Monitor for Fraud Surges as FTC Report Highlights Senior Investment Scams

The Federal Trade Commission released a new report on fraud targeting Americans aged 60 and older, revealing a sharp increase in financial losses. According to Gizmodo, the data shows that investment scams alone jumped 42% in 2025. This surge highlights a growing risk for older adults who hold a significant portion of national wealth. Security teams should note that while reporting is low, the scale of potential exposure is massive.

The risk

Reported losses for older adults climbed from $600 million in 2020 to $3 billion in 2025. The FTC notes that the actual figure is likely several times higher because most fraud goes unreported. Estimates suggest the overall cost in 2025 could range from $13.5 billion to $119.5 billion. This represents an increase of as much as 47% over 2024 figures. The report indicates considerable uncertainty regarding the scale of underreporting, especially when losses are high.

Who is exposed

Older adults reported the highest individual losses compared to younger Americans. Baby Boomers, aged 62 to 80, hold about 51% of the nation's wealth, making them prime targets. Those over 80, known as the Silent Generation, hold about 11% of wealth but reported the largest individual losses. The median reported loss for this group was $2,000. Combined losses for those reporting over $100,000 increased nearly sevenfold from 2020 to 2025.

Cost and compliance

The report is mandated by Congress under the Elder Abuse Prevention and Prosecution Act of 2017. While high-value loss reports were rare, accounting for only 6% of older adults' reports in 2025, they represented 70% of aggregate reported losses. The FTC states that these figures reflect uncertainty because the scale of underreporting is not well understood. This compliance-driven data provides a baseline for understanding the financial impact on this demographic.

Our take on the response

Organizations should treat the surge in investment scams as a critical social engineering vector. Defenders must recognize that phone-initiated frauds result in higher median losses than social media contacts. Monitoring for unusual financial requests or tech support impersonation is essential. Teams should prioritize education for older users, as they are significantly more likely to fall for romance and lottery scams.

What defenders should look for

Teams usually monitor for unusual communication patterns that mimic official support or government agencies. Check whether users report receiving unsolicited calls requesting sensitive financial information or remote access. Look for alerts related to sudden large transfers or changes to account recovery settings. Verify the source of any urgent financial requests through independent channels. Contain potential incidents by temporarily restricting outbound transfers and requiring multi-factor authentication for sensitive actions.

Background: Multi-factor authentication

Multi-factor authentication fatigue occurs when users approve too many login requests without verifying the device or location. Attackers exploit this reflex by sending rapid, legitimate-looking prompts. You stop this by teaching users to check device details and by switching to phishing-resistant authentication methods that do not rely on manual approvals.

Read the full guide: Multi-Factor Authentication Fatigue: Why Users Click Yes Too Fast

What to do and how to stay safe

• Verify the identity of anyone requesting financial information or remote access by calling back on a known number.
• Monitor bank and credit card statements regularly for unauthorized transactions or

Step-by-step guide: Incident Response Plan for Cyber Attack: Structure and Execution

General security guidance from the BlueTeam Herald newsroom. It is not confirmed advice from the organisations named in this story.