Police warn of senior scammers

By Lethbridge Herald on June 19, 2025.

Joe Manio
Lethbridge Herald
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Financial scams are everywhere these days, both online and offline, and seniors are a lucrative target for fraudsters. 

Bilked older adults, robbed of their savings and financial security, are often left with no way to recoup their losses. Worldwide, people age 60 and over lost a combined $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023 alone.

“We consistently get them every day,” says Sgt. Kevin Talbot with the Lethbridge Police Service (LPS) Economic Crimes Unit. “With technology they (scammers) have more ways to access people to fish for victims.”

Before the Information Age, scammers used cold calls by phone as the primary method to target and scam seniors. These calls often involve impersonating family members, government officials, or other trusted entities to gain the victim’s trust and pressure them into giving personal or financial information.

In the age of the Internet, online fraud, including scams targeting social media platforms like Facebook, is on the rise. This trend is driven by the ever-increasing use of technology and the anonymity it provides for fraudsters, allowing them to target large numbers of people while concealing their identities.

Facebook scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, employing advanced techniques to deceive users. They often involve creating fake profiles, websites, and investment opportunities, and utilize psychological tactics to gain trust before extracting money or personal information.

“Just like everyone else, scammers have access to tools like Word…they use AI technology to make it sound more believable than what they can actually articulate,” says Talbot.”Especially in anything that is written or texted.”

Common Facebook scams include fake prizes and giveaways, “clickbait” articles, fraudulent charities and GoFundMe campaigns, work-from-home job scams, and scams involving fake listings and Marketplace fraud. 

These scams usually request personal information, such as credit card details or banking information, in order to “claim” a prize or make a payment. Additionally, scammers may create fake profiles, impersonate friends or relatives, or use romance and extortion tactics to manipulate victims.

Financial services and investment scams have historically targeted seniors, and the rise of cryptocurrency has added a new layer to this type of fraud. Scammers are increasingly using cryptocurrency as a method of payment and/or to promote fraudulent investment opportunities.

“It’s basically just another way for a scammer to get someone’s money. They have their victim convert their money to cryptocurrency and send it to them that way,” says Talbot. “It’s just another way to launder the money and hide from the police.”

Seniors are a highly vulnerable demographic for cryptocurrency scams due to their greater trust in others, lower technological proficiency, and financial resources. Scammers often target seniors with promises of easy money and guaranteed returns, leveraging social media or phone calls to establish personal connections. 

Cryptocurrency scams have resulted in significant financial losses for seniors, with losses due to investment fraud by those over 60 accounting for a substantial portion of total losses, and the number of cryptocurrency scams continues to increase.

According to the National Council on Aging (NCOA), the top five financial scams targeting seniors are 1) the grandparent scam 2) financial services scams 3) tech support scams 4) government impersonation scams and 5) romance scams.

The grandparent scam is where criminals impersonate a grandchild or other family member in distress, often claiming an emergency or needing immediate money. They use emotional manipulation and urgency to pressure victims into sending money through methods like wire transfers, gift cards, or by courier. This scam preys on a grandparent’s love and trust to steal their hard-earned money.

Although the grandparent scam primarily relies on phone calls, it has evolved to use other methods like emails, text messages, or social media. The LPS regularly deals with many cases of this type of fraud..

“They tend to come in bunches,” says Talbot. “The scammers will usually send an accomplice out to Lethbridge (or hire someone locally) to pick up money from the victims. They’ll target Lethbridge for a day or two. When they start seeing media reports that we’re on to them and investigating, then they’ll move on to another community.”

Despite the best efforts of law enforcement to apprehend scammers, Talbot says the chances of arresting fraudsters and recovering money for victims is quite low. Law enforcement does what it can in following the money trail to catch scammers. Last year the LPS caught and charged three individuals in a grandparent scam. Two have pleaded guilty and one is awaiting trial.  

To avoid being scammed on Facebook and online, it’s crucial to be vigilant about personal information, security measures, and suspicious activities. Strong, unique passwords, multi-factor authentication, and keeping devices and software updated are key. Also, be wary of unsolicited messages, requests for personal or financial information, and pressure tactics.

Overall, the best defense against being defrauded is to educate yourself; be skeptical (when it comes to unsolicited officers); independently verify information; protect your own personal information; report suspicious activity and get support.

“Education is our best weapon when it comes to scams like this,” says Talbot. “Our website is a really good tool for that and has oodles of information. The Canadian Anti-Fraud site is another great place to go.”