Scam Season is Upon Us
Watch Out for Tricksters!
The most wonderful time of the year is upon us with Thanksgiving only four weeks away. The December holidays will quickly follow. Fraudsters, scam artists, and swindlers never stop. However, the holidays are a time to unwrap even more dirty tricks.
According to a September 2025 report from Caring.com, Indiana ranks second in the nation for fraud against seniors when adjusted for population. Indiana had 76.9 fraud complaints from people aged 60 or over per 100,000 people. To combat this issue, the Indianapolis FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association launched a community outreach event to educate older people on preventing fraud. Arizona is #1 in scams and fraud targeting seniors and Nevada completes the top three.
Last week, I received a text allegedly from the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Except it wasn’t.
Besides knowing my car was properly registered, there were red flags in the text message. The text was sent from 207-631-3436. The “207” area code is from Maine, not Indiana. Also, the payment portal is not the correct link for Indiana’s Bureau of Motor Vehicles. Typical of a scam, there was an urgent nature to the text, the payment was due the next day, October 15th. For an air of legitimacy, there is actually an Indiana Title 9 for motor vehicles. I blocked the number, however, scammers will try again using a different telephone number, they always do.
Scammers Target Everyone:
Twenty-somethings (ages 20 to 29-year-olds) were more likely to report losing money to fraud than any other age group, according to the Federal Trade Commission’s Consumer Sentinel Network 2024 Data Book. Their median loss was $417, and total losses for this group were more than $400-million-dollars in 2024. Online shopping often started with an ad on social media – far more often than any other fraud type, and most said they simply did not get the items they ordered according to the FTC.
Thirty and Forty-year-olds were less likely to report losing money than the 20-29-year-old age group. What’s notable is that adults 30 to 39-year-olds had the highest number of identity theft reports of any age group, according to the FTC. Scammers were most likely to contact this age group through social media and fraudulent websites. The top fraud of both age groups involved online shopping. Scammers lure victims with tempting deals, collect payments for non-existent or counterfeit products, or steal personal and financial information.
Fifty-year-old victims are targeted with imposter scams (people calling impersonating employees of government agencies or tech support because their computer is allegedly at risk), investment scams, romance scams, and the growing grandparent scams. (They found your grandchild’s name, age, etc. on your social media post). The scammer claims they have him/her even though you’re sitting across the room from your grandchild.) All these tactics leverage emotional manipulation or fear of technology to trick the 50+ person into giving up money or personal information. Adults in their 50s are less likely to file fraud complaints with agencies or report the loss to their credit card company.
Scam victims in their 60s reported romance scams as one of the top five frauds impacting them. According to the FTC, 29% of 60- to 69-year-olds who filed fraud reports in 2024 reported losing money. Their median loss was $691 per victim, and a staggering total loss was $1.2 billion in 2024. The online romance scam starts with a fake “relationship” (often using stolen photos and a false identity) to gain the victim’s trust. It is often a fast-moving connection based on messages and calls, always avoiding meeting via video or in person; then a sudden emergency/crisis occurs. The scammer tells their victim how to pay and may ask for personal documents to use for identity theft.
The Sensational 70-year-olds are usually scammed by phone more than any other method, according to the FTC. They report losing money to tech support scams. These scams begin with a call from someone claiming to be a computer technician with a well-known company. They claim that there is a problem with your computer or tablet and ask for remote access to fix it. Once in your device, they steal financial and personal information.
The oldest adults, age 80+ were the least likely to file FTC fraud complaints and reported the highest loss per victim of any age group at $1,650 per complaint. While tech support scams were among the top five most common types of fraud experienced by adults 80 and older, so were sweepstakes and lottery scams. Sweepstakes scams were the costliest type of scam for this age group. A “representative” will claim you’ve won a prize and only need to pay a fee for taxes or processing to claim the winnings. The fraudster may tell their victims to keep the prize a secret from family members to surprise them. It is actually to prevent the senior from being warned of the scam by a family member. They are often too ashamed to admit what happened to them and may fear losing their independence.
Who Can Help?
Try not to fall victim in the first place, slow down the scammer’s sense of urgency. Hang up! Call your trusted representative, relative, or friend. If you win a prize or sweepstakes, you should not be expected to pay a ‘handling fee’ to receive it. No one legitimate calling you is expecting payment in gift cards or cryptocurrency.
AARP Fraud Watch Network is for anyone, no matter your age. You do not need to be an AARP member to use their services. The AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free initiative that provides tools, resources, and education to help consumers avoid scams and fraud. The AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline is available at 1-877-908-3360. This free, toll-free service helps scam victims and their loved ones by providing support and guidance on what to do next. The helpline is staffed by trained specialists and volunteers and operates Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.
Your state’s Attorney General’s Office usually handles consumer protection. In Indiana, the AG handles fraud and scams through its Consumer Protection Division. The office investigates consumer complaints against businesses, takes legal action against those who violate consumer laws, and specifically targets cases like healthcare fraud, real estate fraud, and identity theft. In Indiana, file a consumer complaint with the Office of the Attorney General online at: https://www.in.gov/attorneygeneral/consumer-protection-division/file-a-complaint/ by filling out a printable form or request a complaint form by calling 1.800.382.5516 or 317.232.6330.
Protect Yourself: Sadly, scammers target veterans because of their valuable benefits https://www.va.gov/initiatives/protecting-veterans-from-fraud/
Please share this post with your friends and loved ones. By sharing what we know, we can help protect each other. Whether you’re 25 or 85, we have to fight scams and fraud together.