Senior Online Scam Alerts – December 2025
Recent senior-scam news from December 2025: 55 stories from across the United States, tagged by state, scam type, story kind, and AI. Click a tag to open the related page on this site, or use the filters below.
Siloam Springs couple loses $35,000, shares story as warning to others
An Arkansas couple lost $35,000 to a scam last month and now shares their story to warn others.
Quishing scams surge as criminals target older adults
Scams using fake QR codes are rising, and criminals are increasingly aiming these traps at older adults.
Young founder builds intergenerational tech program protecting seniors from modern scams
A new Puget Sound program offers seniors hands-on tech help and scam-prevention coaching at senior centers and communities.
AG highlights final three alerts in holiday consumer protection campaign
Michigan's attorney general wraps a holiday campaign with final consumer alerts to help residents avoid scams.
New Milford police warn locals about scam targeting elders
New Milford police warn residents about a scam aimed at older adults in the community.
Scam crackdown goes on tour as Pennsylvania targets fraud in January
Pennsylvania officials tour the state in January with free events helping seniors spot and avoid fraud.
Operation Senior Shield warns about 'grandchild in trouble' scam
Florida officials warn of calls claiming a grandchild is in trouble and urgently demanding money.
Senior scam workshop aims to protect residents
A local workshop teaches seniors how to spot and avoid common scams targeting older residents.
Police say scammers are targeting seniors in new gold-related scheme
Largo police warn that scammers are pressuring seniors into converting savings into gold to hand over.
Attorney General: AGs unite to keep gift cards safe
State attorneys general join forces to help shoppers, including seniors, avoid drained gift card scams.
'Never again,' says Windsor, Ont., senior after embarrassment of empty gift cards
A Windsor senior found the $275 in Tim Hortons gift cards he bought had already been drained by scammers.
Holiday scammers target seniors with fake online stores as Christmas nears
Research finds fake online stores are the top holiday scam, and older adults tend to lose the most money.
State Police investigating local crypto scam against elderly couple
An elderly Sugar Grove couple was told to move cash into a Bitcoin machine to 'protect' their money.
'We knew we were scammed': Siloam Springs couple loses $35,000, shares story as warning
A Siloam Springs couple lost $35,000 to a scam and now share their story to warn other families.
Stop the Scam: Officials warn of scams targeting elders during holidays
Greater Cincinnati first responders warn that scams targeting older adults spike during the holiday season.
Elderly woman loses $700,000 to scam; banks accused of ignoring red flags
An older woman lost $700,000 to a scam, and her banks are accused of missing clear warning signs.
Medicare scam calls have jumped 40%, and fraudsters now use dark-web personal data
Medicare scam calls jumped 40% as fraudsters now use stolen personal data to sound more convincing to older adults.
A Texas teen is protecting seniors from scams
A Texas teenager built a tool to help older adults spot and avoid online scams targeting seniors.
St. Louis Consumer Fraud Task Force warns public about digital payment scams
A St. Louis fraud task force warns the public to watch for scams using digital payment apps.
More than $1 million in gold stolen from Pennsylvania couple
A Pennsylvania couple lost more than $1 million in gold to scammers who convinced them to hand it over.
Quick response by family, Ottawa police thwarts 'grandparent scam'
A quick response by family and police saved a senior from losing nearly $6,000 in a grandparent scam.
Older Americans lost $2.4 billion to scams in 2024, FTC says
Americans 60 and older reported losing $2.4 billion to scams in 2024, according to a new FTC report.
Public advisory: public cautioned about telephone scam targeting seniors
Officials warn seniors of fake calls posing as the premier's office and asking for banking details to send a bonus.
2 bipartisan federal bills aim to help protect older adults from scams
Two new bipartisan Senate bills aim to fight cyber scam operations and better protect older adults from fraud.
Financial fraud cost older adults up to $81.5 billion in 2024, FTC estimates
Older adults reported $2.4 billion in scam losses in 2024, with most driven by individual losses of $100,000 or more.
'That was my granddaughter's voice': senior suspects scammers used AI in Regina, Saskatoon
A Regina senior says a caller's voice matched her granddaughter's perfectly, leading her to suspect AI voice cloning.
Cybersecurity expert warns of seasonal scams targeting senior citizens
A Las Vegas cybersecurity expert warns that holiday-season scams tug at heartstrings and especially target trusting older adults.
Florida is No. 1 in fraud reports. How to protect yourself
Florida leads the nation in fraud reports, and this guide explains how older residents can protect themselves.
Senior fraud reports surge 20% in Arizona as holiday scammers target older adults
Arizona logged over 7,000 senior fraud reports in 2025, up more than 20%, with victims losing nearly $67 million.
Open enrollment is a scammers' paradise: how to protect yourself
Scammers exploit health-plan open enrollment to target Medicare and marketplace shoppers; here is how to stay safe.
Senator touts legislation to protect seniors from scammers
A senator promotes a bipartisan bill requiring a national strategy to fight scams, noting New York seniors lost over $250 million.
Guelph senior in her 80s loses $300,000 to year-long scam
A woman in her 80s lost over $300,000 to callers who posed as a government office and claimed she faced identity theft.
Florida leaders team up to protect seniors with Operation Senior Shield
Florida launches Operation Senior Shield, a free alert system to help older adults spot scam calls, texts, emails and popups.
Rampant Medicare fraud: scammers flood seniors with up to 60 calls daily
Scammers posing as Medicare are bombarding older adults with up to 60 calls a day, risking both their money and their health.
AI chatbot helps expose a $1 million crypto 'pig-butchering' romance scam
A San Jose widow lost nearly $1 million to an online suitor, realizing the scam only after an AI chatbot warned her.
Consumer Diary: Seniors' Scam Losses, Virtual Casting Call
A consumer columnist details mounting scam losses among older adults and warns about a fake virtual casting-call ploy.
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.
Seniors vs. Crime: Online Marketplace scams, a hit and a miss
A consumer column shows how two older shoppers got tangled with scammers on Facebook Marketplace, one fooled and one saved.
Dad, 67, loses $400K after fake federal agents claimed his identity was stolen
A man, 67, handed his roughly $400,000 life savings to callers who posed as federal agents over a stolen-identity claim.
New state operation aimed at protecting seniors from scams
Florida launched Operation Senior Shield to give families free scam alerts and protect seniors from fraud.
Michigan AG Warns Veterans of Postcard Scam Targeting Personal Information
Michigan's attorney general warns veterans of a postcard scam designed to steal their personal information.
New protections for seniors at risk of scams
Lawmakers move to add new protections for seniors at growing risk of scams.
How Scammers Target Older Americans With Fraudulent Medicare Calls
Scammers posing as Medicare flood older Americans with fraudulent calls to steal money and information.
Fort Worth woman, 84, loses nearly $600K in FBI impersonation scam
An 84-year-old Fort Worth woman lost nearly $600,000 to scammers posing as FBI agents with fake warrants.
Holiday Fraud Prevention with Texas Senior Medicare Patrol
Texas Senior Medicare Patrol shares tips to help seniors avoid fake social media ads and look-alike websites.
San Antonio council member pushing plan to shield seniors from holiday scams amid rising exploitation cases
A San Antonio council member proposes a plan to protect seniors from door-to-door, phone and internet scams.
'Financial nightmare': Senior couple warns others after losing $1.3M in cyber scam
An Ontario senior couple lost $1.3 million to an elaborate cyber scam and now warns others to stay alert.
Experts warn that scammers are targeting senior population this holiday season
Nevada seniors lost over $7 million to scams last holiday season, with fake shopping sites a top trap.
Consumer Alert: Watch out for potential scam charities requesting donations via tap-to-pay
Washington's attorney general warns of fake charities collecting tap-to-pay donations from passersby.
CFP Board joins industry support for bill to protect seniors from fraud
A dozen industry groups back a bill letting fund firms pause transactions when elder financial abuse is suspected.
Texas woman, 85, was moments from losing $23K in Bitcoin ATM scam when a 'guardian angel' saved her
An 85-year-old in Texas was nearly cheated out of $23,000 at a Bitcoin ATM before a stranger stepped in.
Preparing the Northland against the upcoming scam season
A Duluth 'Scam Jam' taught seniors and caregivers how to spot holiday scams, including toll-road text traps.
Nevada had one of the largest surges in senior fraud reports in U.S., study finds
A new study finds Nevada saw one of the nation's largest jumps in reported scams against older adults.
December Scam Patrol: Free State Events Warn Seniors and Families of Rising Fraud
Pennsylvania is hosting free December events to help seniors and families spot scams and identity theft.
Expecting a package? Scammers are sending fake delivery alerts
Thieves send fake delivery texts and even knock on doors demanding payment for packages you never ordered.