Senior Scam Prevention and Fraud Resources in South Dakota
South Dakota seniors reported $15 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 398 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides South Dakota-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: South Dakota’s Senior Population and Key Cities
As of 2024, South Dakota has a population of approximately 910,000, with over 180,000 residents aged 65 and older, making up around 19.8% of the state’s population. South Dakota’s aging population is distributed across small towns and rural communities, with many seniors living independently or on fixed incomes , which increases vulnerability to scams.
South Dakota seniors lost $14.7 million to fraud in 2025. The standout: romance scams surged 510% from $644K to $3.9 million, becoming the #1 crime type. Government impersonation exploded 688% to $2.1 million. Investment scams actually decreased 27%. Geographic isolation remains a key risk factor.
The largest cities with the highest rates of scam reports and elder population density are:
- Sioux Falls (approx. 210,000 people)
- Rapid City (approx. 80,000 people)
- Aberdeen (approx. 30,000 people)
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted South Dakota’s Seniors
In 2025, South Dakota had 398 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $14,708,875 — up 54% in victims and 64% in losses compared to 2024 (259 victims / $9M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $3,359,957 | $4,594,352 | -27% |
| Tech Support | $3,018,006 | $2,479,460 | +22% |
| Romance | $3,923,859 | $643,624 | +510% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $696,450 | $121,770 | +472% |
| Extortion | $47,055 | $115,180 | -59% |
| Government Impersonation | $2,082,172 | $264,301 | +688% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — South Dakota
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — South Dakota (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 183 | $4,821,701 | — | #39 |
| 2022 | 331 | $5,634,355 | +17% | #46 |
| 2023 | 369 | $3,804,551 | -32% | #51 |
| 2024 | 259 | $8,975,829 | +136% | #46 |
| 2025 | 398 | $14,708,875 | +64% | #47 |
| 5-Year Total | 1,540 | $37,945,311 | +205% (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 South Dakota Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Romance | 22 | $3,923,859 | $6,434,685 | +283% |
| Investment | 44 | $3,359,957 | $11,600,228 | +1,118% |
| Tech Support | 57 | $3,018,006 | $7,539,074 | +3,184% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 23 | $2,082,172 | $2,729,898 | +977% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | 21 | $696,450 | $3,379,305 | +38% |
| BEC | 9 | $557,351 | $784,824 | +517% |
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: South Dakota’s elder fraud losses reached $14.7 million in 2025, up 64% from $9 million in 2024, with 398 seniors victimized (+54%). The most dramatic finding: romance scams surged 510% from $644K to $3.9 million, becoming the largest single crime category — an unusual pattern, as investment scams lead in most states. Government impersonation exploded 688% from $264K to $2.1 million. Investment scams actually decreased 27%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 2,323 South Dakota residents.
National context: South Dakota ranks #44 in per-capita victim rate (43.04 per 100,000), below the national midpoint. The 510% romance scam surge is among the steepest in the country and suggests scammers are aggressively targeting isolated rural seniors through online dating and social media. South Dakota is one of only a few states where romance scams outpace investment fraud — a pattern that calls for targeted awareness campaigns.
For the full national picture, including how South Dakota 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. Sioux Falls Police Department – Investigations Division
- Phone: (605) 367-7212 (non-emergency)
- Website: siouxfalls.gov/police
- Handles fraud, ID theft, and elder exploitation cases.
2. Rapid City Police Department – Financial Crimes Unit
- Phone: (605) 394-4131 (non-emergency)
- Website: rcgov.org
- Contact for reporting phone scams, online fraud, and financial abuse.
3. Aberdeen Police Department – General Inquiries
- Phone: (605) 626-7000
- Website: aberdeen.sd.us
- Provides support for elder fraud complaints and community safety.
FBI and Federal Scam Reporting
FBI Minneapolis Field Office (covers South Dakota)
- Phone: (763) 569-8000
- Website: fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/minneapolis
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- For reporting online scams, tech support hoaxes, phishing, and fraud.
South Dakota Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division
Office of the Attorney General – Consumer Protection
- Consumer Helpline: (800) 300-1986
- Website: atg.sd.gov
- Provides education and investigation for elder scams and deceptive business practices.
Statewide Elder Services and Medicare Fraud Support
South Dakota Adult Protective Services (APS)
- Central Intake: (833) 663-9673
- Website: dhs.sd.gov/en/ltss/dakota-at-home
- Handles elder abuse, neglect, and financial exploitation cases.
South Dakota Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (888) 854-5321
- Website: dhs.sd.gov/en/ltss/shiine
- Assists with Medicare billing scams, fraud prevention, and outreach.
South Dakota Department of Human Services – Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC)
- Info Line: (833) 663-9673
- Website: dhs.sd.gov
- Offers elder care coordination, legal assistance, and scam education.
Protect Yourself, Protect Others
- South Dakota seniors lose millions of dollars annually to fraud, often from avoidable or repeatable scams.
- Be cautious of anyone asking for personal info, money transfers, or gift cards over the phone or online.
- Visit our Education Center for examples of scams, response scripts, and secure reporting tools.
- Stop. Think. Report. You are not alone , help is here.
Recent South Dakota scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting South Dakota seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
Minnehaha County, South Dakota sheriff warns of a 'courier cash' scam targeting seniors
The Minnehaha County, South Dakota Sheriff's Office is warning residents about a scam that specifically targets older people: callers pressure victims to withdraw large amounts of cash, coach them to lie to bank staff about why they need the money, and then have someone collect or ship the cash to an address the caller provides. The sheriff's office says the safest response is to hang up immediately if anyone on the phone tells you to withdraw money, to be honest with your bank about what is happening rather than following a caller's script, and to never ship cash to anyone. Officials encourage residents to talk about this warning with elderly family members and neighbors before they get a call like this.
Read at Dakota News Now →Older South Dakota resident loses more than $200,000 to a fake 'fraud department' scam
A South Dakota resident who reported computer trouble was contacted by someone posing as a bank fraud department, then as an FDIC official, who directed a series of wire transfers totaling more than $200,000 over several weeks behind a false home-remodeling cover story. Real banks and the FDIC never ask you to move money to protect it, so treat any such call as a scam and verify through a number you look up yourself.
Read at AOL →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: South Dakota Scam Prevention Guides
Explore South Dakota-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in South Dakota — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in South Dakota — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in South Dakota — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in South Dakota — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in South Dakota — 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 South Dakota compares. Curious where South Dakota 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.