In 2024, scammers stole $47 billion from U.S. victims, up $4 billion from the year before. While older adults remain the most financially impacted group, losses for victims under 20 have also surged, reaching $312 million. From “grandparent” schemes to child identity theft, today’s scams are more personal, more convincing, and more costly.
Families in the crosshairs
No one is off-limits, and scammers know it. Children are now frequent targets of identity theft, with 1 in 43 U.S. children having personal information exposed in a breach in 2022. Social media scams, sextortion, and fake giveaways are just a few tactics used to steal information and money.
Older adults continue to face high-risk schemes like tech support fraud ($982M lost in 2024), government imposters ($208M lost in 2024), and romance scams ($389M lost in 2024). These scams prey on trust, fear, and emotional connection.
As technology evolves and scammers gain access to new tools, including AI-generated voices and images, their complex schemes are becoming harder to detect. The ripple effects can be devastating, leaving victims with financial losses, emotional trauma, and years of cleanup.
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Download the complete report to see the most common scams targeting families, children, and older adults—plus the steps you can take to stop them.
Family matters: how scammers are targeting families, children, and older adults
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