The problem of scammers targeting elders has become so prolific that Congress is looking to take action. According to Florida Senator Rick Scott, who chairs the US Senate Special Committee on Aging, the issue has grown exponentially. In a recent congressional hearing, Scott said, “Last year alone, scams cost Americans over age 60 more than $4.8 billion, with individuals aged 50 to 59 losing an additional $2.5 billion.”
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) also reported there has been a “fourfold increase” in the financial losses accrued by seniors at the hands of scammers since 2020. In addition to the explosive growth in the number of these instances, attacks on older individuals have become increasingly sophisticated and can include fraudulent websites and financial trackers as well as complex homeowner’s association (HOA) schemes.
Fraudsters often operate with the assistance of large organizations that work collectively to cheat their victims. A Massachusetts Department of Justice investigation recently uncovered one such ring involved in a series of attacks focusing on the elderly in which scammers would call and pretend to ask for money to help a family member or friend of the intended target. The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently issued a warning to Las Vegas residents with the Las Vegas Division’s Special Agent in Charge, Rafaik Mattar explaining, “In our community here, since there’s a lot of the retirement demographic, we see more of the elder focused scams where they’re trying to prey on the elderly. We’ve really seen a spike in that in our community specifically.”
Why Protecting Older Adults Matters (It’s Personal)
A few years ago, my father - the infinitely more technologically savvy of my parents passed away, leading my mother to take a crash course in the world wide web. At 83 years old, her prior computer experience had been fairly limited to one click buying on Amazon. She had never checked her e-mail, paid bills on-line, or set up her own streaming service account. While I did my best to help familiarize her with all of these aspects, I neglected to explain some of the dangers that the Internet posed. It was not long before I received a panicked phone call from her explaining that the computer was infected with a virus and the only way to fix it was to call a service number on the screen. Fortunately, she had called me first and I was able to help her get back online. A week later, she called me with another concern regarding an oddly written e-mail that she had received informing her that her Netflix account was about to be turned off due to an issue with the payment method.
While the timing of these calls isn’t always the most convenient, I sleep better at night knowing that she feels comfortable enough to ask me for help when she isn’t sure. I also established with her that she should never provide any information, be it financial or personally identifiable, to people who contact her first. While there may be instances where the person asking for this information is completely legitimate, there should never be a problem independently sourcing the contact information to ensure that you know exactly who is on the other end of the request. This simple rule may be enough to help avoid most issues, but I always do my best to let my mother know that I am happy to help her with any questions she might have. If you are able to lend an ear to an older neighbor or friend or relative, be sure to let them know that you are there for them when they don’t understand something or they need a second opinion.
Cybersecurity Awareness Month (All Year Long)
October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and it is the perfect time to review digital defenses. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCA) have created some great resources for those looking for recommendations on where to get started in addition to some agreed upon best practices for strengthening any cybersecurity foundation. This year’s theme is “Building a Cyberstrong America,” which highlights the idea that cybersecurity is not only of paramount importance to individuals and organizations, but to the nation as a whole.
In addition to the recommendations at CISA and the NCA, the RSAC Library is an invaluable resource for everything cybersecurity related. Catch up on some of the top-rated sessions from RSACTM 2025 Conferenceand get advice from industry experts like Kerry Tomlinson, Editor in Chief at Ampyx News, and Alex East, Senior Solutions Engineer at Armorcode. Tomlinson’s RSAC 2025 session Older & Online: How to Stay Safe in a Quickly Changing Digital World, explains some of the physical and emotional challenges that older Americans are facing that make them more susceptible to social engineering and other forms of cyberattack. Her recommendations for helping older individuals stay secure include three basic tenets: “Explain concepts not terminology,” “show instead of do,” and whenever possible, make explanations and lessons fun via “gamification.”
East recently spoke to RSAC’s Kacy Zurkus and Tatyana Sanchez on Empowering Seniors: Practical Cybersecurity for the Digital Age, and released two new guides including Cybersecurity for Seniors Made Easy: Simple Steps to Protect Your Identity, Avoid Money Scams, and Enjoy Peace of Mind Every Time You Go Online, that contains practical advice for older adults on how to maintain their digital security. As part of his RSAC podcast appearance, East advised listeners, “Trust your gut. If something seems too good to be true, it is almost certainly not true.” The additional direction to not act immediately is indeed sound. In most situations, it’s best to, “Take your time [and] verify first.”
While Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a great reminder to review protocols and shore up cyber defenses, it is important to realize that the threat landscape changes rapidly and maintaining security is a year-round commitment. Stay educated on the latest developments, trends, and tactics by visiting the RSAC Community Platform, which contains content from some of the top minds in the industry, opportunities to network and communicate with cybersecurity peers, as well as a powerful AI assistant that can help you find exactly what you need to stay one step ahead.