 |
| 2024 | 514 | $12,293,619 | -20% | #44 |
| 2025 | 796 | $16,189,240 | +32% | #46 |
| 5-Year Total | 2,272 | $63,639,360 | +181% (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 Delaware Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 36 | $7,174,698 | $15,252,934 | +820% |
| Tech Support | 114 | $2,924,979 | $10,572,603 | +715% |
| Romance | 41 | $1,686,893 | $7,228,581 | -7% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 34 | $1,070,568 | $9,028,671 | +3,865% |
| Personal Data Breach | 64 | $1,060,952 | $5,302,211 | +109% |
| BEC | 18 | $280,541 | $8,124,185 | -73% |
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: Delaware’s elder fraud losses reached $16 million in 2025, with 796 seniors victimized. Investment scams grew 86% to $7.2 million. Government impersonation surged 471% from $187K to $1.1 million — one of the steepest increases in this category nationally. Romance scams rose 74% and tech support 15%. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 81%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 1,322 Delaware residents.
National context: Delaware ranks #5 in per-capita victim rate (75.67 per 100,000), despite ranking only #46 in total losses. This means an individual Delaware senior is more likely to be targeted than those in California, Texas, Florida, or New York. Delaware’s small geography and concentrated senior population may make it easier for scammers to target multiple victims through the same channels.
For the full national picture, including how Delaware 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. Wilmington Police Department – Investigative Services Division
- Phone: (302) 654-5151 (non-emergency)
- Website: wilmingtonde.gov
- Handles financial crimes and elder fraud complaints.
2. Dover Police Department – Criminal Investigations
- Phone: (302) 736-7111 (non-emergency)
- Website: doverpolice.org
- Contact for scam reports, identity theft, and abuse of older adults.
3. Newark Police Department – General Inquiries
- Phone: (302) 366-7111 (non-emergency)
- Website: newarkde.gov
- Responds to consumer fraud, tech scams, and elder exploitation reports.
FBI and Federal Scam Reporting
FBI Baltimore Field Office (covers Delaware)
- Phone: (410) 265-8080
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/baltimore
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Use to report online scams, phishing, tech support hoaxes, and financial fraud.
Delaware Attorney General – Elder Fraud and Consumer Protection
Delaware Department of Justice – Senior Protection Initiative
- Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 220-5424
- Website: attorneygeneral.delaware.gov
- Investigates scams, abuse, and financial exploitation targeting seniors. Offers complaint forms and guidance.
Statewide Elder Services and Medicare Fraud Support
Delaware Adult Protective Services (APS)
- APS Reporting Line: (800) 223-9074
- Website: dhss.delaware.gov
- Investigates elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation, including financial fraud.
Delaware Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (800) 223-9074
- Website: smpresource.org (search “Delaware SMP”)
- Helps seniors identify and report Medicare fraud, billing errors, and identity misuse.
Delaware Division of Services for Aging and Adults with Physical Disabilities (DSAAPD)
- Main Line: (800) 223-9074
- Website: dhss.delaware.gov
- Provides elder rights advocacy, fraud prevention education, caregiver support, and legal aid.
Protect Yourself and Loved Ones
- Delaware seniors lose millions of dollars each year to preventable scams.
- Reporting early helps protect not just yourself, but your entire community.
- Visit our Education Center to explore common fraud types, learn how to respond, and report scams safely.
- If something seems suspicious, don’t engage. Stop. Ask. Report.
Recent Delaware scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting Delaware seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
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 →American Bar Association's 'Scam of the Month' warns about utility shutoff threat calls
The American Bar Association's Senior Lawyers Division runs a monthly 'Scam of the Month' column, and this edition focuses on callers who threaten to shut off electricity, gas, or water within hours unless you pay immediately. The column warns that scammers can spoof caller ID to look like your real utility company and may even mimic a company's phone menu and confirmation codes to sound convincing. Their advice: hang up, take a breath, and call the number printed on your latest utility bill, not any number the caller gives you, since a real utility company will always let you verify before cutting off service. If you feel pressured on the phone, simply tell the caller you will call the company back yourself.
Read at American Bar Association →IV. Learn More: Delaware Scam Prevention Guides
Explore Delaware-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in Delaware — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in Delaware — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in Delaware — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in Delaware — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in Delaware — 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 Delaware compares. Curious where Delaware 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.