Senior Scam Prevention & Fraud Resources in California
California seniors reported $1.40 billion in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 22,157 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides California-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: California’s Elder Population and Key Cities
California is the most populous state in the United States, with an estimated population of 38.9 million as of 2024. Among these, approximately 6.6 million residents are aged 65 and older, representing around 17% of the total population. As the senior population grows rapidly due to demographic trends and longer lifespans, protecting older Californians from cybercrime and fraud becomes increasingly urgent.
The top three cities in California by population — and among the most affected by elder-targeted scams — are:
- Los Angeles (approx. 3.8 million people)
- San Diego (approx. 1.4 million people)
- San Jose (approx. 1.0 million people)
These urban centers not only have dense populations but also large communities of older adults, making them critical hubs for fraud prevention. In 2025, investment scams were the dominant threat, costing California seniors $679 million — nearly half of the state’s total losses. Tech support fraud ($170 million) and government impersonation ($119 million) followed, with most major crime categories showing significant year-over-year growth.
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted California’s Seniors
In 2025, California had 22,157 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $1,403,975,911 — up 22% in victims and 68% in losses compared to 2024 (18,119 victims / $834M).
Source: FBI IC3 2025 Annual Report. California ranked #1 nationally for elder fraud losses with $1.4 billion — nearly double the #2 state (Florida, $710M). View national statistics.
Loss by Crime Type (2025 vs 2024)
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $678,989,713 | $350,458,561 | +94% |
| Tech Support | $169,531,132 | $191,067,028 | -11% |
| Government Impersonation | $118,886,430 | $43,867,529 | +171% |
| Confidence/Romance | $100,861,373 | $50,734,540 | +99% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $25,968,437 | $15,723,741 | +65% |
| Extortion | $7,345,315 | $5,544,238 | +32% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — California
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — California (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 10,913 | $319,971,186 | — | #1 |
| 2022 | 11,517 | $624,509,520 | +95% | #1 |
| 2023 | 11,620 | $644,353,620 | +3% | #1 |
| 2024 | 18,119 | $834,135,844 | +29% | #1 |
| 2025 | 22,157 | $1,403,975,911 | +68% | #1 |
| 5-Year Total | 74,326 | $3,826,946,081 | +339% (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 California Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 2,561 | $678,989,713 | $1,631,020,019 | +1,090% |
| Tech Support | 2,783 | $169,531,132 | $598,146,414 | +351% |
| BEC | 660 | $124,913,394 | $410,046,943 | +54% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 1,470 | $118,886,430 | $238,517,587 | +660% |
| Romance | 1,173 | $100,861,373 | $357,613,154 | +37% |
| Personal Data Breach | 1,496 | $50,590,818 | $170,697,596 | +100% |
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: California leads the nation in elder fraud losses by a wide margin — $1.4 billion in 2025, up 68% from $834 million in 2024. That is more than the next two states (Florida and Texas) combined. Over 22,000 California seniors were victimized, with investment scams alone accounting for $679 million. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 1,780 California residents.
National context: California ranks #1 in total losses but #28 out of 51 states in per-capita victim rate (56.19 per 100,000). This means that while California’s sheer size drives the highest dollar losses in the country, residents in states like Arizona, Nevada, and Alaska are actually more likely to be targeted on a per-person basis. California’s 68% year-over-year increase is above the national average of 57%.
For the full national picture, including how California compares to every other state, visit our national hub page with interactive data and rankings.
III. Emergency & Official Contacts
Local Police Departments – Elder Fraud Contact Points
1. Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) – Elder Fraud Unit
- Phone: (877) 275-5273 (non-emergency, 24/7)
- Website: www.lapdonline.org
- Tip: Ask for the Financial Crimes Division or Elder Abuse Unit.
2. San Diego Police Department – Elder Abuse Unit
- Phone: (619) 531-2000 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.sandiego.gov/police
3. San Jose Police Department – Financial Crimes Unit
- Phone: (408) 277-8900 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.sjpd.org
- Direct contact: Ask for “Elder Financial Abuse Investigator” through main line.
FBI & Federal Resources
FBI Los Angeles Field Office (for LA and surrounding areas)
- Phone: (310) 477-6565
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/losangeles
FBI San Diego Field Office
- Phone: (858) 320-1800
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/sandiego
Report Online Scams via IC3 (Internet Crime Complaint Center)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Tip: File complaints on behalf of a loved one if needed.
State Attorney General – Elder Abuse & Fraud Protection
California Department of Justice – Elder Abuse & Fraud Division
- Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 952-5225
- Website: oag.ca.gov/dmfea/elder
This office offers:
- Legal guidance for financial abuse
- Investigative coordination with local law enforcement
- Victim support services for older adults
Other Useful Statewide Elder Assistance Lines
California Adult Protective Services (APS) 24/7 Hotline
- Phone: (833) 401-0832
- Prompt: Enter your ZIP code to be routed to local APS
Los Angeles County Elder Fraud Hotline (DA’s Office)
- Phone: (213) 257-2304
- Website: da.lacounty.gov
San Diego County Aging & Independence Services (AIS)
- Elder Abuse Reporting Line: (800) 510-2020
California Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) – Fraud Reporting
- Phone: (855) 613-7080
- Website: www.cahealthadvocates.org
What You Can Do
· Save these contacts somewhere safe.
· Call if you see any unusual financial activity, strange calls, or suspicious online behavior.
· Help a friend or family member report scams, action stops crime.
· Visit our Fraud Education Center for red flags, prevention tips, and reporting guides.
Recent California scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting California seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
Fake pop-up warning led a Ventura County, California senior to hand $14,000 to a courier
A Thousand Oaks, California senior clicked a link while deleting spam email and got a pop-up warning that her computer was infected, telling her not to shut it off and to call the number on screen, according to the Ventura County District Attorney's Office. The call was transferred to someone posing as an FTC officer who falsely said she was a suspect in a money-laundering investigation, then to a fake Treasury Department threat that her accounts would be frozen unless she withdrew cash immediately. Staying on the phone the entire time, the caller directed her to withdraw $14,000 from her bank, return home, and hand the cash to a stranger who arrived with a password to 'prove' she was legitimate. No real government agency will ever tell you to withdraw cash, hand it to a courier, or keep the call secret from your family, so the safe move is to slow down, hang up immediately, especially if a caller stresses urgency or secrecy, and verify by calling the agency back using a number you look up yourself.
Read at KEYT News →Opinion: San Diego must treat elder fraud as the crisis it has become
In a Times of San Diego opinion piece, an aging-services advocate argues that elder fraud should be treated as the public crisis it has become, not hidden as a private embarrassment, because it thrives on silence, confusion, and delay. The piece calls for faster, better-coordinated prevention: clearer authority for banks to pause a withdrawal when exploitation is suspected, and families agreeing on a simple safe word or phrase to confirm whether an urgent call, text, or email is really from someone they trust. The core advice holds for any scam: slow down and verify before sending money, sharing a password, or agreeing to keep something secret.
Read at Times of San Diego →Riverside, California widow loses about $425,000 to an online dating scam
A 76-year-old widow in Riverside, California lost roughly $425,000 over about two years after meeting a man on a dating app who said he was a widower working on an oil rig and promised marriage. He claimed he needed money to release a multimillion-dollar fortune frozen by a tax lien, so she wired funds repeatedly and eventually sold her home, still below market value, to keep paying. Police say romance scams remain the most common fraud reported by adults 65 and older, and that friends and family are often better positioned than the person being targeted to spot the warning signs. If an online partner you have never met in person keeps asking for money, slow down, talk to someone you trust, and stop sending funds.
Read at New York Post →Fresno launches free digital literacy classes to help seniors spot online scams
The City of Fresno's parks department is offering free technology classes to help older adults use computers and phones with confidence. The Tech Easy Digital Literacy Program covers basic skills like email and file navigation alongside how to recognize a safe website, so participants can better protect their finances from fraud and scams. New month-long sessions begin in July and September, with in-person registration at a local community center. Building comfort with technology is one more way to slow down and verify before clicking a link or sharing information online.
Read at ABC30 →Bay Area police warn of a fake 'FBI sting' scam that asks seniors for cash
Police in Fremont, California are warning residents after an older person lost several thousand dollars to scammers who claimed the victim could help with a federal 'sting operation.' In this scheme, callers posing as federal agents pressure the target to withdraw cash and hand it to a courier who comes to the door, describing it as a way to catch criminals or to keep the person's money safe. No real law-enforcement agency asks the public to withdraw cash or pass money to a courier, so the safe move is to slow down, hang up, and call the agency back using a number you look up yourself.
Read at KRON4 →San Francisco rolls out new tools to fight scammers who impersonate city government
San Francisco has launched new tools to counter scammers who pose as city government to defraud residents, including older adults. Impersonation of trusted agencies is one of the most common scam tactics, so verify any official-sounding demand for money or information through a phone number you look up yourself, never one a caller gives you.
Read at San Francisco Chronicle →IV. Learn More: California Scam Prevention Guides
Explore California-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in California — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in California — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in California — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in California — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in California — 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 California compares. Curious where California 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.