Debra Berlyn: Online Scams and Older Adults: It’s Just One Battle After Another

Direct from the news in Dayton, Ohio: Older Adults Targeted In Nationwide Scam…. Court records reveal two Green Township victims lost at least $1.5 million, and a 75-year-old Fairborn resident was scammed out of $239,000.

This news story from last month reveals how scary scams are for all of us, particularly older individuals with their life savings on the line. During this week’s National Consumer Protection Week (NCPW), it’s time to open the toolbox and utilize all possible efforts to fight scams. First, let’s not be afraid, let’s get informed. With NCPW, there’s a joint effort within government, non-profit organizations, and the industry to create a public awareness campaign around scams and fraud reaching all Americans.

It’s also the right moment to highlight some important recommendations in this fight to help older consumers hold onto their dollars and keep them away from criminals. This opinion piece will offer a few to consider for this ongoing battle.

Why this significant focus on scams for this year’s NCPW? The number of individuals losing money to online scams is accelerating at an alarming pace here in the U.S. and Worldwide. According to a report summarizing an annual survey conducted by the Global Anti-Scam Alliance (GASA), in the U.S., 7 out of 10 adults experienced a scam during 2025, and 22% -- about 1 in 4 – lost money (an average of about $1,088) per person. The GASA statistics on the number of adults experiencing scams and losing money worldwide were relatively comparable.

For older adults, the amount lost due to scams has escalated. The Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) last report to Congress chronicled losses due to scams and fraud for older adults in 2024 – 2025. It found that reported losses by adults 60 and older quadrupled since 2020, from 600 million to over 2.4 billion. The GASA report also revealed that people have a false sense of confidence that they can recognize scams and often use outdated information to try to identify scams while the criminals continue to develop and employ more sophisticated schemes. Key takeaway: Awareness campaigns are critical but need to be continuously updated.

The techniques employed by scam artists continue to grow more sophisticated, creating a great risk particularly for older adults who are increasingly online trying to take advantage of the benefits the growing digital economy. This all validates the importance of NCPW’s extensive amount of updated information that is now available to consumers. 

In the world of scams and fraud, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technological advances have provided scammers a tool to increase the number and sophistication of scams. The use of AI technology makes it all the more difficult for individuals to discern the credibility of texts, emails, and voice mails. Older adults have been the victims of scams when AI tech is used to impersonate a loved one (using their actual voice), resulting in financial losses and mental anguish. As one Forbes article has stated, AI is Supercharging The New Wave of Scams.

AI technology has afforded scammers the opportunity to enhance their ability to send large numbers of realistic fraudulent texts, emails, and voice mails deceiving consumers with realistic scams that are more difficult for consumers to discern. However, AI tech is also working to help stop scams. In the ongoing effort to fight the growing scam crime network, AI is now a great tool that companies are using to combat scams. To help take down phishing scams, Amazon recently announced its launch of the AI tool SENTRIX, a new artificial intelligence (AI) technology that enhances its ability to identify and remove malicious websites more quickly than ever before. Key Takeaway: Advancements in AI technology offer tools that are an important addition in the ongoing effort to detect and remove fraudulent websites before they reach customers.  

The work to protect consumers against scams and fraud will continue long after this week ends. It is an ongoing collaborative effort. Government agencies are hosting webinars and preparing consumer information for their websites, as well as for community organizations. Non-profit groups are engaging their membership with awareness programs and information, and industry is partnering with both government and non-profits to assist with the information distribution campaigns. Key takeaway: The effort to stop scams requires a very large village, and fortunately there is a significant collaborative effort of non-profit organizations, government agencies, law enforcement, and industry. 

NCPW has brought an abundance of information and actions this week to help consumers steer clear of scams. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has led the campaign with the message, “it’s time to talk about fraud, scams and consumers rights.” The focus is on three important steps: Avoiding scams, reporting scams, and recovering from scams. All week, government agencies, non-profits, and industry are conducting webinars and offering consumer awareness tips and tools.  Check out the FTC NCPW events page for links to the extensive list of events during NCPW and, most importantly, up to date information on the latest scams. 

Finally, while older adults confront ongoing significant financial losses due to scams, younger adults are also increasingly losing money in large number to online scams and fraud. Key takeaway: Scams aren’t just a problem for the older community; we’re all losing money!

Project GOAL is about to launch a series of podcasts with ZETA, the national Gen Z voice in tech. The podcast will address our two generations interest in tech issues including scams and fraud, AI, and other matters impacting both the Gen Z and Aging communities. Come join us for Generationally Speaking!  

There’s a great deal of work that needs to be done to battle scams. NCPW emphasizes that to take on this giant foe, a collaboration of forces is needed. It’s great that this year many boots are on the ground to join in the fight.  

Debra Berlyn is the Executive Director of the Project to Get Older Adults onLine (Project GOAL), which works to promote the adoption of broadband for older adults, and to advance technology applications for the community. She is also president of Consumer Policy Solutions, a firm focused on developing progressive policies for consumers in a competitive and innovative marketplace. Ms. Berlyn currently serves on the Federal Communication Commission’s Consumer Protection and Accessibility Advisory Committee and serves on the board of the National Consumers League and is a board member and senior fellow with the Future of Privacy Forum.  She also co-host’s, with Gen Z tech group ZETA, the podcast Generationally Speaking. The podcast offers an open dialogue on tech issues of interest to both the Aging and Gen Z communities. This Expert Opinion is exclusive to Broadband Breakfast.

Broadband Breakfast accepts commentary from informed observers of the broadband scene. Please send pieces to commentary@breakfast.media. The views expressed in Expert Opinion pieces do not necessarily reflect the views of Broadband Breakfast and Breakfast Media LLC.