FREDERICK — Americans 60 and older reported $7.7 billion in losses to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center in 2025, the highest total of any age group. They filed 201,266 complaints that year, with an average loss of nearly $38,500—almost double the average for younger victims.
Older adults accounted for $352 million of the $893 million in AI-related scam losses reported to the FBI in 2025. Voice-cloning technology can now reproduce a person’s voice from just a few seconds of public audio, such as a voicemail greeting or a comment on a livestream, enabling convincing impersonation scams.
The Federal Trade Commission’s December 2025 report to Congress estimated that total fraud losses for older adults in 2024 ranged from $10.1 billion to $81.5 billion, depending on assumptions about underreporting. Losses from individual victims exceeding $100,000 rose sharply during the period, climbing from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2024.
Older adults often manage accounts across multiple institutions, including banks, brokerages, Medicare, Social Security, pension administrators, and mortgage holders. Many of these institutions still rely on basic verification methods such as date of birth, mailing address, and the last four digits of a Social Security number.
The Senior Medicare Patrol, a federally funded program available in every state, provides free assistance to families reviewing suspicious billing. Individuals who experience identity theft can file reports at IdentityTheft.gov, and some identity theft protection services offer fraud resolution support and insurance for eligible recovery costs. A financial power of attorney, signed in advance, allows an adult child to manage a parent’s bills, disputes, and account changes if needed.