This past June 15 was designated World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, but awareness of elder abuse should be an everyday concern.
Over my years of covering the crime beat, I’ve met victims of elderly scams. Some are embarrassed and reluctant to discuss their being victimized. They don’t want to appear mentally feeble, especially in front of their grown children. But those who were willing to talk about being cheated were assured by detectives that scam artists were very good at fooling anyone, not just the elderly.
Some seniors have been cheated out of their life savings and others have had their identities stolen, which resulted in placing them in heavy debt. Adding to the financial loss, the scams also caused great physical stress, which endangered their health and well-being.
And, sadly, not all scammers are strangers on the phone. I recall attending a preliminary hearing at the 3rd Police District some years ago. An elderly man’s adult daughter and her husband stood accused of stealing the elderly man’s Social Security checks over a period of years. The father stood with his head down as if ashamed or saddened. And I’ve been told of cases in which an elderly mother or father was beaten routinely by their grown children.
Last month, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office announced that June 15 was World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, a time to underscore the importance of protecting older adults from financial abuse, neglect and exploitation.
“The FBI in Philadelphia is raising awareness to tactics most commonly used by scammers and red flags to look out for to avoid becoming a victim,” the FBI stated. “The abuse of older Americans can come in various forms, including physical, emotional, mental or financial exploitation.”
According to the 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center Elder Fraud Report, the FBI received over 200,000 complaints from victims over the age of 60, totaling about $7.7 billion in losses.
The FBI pointed out that last year alone, Pennsylvania residents reported over 30,000 complaints to the FBI with estimated fraud losses of more than $537 million. In New Jersey, more than 20,000 complaints were received by the FBI totaling $660 million in losses. Phishing/spoofing, tech/customer support calls and investment scams continue to dominate the Philadelphia threat landscape and drive victim losses into the billions.
“World Elder Abuse Awareness Day serves as an important reminder of the harm fraud and exploitation can cause to older Americans,” said Wayne A. Jacobs, the special agent in charge of FBI Philadelphia. “Scammers often create a false sense of urgency to steal personal information, money or both. We encourage seniors and their loved ones to remain vigilant, verify unfamiliar requests and report suspicious activity. Through education, outreach and enforcement, FBI Philadelphia is committed to protecting our communities and the savings older Americans have worked a lifetime to build.”
The FBI passed on some ways to protect yourself and loved ones:
- Recognize scam attempts and end all communication with the perpetrator. This includes the very simple step to hang up the phone!
- Resist the pressure to act quickly. Scammers thrive off of a sense of urgency to incite fear and lure victims into immediate action.
- Be cautious of unsolicited phone calls, mailings and door-to-door service offers.
- Never give or send any personal information, money, jewelry, gift cards, checks or wire information to unverified people or businesses.
- Be careful of what you download. Never open an email attachment from someone you don’t know and be wary of email attachments forwarded to you.
- Make sure all computer anti-virus and security software and malware protections are up to date. Use reputable anti-virus software and firewalls.
The FBI in Philadelphia stated that it has victim specialists dedicated to ensuring victims have the resources and support they need while navigating the criminal justice process.
If you or someone you know may have been a victim of elder fraud, call FBI Philadelphia at 215-418-4000 or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov. You can also file a complaint with the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. ••
Paul Davis’s Crime Beat column appears here each week. He can be reached via pauldavisoncrime.com.
