AI-driven scams targeting elderly people cause financial losses
Scammers are using AI to target elderly people by scouring obituaries and exploiting vulnerabilities, causing significant financial and emotional losses. The FBI recorded over 200,000 cybercrime complaints from people aged 60 and older in 2025, resulting in nearly $8 billion in losses, with experts noting the actual toll is likely higher.
What happened
Using artificial intelligence, scammers are scouring obituaries and looking for vulnerabilities in elderly people. One case involved scammers telling a grieving widow they had worked with her late husband to cover up tax evasion records, and that she had to pay money to preserve her inheritance; she lost more than $7,000 before her adult son discovered the scam.
More seniors are embracing smartphones and spending significant time online, making them increasingly targeted by AI-driven fraud schemes that are harder to spot. There were more than 200,000 cybercrime complaints made to the FBI in 2025 by victims 60 and older, totaling nearly $8 billion in losses, though experts say these numbers are underreported.
Reported impact
The scams cause both financial and emotional harm to elderly victims and their adult children. Adult children are becoming liaisons between their parents and their parents' bank accounts, and some feel compelled to filter their parents' calls, texts, messages and mail to avoid financial devastation, adding to the strain many sandwich generation caregivers already face while caring for both children and aging parents.
Index analysis
Experts noted that elder fraud is not new, but the rise of AI has made things worse by enabling scammers to operate with greater sophistication and reach.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.