Real Story: A Senior Targeted by a Tech Support Scam and Browser Notification Spam
5-Year National Trend: Romance Scams Against Seniors (2021—2025)
According to five years of FBI IC3 data, romance scams targeting Americans aged 60 and older have remained roughly stable since 2021. Over this period, seniors reported 34,609 incidents with combined losses of $1,786 million. The peak year was 2025, with $608,609,057 in reported losses.
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Losses | % of All Elder Fraud | YoY Change |
| 2021 | 0 | $0 | 0.0% | — |
| 2022 | 6,835 | $408,345,350 | 13.6% | — |
| 2023 | 6,770 | $353,911,130 | 10.7% | -13% |
| 2024 | 9,447 | $415,554,757 | 8.7% | +17% |
| 2025 | 11,557 | $608,609,057 | 8.2% | +46% |
| 5-Year Total | 34,609 | $1,786,420,294 | 8.9% | +0% (2021—2025) |
Source: FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) Annual Reports, 2021—2025. National totals computed from all 52 state/territory reports. “% of All Elder Fraud” shows this crime type’s share of total elder fraud losses that year.
How one reader recognized the warning signs and stayed safe
On March 16, 2026, one of our readers contacted us after a suspicious pop-up appeared on her computer. The page claimed her device had been hacked and displayed a phone number that appeared to be Microsoft support.
She recognized that something was wrong. She did not call the number, did not click any buttons, and closed the page right away.
The next day, she reported a second incident. This time, a fake Yahoo sign-in page opened in a new browser tab and appeared to be trying to collect her password. Again, she closed the tab immediately without entering any information.
What was likely happening?
The first incident appears to have been a classic tech support scam. These scams use alarming messages to pressure people into calling a fake support number.
The second incident may have been related to browser notification spam. This can happen when a website is accidentally allowed to send notifications through the browser. After that, fake alerts may appear and look like security warnings or urgent account messages.
What she did right
- She did not call the phone number.
- She did not click any buttons on the warning page.
- She did not enter her password or personal information.
- She closed the pages immediately.
- She reported the incidents right away.
How to stop browser notification spam in Google Chrome
- Open Google Chrome.
- Click the three dots in the top-right corner.
- Click Settings.
- Click Privacy and security on the left.
- Click Site settings.
- Scroll down and click Notifications.
- Under Allowed to send notifications, look for websites you do not recognize.
- Click the three dots next to any suspicious site and select Remove.
If you are not sure which sites to remove, ask a trusted family member, caregiver, or someone you trust with technology to help.
A message from our reader’s experience
She gave permission for us to share this story so others in the community can learn from it. Her quick response helped her avoid giving away personal information, and her report may help others recognize these scams sooner.
If something like this happens to you, do not panic. Close the page. Do not call any phone numbers shown on the screen. Do not click buttons or enter any information. If needed, ask for help from someone you trust.
AI Is Changing How These Scams Work
The tech support scam described in this story is a classic example — but AI is making these scams far more dangerous. Criminals now use AI-powered phone systems that sound completely human, AI-generated pop-up warnings that perfectly mimic real software alerts, and even deepfake video calls with fake “tech support agents.” What once required a team of human callers can now be automated at massive scale.
In 2025, the FBI received 22,364 complaints citing AI as a tool in fraud, with losses exceeding $893 million. For seniors aged 60+, AI-related fraud accounted for $352 million in reported losses — and these numbers represent only cases where victims recognized AI was involved.
Read our complete guide to AI-Powered Scams Targeting Seniors • AI Voice Phishing • AI Phishing & Smishing • Digital Arrest Scams
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