Protecting Seniors from Scams

Graphic image of man in a hood with a laptop with Bitcoin symbolType of Scams

Lady Lake Police are investigating several fraud cases where local seniors were tricked into sending money after receiving phone calls from people posing as banks, government agencies, and well-known companies.

According to the FBI, fraudsters often target older adults through a variety of deceptive schemes, including:

  • Romance scams: Offenders create fake identities on dating sites or social media, pretending to be interested in a relationship to exploit seniors seeking companionship.
  • Tech support scams: Scammers pretend to be IT professionals, claiming there’s a problem with a victim’s computer. They then trick the victim into granting remote access or sharing personal information.
  • Grandparent scams: Criminals contact seniors while posing as a grandchild or relative in distress, urgently asking for money to resolve a fabricated emergency.
  • Government impersonation scams: Fraudsters claim to represent government agencies and threaten arrest, fines, or prosecution unless victims make immediate payments.
  • Sweepstakes, charity, or lottery scams: Offenders either pose as charitable organizations to solicit donations or tell victims they’ve won a prize or foreign lottery that can only be collected after paying a fee.
  • Home repair scams: Individuals show up at seniors’ residences offering repair or improvement services, take payment up front, and never return to complete the work.
  • TV/radio scams: Criminals advertise fraudulent services—such as reverse mortgage assistance or credit repair—through seemingly legitimate broadcast channels.
  • Family or caregiver scams: Relatives, acquaintances, or caregivers exploit trust and access to steal money or assets from elderly victims.

How To Avoid a Scam According to the Federal Trade Commission

  • Block unwanted calls and text messages. Take steps to block unwanted calls and to filter unwanted text messages.
  • Don’t give your personal or financial information in response to a request that you didn’t expect. Honest organizations won’t call, email, or text to ask for your personal information, like your Social Security, bank account, or credit card numbers. If you get an email or text message from a company you do business with and you think it’s real, it’s still best not to click on any links. Instead, contact them using a website you know is trustworthy. Or look up their phone number. Don’t call a number they gave you or the number from your caller ID.
  • Resist the pressure to act immediately. Honest businesses will give you time to make a decision. Anyone who pressures you to pay or give them your personal information is a scammer.
  • Know how scammers tell you to pay. Never pay someone who insists that you can only pay with cryptocurrency, a wire transfer service like Western Union or MoneyGram, a payment app, or a gift card. And never deposit a check and send money back to someone.
  • Stop and talk to someone you trust. Before you do anything else, tell someone — a friend, a family member, a neighbor — what happened. Talking about it could help you realize it’s a scam.

Please check in with your loved ones and talk to them about these scams. If you believe you or someone you know has been targeted, call LLPD at 352-751-1565.

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