Senior Scam Prevention & Fraud Resources in Kansas
Kansas seniors reported $56 million in elder fraud losses to the FBI in 2025, with 2,013 victims aged 60 and older. This page provides Kansas-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: Kansas’s Senior Population & Key Cities
As of 2024, Kansas has an estimated population of 2.94 million, with more than 520,000 residents aged 65 and older, representing approximately 17.7% of the total population. Kansas’s seniors are increasingly targeted by scammers through Medicare fraud, romance and grandparent scams, tech support hoaxes, lottery schemes, and government impersonation.
Fraud attempts are especially common in the state’s largest cities, which also have high concentrations of older adults:
- Wichita (approx. 400,000 people)
- Overland Park (approx. 200,000 people)
- Kansas City (KS) (approx. 155,000 people)
With many seniors living independently or in rural areas, the 2025 data underscores the urgency of prevention. Kansas seniors lost $56 million to fraud. Government impersonation exploded 1,143% from $584K to $7.3 million, and romance scams more than tripled (+230%). Investment scams grew 85% to $27 million. Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 18%.
II. 2025 Victim Report: How Scammers Targeted Kansas’s Seniors
In 2025, Kansas had 2,013 victims aged 60+ who reported losses totaling $55,730,977 — up 78% in victims and 137% in losses compared to 2024 (1,129 victims / $24M).
Loss by Crime Type
| Crime Type | 2025 Loss | 2024 Loss | Change |
| Investment | $27,465,479 | $14,837,122 | +85% |
| Tech Support | $4,149,467 | $2,157,320 | +92% |
| Romance | $4,739,904 | $1,434,191 | +230% |
| Lottery/Sweepstakes | $369,301 | $449,514 | -18% |
| Extortion | $45,863 | $59,222 | -23% |
| Government Impersonation | $7,261,224 | $584,210 | +1,143% |
Elder Fraud Loss Trajectory — Kansas
5-Year Elder Fraud Trend — Kansas (2021—2025)
| Year | Victims (60+) | Total Loss | YoY Change | Nat’l Rank |
| 2021 | 575 | $7,273,058 | — | #34 |
| 2022 | 472 | $24,435,433 | +236% | #29 |
| 2023 | 579 | $13,900,498 | -43% | #37 |
| 2024 | 1,129 | $23,511,153 | +69% | #37 |
| 2025 | 2,013 | $55,730,977 | +137% | #31 |
| 5-Year Total | 4,768 | $124,851,119 | +666% (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 Kansas Seniors (2025 vs. 5-Year)
| Crime Type | 2025 Victims | 2025 Loss | 5-Year Total | Growth (2021—25) |
| Investment | 102 | $27,465,479 | $55,984,200 | +11,609% |
| Gov. Impersonation | 114 | $7,261,224 | $9,308,605 | +3,356% |
| Personal Data Breach | 79 | $5,793,057 | $7,033,928 | +4,836% |
| Romance | 111 | $4,739,904 | $14,780,852 | +47% |
| Tech Support | 175 | $4,149,467 | $11,247,948 | +174% |
| BEC | 24 | $3,089,276 | $14,758,141 | +198% |
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: Kansas’s elder fraud losses reached $56 million in 2025, with 2,013 seniors victimized. The most dramatic finding: government impersonation exploded 1,143% from $584K to $7.3 million, becoming the #2 crime type behind investment fraud ($27 million). Romance scams more than tripled (+230%) from $1.4 million to $4.7 million. Tech support nearly doubled (+92%). Lottery/sweepstakes dropped 18%. Statewide, that comes to roughly one senior victim for every 1,476 Kansas residents.
National context: Kansas ranks #13 in per-capita victim rate (67.76 per 100,000), placing it in the top quarter nationally — higher than states like Michigan, Ohio, or North Carolina. The 1,143% government impersonation surge is among the largest of any state and accounts for 13% of all Kansas losses. The combination of rural isolation and a high per-capita rate suggests Kansas seniors face disproportionate risk relative to the state’s population.
For the full national picture, including how Kansas compares to every other state, visit our national hub page with interactive data and rankings.
III. Emergency & Official Contacts
Local Police Departments – Elder Fraud & Financial Crimes
1. Wichita Police Department – Fraud Division
- Phone: (316) 268-4111 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.wichita.gov/WPD
- Ask for Financial Crimes to report elder fraud or digital scams.
2. Overland Park Police Department – Investigations Division
- Phone: (913) 895-6300 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.opkansas.org
- Request help with scams, identity theft, or elder financial exploitation.
3. Kansas City (KS) Police Department – Fraud Unit
- Phone: (913) 573-6000 (non-emergency)
- Website: www.wycokck.org
- Report suspicious calls, elder scams, or tech fraud.
FBI & Federal Scam Reporting
FBI Kansas City Field Office (serving eastern Kansas)
- Phone: (816) 512-8200
- Website: www.fbi.gov/contact-us/field-offices/kansascity
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)
- Website: www.ic3.gov
- Report phishing, romance scams, tech support fraud, and other online crimes.
Kansas Attorney General – Elder Fraud & Consumer Protection
Office of the Kansas Attorney General – Consumer Protection Division
- Consumer Protection Hotline: (800) 432-2310
- Website: www.ag.ks.gov
- Provides scam alerts, complaint forms, and elder fraud prevention tools.
Statewide Elder Services & Medicare Fraud Support
Kansas Adult Protective Services (APS)
- To report abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation:
APS State Hotline: (800) 922-5330 - Website: www.dcf.ks.gov
Kansas Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP)
- Phone: (800) 860-5260
- Website: www.kdads.ks.gov
- Assists seniors in identifying and reporting Medicare billing fraud.
Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services (KDADS)
- Info Line: (785) 296-4986
- Website: www.kdads.ks.gov
- Provides legal help, protective services, and public education for older Kansans.
Be Smart. Be Cautious. Be Heard.
- Kansas seniors lose millions of dollars annually to scams, but many cases go unreported.
- Save and share these trusted contacts with caregivers, loved ones, and senior community centers.
- Visit our Education Center to learn common scams, red flags, and safe reporting steps.
- If something feels off, slow down, talk to someone you trust, and report it. You are not alone.
Recent Kansas scam news
Recent news coverage of scams affecting Kansas seniors, updated from our alerts desk. Each item links to the original outlet; victims and defendants are kept anonymous.
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.
Read at Wichita Eagle →A physician explains why memory loss raises the risk of falling for a scam
A physician who also cared for her mother through Alzheimer's disease writes that memory loss and mild cognitive impairment are linked to a higher risk of falling for scams and financial exploitation. Part of the danger, she explains, is a condition called anosognosia, where a person with cognitive decline may not recognize that money is missing or that they were deceived. She recommends families start money conversations early, before decline sets in, treat scam awareness as a shared family responsibility rather than a private embarrassment, use phones that screen or block unknown callers, review accounts and credit reports together regularly, and consider a limited power of attorney while the person can still take part in that decision.
Read at Being Patient →Before the holidays, make a family plan to spot scams
With holiday calls and visits picking up, a fraud risk analyst is urging families to agree on a verification plan before a crisis call ever comes in, covering tactics like a caller claiming a grandchild has been arrested, a fake bank or government warning that an account is at risk, a tech support pop-up, or an online relationship that turns into a investment pitch. The core advice is to pause, verify, and talk: hang up, call the person or agency back using a number you already know, and loop in a trusted family member rather than acting alone. Suspicious contacts can be reported to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov or the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Agreeing on this plan now, before the holiday season's spike in calls and visits, gives families a calm playbook instead of a panicked decision.
Read at Philadelphia Today →Fake 'psychic' letters promising a windfall defrauded thousands of older Americans of millions
Federal prosecutors describe a mail fraud scheme that sent personalized letters made to look like they came from a psychic, telling recipients they were due a financial windfall that required a payment to 'unlock.' Thousands of people across the country, many of them elderly or otherwise vulnerable, sent checks that were deposited into accounts opened under the fake psychic names and then moved overseas, collecting more than 4 million dollars over several years. No real windfall, inheritance, or prize ever requires you to pay money up front to receive it. If a letter like this arrives, the safe move is to slow down, do not mail a check or payment, and talk it over with a family member or call the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov before responding.
Read at JNS →Medicare 'brace scam' case shows how to catch durable medical equipment fraud on your statement
A major federal case made news this week over a nationwide scheme that billed Medicare for back, knee, shoulder, and wrist braces that patients never needed. Fraud operators used offshore call centers and sham telemedicine visits to generate unnecessary prescriptions, then billed Medicare for the equipment. The scheme generated more than $365 million in fraudulent claims, with Medicare paying out roughly $199 million before it was caught. Beneficiaries can protect themselves by reviewing their Medicare Summary Notice for any brace or equipment charges they do not recognize, declining unsolicited calls offering a free brace, and contacting their local Senior Medicare Patrol program if something looks wrong.
Read at Medical Daily →DOJ's eighth annual elder fraud report tallies 350 enforcement actions in a year
The Department of Justice's eighth annual Elder Justice Report, covering July 2025 through June 2026, found the government pursued nearly 350 criminal and civil enforcement actions against 712 defendants linked to more than $4.8 billion stolen from more than 711,000 older victims. The cases spanned about 40 different scam types, from investment and tech support fraud to government impersonation, and nearly half involved schemes run from overseas. The department also pointed to $52 million in federal funding for elder abuse victim services working alongside its criminal cases. For families, the scale is a reminder to slow down before wiring money or sharing account access, and to verify any urgent financial request by calling the company or agency directly at a number you look up yourself.
Read at U.S. Department of Justice →IV. Learn More: Kansas Scam Prevention Guides
Explore Kansas-specific guides on the most common scams targeting seniors in your state:
- Tech Support Scams in Kansas — Learn to recognize fake pop-ups, phone calls, and remote access schemes.
- Investment Scams in Kansas — Protect your retirement savings from fraudulent advisors and crypto scams.
- Romance Scams in Kansas — Spot the warning signs of fake online relationships designed to steal money.
- Government Impersonation Scams in Kansas — Know what real government agencies will never ask you to do.
- How to Report Scams in Kansas — 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 Kansas compares. Curious where Kansas 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.