Elder Care Scams
My father once took a call from a man who knew his first name and sounded helpful, and the only thing that saved us from elder care scams was a rule we had agreed in advance: no payment on a first call, ever.
Sources: FTC, Protecting Older Consumers 2024-2025, released December 2025; FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov; FBI IC3 at ic3.gov; ACL Eldercare Locator; accessed October 2026.
What elder care scams look like
Most elder care scams start with a story that sounds like care. A caller claims to be from Medicare, Social Security, a bank, or a care agency, and says your parent owes money or must act at once to keep benefits. Real agencies do not demand instant payment by phone, so hang up and call the agency on a number from its official card or website.
Elder care fraud also arrives as a friendly offer: a cheap home aide with no agency behind the name, a device that claims to cure dementia, or a grant that needs a small fee to release funds. A fee to release a grant and a cure with no doctor behind it are signs to stop and check before you send anything.
A senior care scam can also target the family member doing the paying: a bill for care that never happened, a second invoice for a fee already paid, or a call demanding gift card payment for a parent in hospital. Ask for the bill in writing, match it against the signed care agreement, and pay only through the billing method in that agreement.
The FTC reported that adults aged 60 and over reported $2.4 billion lost to fraud in 2024, up from about $600 million in 2020, in its Protecting Older Consumers 2024-2025 report released December 2025. Report every attempt even when no money was lost.
Scam calls: scripts to recognize and stop
One common script is the government call. The caller says your parent's Social Security number was used in a crime, benefits will stop today, and only a payment or a code from a text can fix it. The FTC states that it never demands money or tells you to move money, so hang up and report the number at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
Another script is the tech support call. The caller says your parent's computer has a virus and asks for remote access (permission to control the computer from far away), then charges for fake repairs or steals passwords. Never give remote access to an unsolicited caller, and if access was already given, turn off the computer and call your bank from a different phone.
The grandparent script is the hardest to resist. A caller says, "Grandma, it is me," claims an arrest or a crash abroad, and begs you not to tell the parents. Do not send money, and call your grandchild or their parent on a number you already have to check the story.
Pressure is the tell in every script: a deadline in minutes, a threat of arrest or loss of care, a demand for secrecy, or a payment method you cannot reverse, such as a gift card, a wire transfer (money sent straight from one bank account to another), or cryptocurrency (digital money held outside a bank). This pattern runs through most elder care scams, so on pressure plus secrecy plus an odd payment method, hang up and call a trusted person first.
Assisted living scams and placement fraud
Assisted living scams often start with a listing that looks too good: a low rent, luxury photos, and a demand for a large deposit before a tour. A real community will let you tour, meet staff, and read the fee schedule before asking for money, so walk away from any listing that demands payment before you have seen the building.
Assisted living fraud can also hide in the contract: a fee schedule that changes between tour and paperwork, a care fee with no written list of what it covers, or a move-out rule that keeps prepaid money with no refund terms. Ask for every fee in writing, compare the paper against what the tour guide said, and do not sign until the two match. Use the tour questions on assisted living checklist.
Placement help can be honest, but a placement scam works differently. A so-called free advisor may steer your parent only to communities that pay that advisor, or may charge your parent a fee while also taking a payment from the community. Ask the advisor in writing who pays them and whether your parent owes a fee, and get a second option from a source that takes no payment from any community.
How to verify before you pay or share anything
Use this order for any suspected elder care scams case: pause, verify through a channel you choose, then decide. Pause means no payment, no code, and no signature while the caller is still on the line. Verify by calling back on a number from an official card, bill, or website you find yourself.
For a care agency or aide, ask for the license number, proof of insurance, and references you can call, then call the references and the licensing body before the first shift. For a bill, ask for an itemized statement (a bill that lists each charge on its own line) and match each line against the signed agreement before you pay.
For legal papers, a power of attorney (a legal paper that lets a named person act for your parent on money or health matters) should be signed only after your parent has had time to read it away from the person asking for it. If anyone rushes a signature, stop and get advice from an elder law attorney first. Read power of attorney for elderly parent and what do elder law attorneys do.
If money was sent: act in this order
Call the bank or card company at once from the number on the back of the card, and ask what can be stopped or reversed. A credit freeze (a free block that stops new credit accounts being opened in your parent's name) can be placed with each credit bureau, and a fraud alert (a note that tells lenders to check identity extra carefully) is faster today. Ask the bank in writing for the case number.
Report the loss to the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and if the contact came online, also file a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov. Keep the report numbers, save every message and receipt, and do not delete the evidence.
Contact your state attorney general (the top law officer for your state, who runs its consumer protection office) through its consumer complaint form, and file a report with local police if money or bank details were taken. If your parent may need ongoing protection, contact Adult Protective Services (the state agency that investigates abuse, neglect, and exploitation of older adults) and ask what safeguards it can put in place.
Watch for the second scam: a caller who offers to recover the lost money for a fee is almost always the same kind of fraud in a new story. No real agency charges a fee to recover scam losses, so hang up and report that caller too.
If care itself is at risk, because a facility took money and gave no care, report it through how to report nursing home abuse and ask the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 for local help. For the money side of care, read paying for care and elder law attorney cost before you pay for legal help.
Frequently asked questions
What if your parent already let a caller onto the computer?
Turn off the computer's internet connection, then use a different device to change email and bank passwords and turn on two-factor authentication (a second check, such as a code sent to a phone, in addition to a password). Ask the bank whether any new payees or transfers appeared, and file a report at ic3.gov with the phone number and payment details.
Can a real care provider ever ask for payment by gift card?
No. A real provider bills through an invoice, a bank transfer to a named business account, or a card payment tied to a written agreement. A gift card, a payment app transfer to a personal name, or cash handed to a stranger cannot be traced or reversed, so refuse that payment method and ask for a written invoice instead.
What if your parent will not believe it was a scam?
Do not argue about who was fooled; show the bank statement or the call record, bring in a trusted third person such as a doctor, banker, or pastor, and ask that person to repeat the warning in their own words. Put the family code word and the hang-up rule in writing by the phone, and call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 for a local counselor who can talk it through with your parent.
Your next step is to sit with your parent this week, agree a code word and the no-payment-on-a-first-call rule, and save three numbers by the phone: the bank number from the back of the card, ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116. Then check any open care bill against its written agreement.