For care managers, senior-center staff & AAA counselors

Current scams targeting seniors: the one-page checklist.

The nine cons hitting older adults right now — each with the one tell that exposes it — distilled from our researched scam guides. Print it for the front desk, tuck it in a welcome packet, or forward this page to a client family. Free to use and share.

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Scam Detective · Senior scam checklist · 2026 edition

Current scams targeting seniors

Check off each scam as you discuss it. If any message, call, or website matches a pattern below, stop — verify before anyone clicks, pays, or answers.

1. The grandchild emergency call (AI voice clone)
A panicked call — a crash, an arrest, bail due today — in a voice that sounds exactly like a grandchild, plus a plea for secrecy. AI can clone a voice from seconds of online audio. The tell: Urgent money plus “don’t tell anyone.” Hang up and call the grandchild or their parents on the number you already have. Full guide →
2. The jury-duty / arrest-warrant call
A “deputy” or “court officer” — often with a spoofed sheriff’s caller ID — says a missed jury summons means arrest today unless a fine is paid by gift card, Bitcoin ATM, or wire. The tell: No court or sheriff collects fines over the phone — ever. Hang up and call the courthouse yourself. Full guide →
3. The Amazon “suspicious order” call or text
An alert about an iPhone or big order never placed, with a number to call or link to “cancel.” The “agent” then wants remote access, bank logins, or money moved “to safety.” The tell: Amazon doesn’t call about orders. Check Your Orders in the app yourself — if it’s not there, it doesn’t exist. Full guide →
4. The fake PayPal or Zelle invoice
An invoice for something never bought — Bitcoin, “Geek Squad,” antivirus — with a “fraud department” phone number or cancellation link in the note. The tell: The dispute number or link IS the scam. An ignored invoice charges nothing. Check the account directly at paypal.com or the bank’s own app. Full guide →
5. The unpaid-toll text
A text from “E-ZPass” or a state agency about a small toll ($3–$15) with big threatened penalties and a payment link — sent even to people who don’t drive. The tell: Toll agencies bill by mail, not by text with a link. The link’s real domain (.top, .xyz, hyphenated lookalikes) gives it away. Full guide →
6. The package-delivery text
“USPS” or “FedEx” says a package is held over an address problem or a tiny redelivery fee, with a link to fix it. The fee is a card-harvesting test charge. The tell: Carriers never collect fees or personal details through a texted link. Check tracking by typing the carrier’s site yourself. Full guide →
7. The friendly stranger who trades crypto
A wrong-number text, dating match, or online friend builds weeks of rapport, then offers to teach investing on a trading platform. Small withdrawals work; the big one never does. The tell: A stranger who contacted you first and steers the friendship toward a trading platform. The most expensive scam category the FBI tracks. Full guide →
8. The Marketplace “buyer” who overpays
Selling online, a buyer insists on Zelle or PayPal, then a fake email says the payment is “pending” until an upgrade fee is sent — or an “overpayment” needs refunding. The tell: Never pay a fee to receive money, and trust only your own account balance — not an email — to confirm a payment landed. Full guide →
9. The “recovery agent” who calls after a loss
After someone is scammed, a “recovery expert” appears — often knowing the exact loss amount — promising to get the money back for an upfront fee, or asking for wallet keys. The tell: Upfront fees, guaranteed recovery, or any request for a seed phrase mean the same victim is being scammed twice. Full guide →

Four rules that defeat nearly every scam

Urgency plus secrecy equals scam. Real emergencies survive one phone call to family; “tell no one” exists to stop that call.
Gift cards, wire transfers, crypto ATMs, and cash couriers equal scam. No government agency, court, retailer, or bank is paid that way.
Verify through your own front door. Type the website address yourself, or call the number on the card in your wallet — never the number or link in the message.
Never read out a code texted to your phone, and never install remote-access software for a caller. Both hand over the account.

If money or information already moved

Call the bank or card issuer now — speed matters most for freezing cards and flagging transfers.
Report it at reportfraud.ftc.gov and, for money already sent, ic3.gov. Save texts, emails, and payment records as evidence.
Tell the family — the same script targets the same household again. And ignore anyone who then offers to “recover” the funds for a fee: that’s a follow-up scam.

When a specific link needs an answer

The checklist catches patterns. When a client or family member has an actual link in hand — a “toll” text, a “refund” email, a deal site that looks almost right — we turn it into a researched verdict in minutes. Free preview first, one-time payment, no subscription.

One link · $2 one-time

Instant URL Check

Paste the URL and get a 0–100 scam risk score, a plain-English verdict, the top 5 red flags with evidence, and a 3-step plan. A human check runs $100–250. This is $2.

Check a URL — $2

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Family 10-Pack

Ten prepaid checks in one order — the links a client’s parent forwards, the group chat’s “deals,” the texts that look almost real. Every link gets its own verdict in one forwardable PDF. One avoided fake checkout pays for it many times over.

Get the Family Pack — $15

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