In 2010, The Elder Justice Act established an Elder Justice Coordinating Council to coordinate activities related to elder abuse, neglect and exploitation throughout the federal government.
According to the Federal Elder Justice Coordinating Council, “Government imposter scams are a serious problem: in 2025, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 375,000 reports about government imposters with reported losses of $917 million.”
That data is based on those who actually reported their scam. Millions of victims never tell anyone. The imposter scam goes unreported.
Here is how it works: These imposter scammers lie and pretend to be someone they’re not.
Their goal? Trick you into giving them money, access to your financial accounts or your personal information. They make up complicated stories about so-called emergencies so you will panic, act quickly and not think about what you are being directed to do.
Most commonly, the scam starts with an unexpected call from someone who says they’re from a well-known entity, saying there’s suspicious activity on your account.
To “help” you, they transfer you to someone who says they are from the government. This so-called helper claims to be from the FBI, the commission or some other law enforcement agency.
The imposter urges you to move your money to “protect it” — maybe by transferring it to an account they give you, depositing it in a “government account” or crypto ATM for “safekeeping” or getting cash or gold and giving it to a courier.
This is a lie. No one from the government will ever ask you to do these things. Only scammers.
Many older Americans do not know this. That is why the Elder Justice Coordinating Council has started a public awareness effort called The Never Ever Campaign.
Other lies might involve a suspended Social Security number or supposed eligibility for government benefits. In all cases, the scammer will go to great lengths to convince the individual they are with the government.
The Elder Justice Council warns that scammers can “use fake caller ID or official-looking letters, for example. The agency name might be real or made up but real-sounding. Some scammers might show you an employee ID or badge — all to seem more real, but it is not.”
To recognize and avoid a government imposter, keep these things in mind:
- Never ever will someone from the government say: “Your money isn’t safe. Move it to protect it.” Only a scammer will say this.
- Never ever will someone from the government threaten to suspend your government benefits if you don’t pay immediately. Only a scammer will say this.
- Never ever will someone from the government demand that you pay with a payment app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer, or gift cards.
Serving Our Seniors is here for Erie County residents, age 60-plus, to be that trusted entity when older adults receive a call from a stranger representing him/herself as the government.
Call 419-624-1856 and ask for a Senior Advocate or a Senior Advocate Assistant. Serving Our Seniors will help you report this scam attempt to local law enforcement and to reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Sue Daugherty, Director Serving Our Seniors
310 E. Boalt Street #A Sandusky, OH 44870
Ph: 419-624-1856
Fax: 419-624-8176
www.servingourseniors.org
