Phone scams and older parents
The scams aimed at your parent, and what Earlene does about them.
Earlene listens for twelve common scams in what your parent tells her on the morning call: a grandchild in trouble, a caller from Medicare, a bank that wants the money moved, a gift card request. When she hears one, she says how the trick goes and tells them to hang up and wait for you. That evening's text names it.
Updated October 20, 2026.
The numbers, from the FBI.
- complaints from people 60 and over to the FBI in 2025, up 37% in a year
- 201,266
- complaints from people 60 and over to the FBI in 2025, up 37% in a year
- they reported losing, up 59%
- $7.7 billion
- they reported losing, up 59%
- the average loss, nearly double the average for all ages
- $38,500
- the average loss, nearly double the average for all ages
- people over 60 who lost more than $100,000 each
- 12,444
- people over 60 who lost more than $100,000 each
From the FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report, which counts only what people reported. The FTC found losses reported by people over 60 grew about fourfold from 2020 to 2024, to $2.4 billion, and says most go unreported.
On a call
What happens when she hears one.
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1
She hears it
Every time your parent speaks on her call, the words are checked against the patterns below. It is a plain list of phrases, not a guess by the model: a pattern counts only when every part of it is there.
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2
She says it plainly
She tells your parent how the trick goes, in a sentence or two, in her own words, and to hang up and send nothing. She never says that a named person is a scammer, so she will not accuse your grandson.
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3
She holds her ground
If it comes up again later in the call, she remembers it was mentioned and does not soften. If no model answers in time, she says her fixed line for that pattern anyway.
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4
It goes in the journal
The pattern, the time, and your parent's exact words go in the household journal, one entry per pattern per call.
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5
That evening, you know
The evening text names it: "One thing worth a look: a Medicare caller." The words themselves are on your family page.
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6
You decide
She does not call the bank, the police or anyone else. She does not block numbers. The family acts, and nothing is sent to an agency.
The patterns she knows
12 tricks, and what she says to each.
This list is read from her signed bundle, the same files she uses on a call. Her words are hers; the shape is how the trick usually goes.
a grandchild in trouble
A caller says they are a grandchild, or a lawyer for one, in jail or a wreck, needs money now, and begs you not to tell the family.
She says "That's the oldest trick there is, hon. Somebody calls sounding upset, says it's a grandchild in jail or a wreck, and begs you not to tell the family. Hang up and call that grandbaby, or their mama, on the number you already have."
a Medicare caller
Someone says they are from Medicare and wants your number, to send a new card, a free brace or a free test.
She says "Medicare doesn't call you out of the blue, hon, and they never ask for your number over the phone. Not for a new card, not for a free brace, not for a test. Hang up. Your card is fine."
a government official who wants paying
A caller says they are the IRS, Social Security, the sheriff or a court, says you owe or face arrest, and wants payment by gift card, wire or crypto.
She says "The government doesn't telephone to arrest you. The IRS and Social Security send letters. Nobody official takes gift cards or a wire to make a warrant go away, so hang up, hon."
a computer that needs fixing
A call, or a screen on the computer, says it has a virus and you must call a number or let someone in to fix it.
She says "Microsoft and Apple don't call you, and a screen that says call this number is lying. Don't call it and don't let anybody into that computer. Turn it off and let your family look."
a worried bank
A caller says they are your bank's fraud department and you must move your money to a safe account, or give a PIN or a password.
She says "Your bank will never ask you to move your money to keep it safe, or for your PIN or a password. Hang up and call the number on the back of your card yourself. Then it's really them."
a text code
Someone asks you to read back a code that was just texted to your phone.
She says "That code they texted you is the key to your account, hon. Nobody real ever needs you to read it to them. Don't give it out, not to anybody who calls."
a gift card request
Someone wants a bill, a fine or an emergency paid with gift cards, a wire, crypto or a payment app.
She says "Nobody real takes gift cards, a wire or that cash app for a bill, a fine or an emergency. Once you read them the numbers, the money's gone. Don't buy a thing, hon."
a prize that costs money
A caller says you won a lottery, sweepstakes or prize and must pay fees or taxes first.
She says "If you won something you never entered, you didn't win it. A real prize never costs a fee or taxes up front. Hang up, hon."
a sweetheart who needs money
Someone you have not met in person, often met online, needs money for a ticket, customs, a hospital or a loan.
She says "Somebody you've never met in person asking for money is the trick, hon, however sweet they are. Real sweethearts don't need plane tickets or customs fees from you. Don't send a thing until your family has a look."
work on the house, cash up front
Someone at the door says the roof, the driveway or the trees need work today and wants cash or a deposit up front.
She says "Somebody at the door saying the roof or the driveway needs work today, cash up front, is a trick as old as I am. Don't pay a thing at the door. Get a name and let your family look first."
a shut-off threat
A caller says the power or water will be shut off within the hour unless you pay now, often by gift card or prepaid card.
She says "The power company doesn't call to shut you off in an hour, and they don't take gift cards. Hang up and call the number on your bill. That's the real one."
a refund paid by mistake
Someone says they refunded or sent you too much money by mistake and you must send the difference back, often after getting into the computer.
She says "Nobody really sends you too much money and needs it back in a hurry. That refund is the trick, hon. Don't send anything back, and don't let them into your computer."
Scammers. Fraud. Not today.
What she cannot do.
She only hears her own call
She does not listen to your parent's other calls, read their mail, texts or email, or watch their computer. She hears about a scam when your parent tells her about it.
She knows shapes, not every script
She matches words. A scam told in words she has not learned can pass, and the list changes only when it is re-signed and passes her tests again.
The biggest losses start online
In the FBI's 2025 numbers, investment schemes cost people over 60 the most, $3.5 billion, and they usually start on a website or social media and run for weeks. She catches a crypto or wire payment being asked for, and a sweetheart who needs money, but she has no pattern yet for a fake trading account.
She is not the last line
She is a second set of ears every morning. Your call, your parent's bank, and their own good sense still do most of the work.
With or without her
Four things to do this week.
- Agree on a family word. Anyone who calls claiming to be a grandchild in trouble has to know it.
- Call back on a number you already have. A worried bank, Medicare or the sheriff can be reached on the number on the card, the letter or the website you look up yourself.
- Nobody real takes gift cards, a wire, crypto or a payment app for a bill, a fine or bail. Say it out loud to your parent once; it sticks.
- A code texted to their phone is never read to anybody who calls.
If it already happened
Call the bank on the number on the card first; speed matters with a wire. Then report it:
- ic3.gov The FBI, for anything online, by phone or by wire.
- ReportFraud.ftc.gov The FTC.
- 877-908-3360 AARP's Fraud Watch helpline, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern, free for anyone.
Questions families ask.
Does Earlene listen to my parent's other phone calls? +
No. She only hears what your parent says on her own call, usually in the morning. She hears about a scam when your parent mentions it to her.
Will she accuse someone in our family? +
No. She never says that a named person is a scammer. She says how the trick goes and to let the family look first. "My grandson came by and fixed the gutters" does not trip anything: the door-to-door pattern needs the work, the knock and the money all at once.
Does she report scams to the police? +
No. Nothing goes to an agency. The family decides. The FBI takes reports at ic3.gov and the FTC at ReportFraud.ftc.gov, and AARP's Fraud Watch helpline is 877-908-3360, weekdays 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Eastern.
Can she stop money from leaving the account? +
No. She never handles money, cards or codes, and she cannot freeze anything. She tells your parent to stop and you hear about it the same day.
Hear what she says.
Tell her someone asked your mom for gift cards, and see what she says back. Then, if you like, get started.