BATON ROUGE — With new scams popping up every day, more and more Americans are at risk of falling for one. Many of these scammers are looking to prey on the elderly, with the thought that they are less aware of the risk for a scam and will end up handing over money.
With June being Elder Abuse awareness month, Kurt Wall, the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, as well as the Elder Justice Coordinating Council and other government agencies and organizations are working to spread the word about government and business imposter scams.
In 2025, the FTC received more than 375,000 reports about government imposters, with reported losses of $917 million. The Middle District of Louisiana says the scammers lie, pretending to be someone they’re not with the goal of tricking people into giving them money, personal information, or access to financial accounts. Many times, the intended targets of these scams are the elderly.
Popular scams
One common scam the Middle District saw last year started with an unexpected phone call from someone who says they’re from a well-known business, and that there is suspicious activity on the target’s account. In order to help, they transfer the person to someone who says they’re from the government, like the FBI, FTC, or another law enforcement agency.
The so-called helper then urges the person to move their money to “protect it,” by transferring it into an account they give person, using crypto ATMs, or getting cash or gold and giving it to a courier. Officials say no one from the government will ever ask you to do any of these things, and if someone does, it’s a scam.
In April, elderly Tangipahoa Parish residents were scammed out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in gold.
Another popular scam involves a “suspended Social Security number” or supposed eligibility for government benefits. In these cases, the Middle District says scammers will use fake caller ID or official-looking letters to convince people they are from an agency.
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To recognize and avoid a government scammer, the Middle District says to remember:
- Someone from the government will say: “Your money isn’t safe. Move it to protect it.”
- Someone from the government will never threaten to suspend your government benefits if you don’t pay immediately.
- Someone from the government will never demand you pay with a payment app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift cards.
The BBB has its own list of warning signs and recommendations for elderly adults to avoid being scammed.
Look out for:
- Free, low cost, or buy one, get one deals
- Requests for unusual payment types like prepaid debit cards or wired funds
- Claims that you only pay postage or administrative fees
- Pressure to act now and/or aggressive tones
- Deals that must be secured with a credit card or bank account information
- Sure-fire investment opportunities
- Charites that send 100% of your donation directly to victims
The BBB also recommends only hiring trustworthy, licensed contractors, doing research before making an investment, and guarding your personal information carefully.
MORE: Scammers Target Families of Inmates in Louisiana
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