How to Spot an Online Scam and Protect Yourself

Last updated August 23, 2026

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My neighbor Betty almost lost $3,000 last spring.

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She got a phone call from someone who sounded exactly like her grandson. Panicked voice, said he’d been in a car accident, needed money for bail, please don’t tell mom and dad. The caller knew her grandson’s name, knew enough details to sound convincing, and knew exactly how to play on the panic of a grandmother who loves her family.

She was ninety seconds from wiring the money when something made her pause and call her grandson’s cell phone directly.

He was at work. Had no idea what she was talking about.

The “grandparent scam” has been running for years. The AI voice-cloning version of it — where scammers use actual recordings of your family member’s voice, cloned by AI — is newer, more convincing, and spreading fast.

Why Seniors Are Disproportionately Targeted

Scammers are rational actors. They go where the money is and where the defenses are weakest. Seniors tend to have more accumulated savings, are more likely to answer phone calls from unknown numbers, are more likely to be home during the hours scammers work, and are statistically more likely to be trusting of authority figures — which scammers frequently impersonate. They also buy your contact details from data brokers, which is why getting your personal information off the internet cuts down how often the phone rings.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center reports that Americans over 60 lose more money to online fraud than any other age group — over $3 billion in 2023 alone. If you would rather have something watching your credit and accounts in the background, Aura is the monitoring service I pay for.

The Scams Running Right Now

The Grandparent Scam (now with AI voice cloning). A family member — often a grandchild — calls in a panic needing emergency money. Now scammers can use a few seconds of your grandchild’s voice from social media to clone it convincingly. The fix is simple: always verify by calling the person back on a number you already have.

The IRS / Social Security Impersonation Scam. You owe back taxes and will be arrested if you don’t pay immediately by gift card or wire transfer. The IRS does not call demanding immediate payment. The Social Security Administration does not threaten arrest. Hang up.

The Tech Support Scam. A pop-up or call warns that your computer has a virus and offers to fix it. They’re asking for access to your computer. Microsoft and Apple do not proactively call customers about viruses. Close the window or hang up.

The Romance Scam. An online relationship develops over weeks or months. Eventually there’s a crisis requiring money. The “person” you’ve been talking to doesn’t exist. Losses from romance scams average the highest per victim of any fraud category.

The Lottery / Prize Scam. You’ve won something, but you need to pay fees or taxes first to claim it. You haven’t won anything. There are no fees.

The Medicare / Insurance Scam. Someone calls offering free medical equipment or services and asks for your Medicare number to process it. Your Medicare number is as sensitive as your Social Security number. Never give it to an unsolicited caller. If you use an AI assistant to make sense of Medicare paperwork, know what you can safely ask AI about Social Security and Medicare and what it gets wrong.

The Red Flags That Apply to Every Scam

One more layer worth having: a VPN scrambles your internet connection so no one can snoop on what you’re doing — especially on public Wi-Fi. NordVPN is the one I use, and it now bundles antivirus and monitoring too.

Learning to recognize the warning signs is the best defense — see our step-by-step guide to spotting AI-powered scams for the newest tactics.

Urgency. Any pressure to act immediately before you can think or verify is a manipulation tactic. Legitimate organizations give you time.

Unusual payment methods. Gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, and Zelle are the preferred payment methods of scammers because they’re nearly impossible to trace or reverse. No legitimate business or government agency will ask you to pay with a gift card.

Unsolicited contact. You didn’t initiate the call, email, or message. Be suspicious of anyone who contacts you first with an offer, a warning, or a request.

Too good to be true. Large unexpected prizes, guaranteed investment returns, and miracle solutions to serious problems are all reliable markers of fraud.

Requests for secrecy. “Don’t tell your family about this.” No legitimate transaction requires secrecy from the people who care about you.

If You’ve Been Targeted — Or Already Victimized

If you’d rather have one service handle the monitoring for you, Aura is the identity protection service I recommend — it covers credit and bank monitoring, dark-web alerts, and identity theft insurance.

If you gave money: Contact your bank immediately if any bank accounts were involved. File a report at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. If gift cards were involved, contact the card issuer immediately — there’s a small chance some can be stopped.

If you gave personal information: Place a fraud alert at one of the three credit bureaus. Consider a credit freeze. Monitor your accounts closely for 90 days.

If you gave computer access: Have a trusted person or technician review your computer. Change passwords for any accounts you access from that computer.

One more thing: if you’ve been victimized, please tell someone. Shame keeps people quiet, and quiet keeps scammers operating. Reporting protects the next person they would have called.

FAQ

A caller knew my grandchild’s name and details. Does that mean the call was real?

No. Names, relatives, hometowns and employers are all sold by data brokers or scraped from social media. Knowing details proves nothing. The only test that works is hanging up and calling the person back on a number you already have.

Can I get my money back after a wire transfer or gift cards?

Sometimes, if you move fast. Call your bank the same day and say the word fraud. For gift cards, call the card issuer immediately, because a small share can still be frozen. Once the funds are collected, recovery is rare, which is why the pause before paying matters more than anything after.

Is it really safe to just hang up on someone claiming to be from the IRS?

Yes. The IRS does not open contact by phone demanding immediate payment, and it never asks for gift cards or wire transfers. Neither does the Social Security Administration. Hanging up costs you nothing even in the unlikely event the call was genuine, because a real agency will contact you by mail.

How did a scammer get my phone number in the first place?

Usually from data brokers and people-search sites, which compile and sell your name, address, phone number and relatives legally. Breached company databases are the other common source. Neither requires you to have done anything careless.

Should I report a scam even if I did not lose any money?

Yes. Reports at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and ic3.gov are how patterns get spotted and warnings get issued. A report that costs you five minutes can be the one that stops the same script being run on someone else.

Online Scam Red Flags for Seniors — and What to Do If You’ve Already Been Hit