Is my elderly family member at extra risk from scammers and how can I help protect them?

Scammers disproportionately target older adults because they are more likely to own property, have savings, be home during the day to receive calls, and be less familiar with newer fraud formats. Cognitive decline can also make it harder to detect manipulation. Common fraud types targeting older adults include pension liberation scams, grandparent emergency calls, fake police or bank officers, door-to-door scams, and telephone-based romance fraud. Protective steps families can take include having open, non-shaming conversations about current scam types, setting up call-blocking services, establishing a family safe word to verify emergency calls, and asking the bank to add 'carer flags' or verbal password protections to the account. Scam victims of all ages often feel ashamed — creating a blame-free environment makes it more likely they will report an attempt.