Scam protection
Protect your parents before the call comes.
Scammers are polished, patient, and increasingly use AI to sound like someone you trust. The best defense is a family plan agreed on ahead of time.
Money already sent?
Act today.
- Call the bank firstAsk the fraud department to stop or recall the payment. Speed matters.
- 833-372-8311National Elder Fraud Hotline, help filing a report (FBI)
- ic3.govFile an FBI internet crime complaint
- 1-800-371-7897Utah Adult Protective Services, if someone is exploiting a vulnerable adult
What happened in our family
The warning signs were on my mom's bank statement.
Jeff found $9,000 withdrawn in cash from his mother's account. He believes a contractor she had hired drove her to the bank and had her take it out. Later he found four automatic payments for four different life insurance policies, plus checks to a fifth company, and several automatic monthly payments to charities that target older donors with emotional appeals. Exploitation often looks like this: not a stranger on the phone, but someone your parent already trusts, and money that leaves a little at a time.
Large cash withdrawals
Especially in round amounts, or right after a repair, a new "friend," or an urgent phone call. Ask the bank whether anyone came in with your parent.
A worker who gets too close
Offers to drive them to the bank, asks for cash, wants more money before finishing, or finds "new problems" every visit. Utah contractors must be licensed, so look them up before paying.
Policy after policy
Several life insurance, final-expense, or annuity payments to different companies. Older adults are often sold coverage they don't need, sometimes again and again by the same agent.
Monthly charity payments
Recurring donations to several organizations, often after emotional letters, calls, "free gifts," or "you pledged last year" claims. Some are real charities with high fundraising costs, some are look-alike names, and some are scams.
New payees and drafts
Automatic payments, "memberships," or warranties they can't explain, and checks made out to names you don't recognize. Look at who was paid, not just how much.
Secrecy or embarrassment
Mail hidden away, defensiveness about money, or "I didn't want to bother you." Shame keeps many people from speaking up.
If you find a suspicious withdrawal
- Call the bank's fraud department and ask for records: the withdrawal slip, the branch, the time, and whether they have camera footage.
- Report it to Adult Protective Services at 1-800-371-7897. In Utah, anyone who believes a vulnerable adult is being exploited must report it.
- File a police report with your parent's local police department.
- Write down what you know, with dates, names, amounts, and the contractor's business name or license number.
- Check the contractor's license and file a complaint with the Utah Division of Professional Licensing.
If you find too many insurance policies
- Don't cancel anything yet. Some policies may have value, and a lapsed policy can't always be restarted.
- Gather every policy, statement, and agent name you can find.
- Call the Utah Insurance Department's Life and Annuity line at 801-957-9290. Staff will review policies with you by appointment (Utah Insurance Department).
- Confirm the company and agent are licensed before paying another premium (life insurance tips).
- If an agent misled your parent, file a complaint (insurance.utah.gov/complaints) or call the insurance fraud hotline at 844-373-0233.
If you find recurring charity payments
- Make a list of every charity, the amount, and how it's paid: automatic bank draft, credit card, or check.
- Ask your parent which causes truly matter to them. The goal is to protect their giving, not take it away.
- Look each one up with the IRS Tax Exempt Organization Search, BBB Wise Giving Alliance, or CharityWatch, and search the name plus "complaint" or "scam" (FTC).
- Cancel the ones they don't want by contacting the charity in writing, and ask the bank to stop the automatic draft.
- Replace scattered monthly drafts with one or two planned gifts a year to charities they choose.
- Reduce the mail and calls: register their number at donotcall.gov and ask each charity to remove them from its lists. Report deceptive fundraising to the Utah Division of Consumer Protection at 801-530-6601.
Know the playbook
The scams costing older Utahns the most.
In 2025, adults 60 and older reported their biggest losses to investment schemes ($3.5 billion), tech support scams ($1 billion), romance scams ($584 million), and government impersonation ($413 million), according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
Government impostor
"This is the IRS, Social Security, or the sheriff. There's a warrant, and you must pay today." Real agencies don't demand gift cards, crypto, or wire transfers.
Tech support
A frightening pop-up says the computer is infected and gives a number to call. The "technician" asks for remote access, then raids bank accounts.
Grandchild in trouble
A panicked voice, sometimes an AI clone of a real grandchild, says they've been arrested or in an accident and begs, "Don't tell Mom."
Romance & friendship
A caring new contact met online who can never meet in person, and eventually needs money for an emergency, a ticket, or an investment.
Investment & crypto
Guaranteed returns, pressure to act fast, and a request to move savings into cryptocurrency or an unfamiliar platform.
Medicare & health
Offers of free genetic tests, braces, or a "new Medicare card" that require the Medicare number. It's used to bill for services never received.
Home repair & contractors
"We were working down the street and noticed your roof." A large up-front payment, little or no work, and sometimes a ride to the bank to withdraw cash.
Deed & title fraud
Criminals forge a deed to "sell" or borrow against a home, often one that's paid off, vacant, or owned by someone in care.
Emotional charity appeals
Heart-tugging letters with "free" address labels or coins, sound-alike names, claims of a past pledge, and pressure to sign up for monthly giving. Real charities let you take time to check them out.
Insurance overselling
Pressure to buy one more life, final-expense, or annuity policy, or to replace a policy they already have. Ask the Utah Insurance Department before signing.
Real estate wire fraud
During a home sale or purchase, a fake email "from the title company" sends new wiring instructions. Always confirm by phone using a known number.
The family protection plan
Ten steps to take together this month.
Frame it as protecting the whole family, not as doubting your parent's judgment. Scams fool sharp people every day.
- Pick a family code word. Anyone calling with an emergency must know it.
- Agree on the "hang up and call back" rule. Use a number from a statement or the back of a card, never one the caller provides.
- Memorize the red flags: urgency, secrecy, and payment by gift card, wire, crypto, or cash courier.
- Name a trusted contact at the bank so the bank can reach a family member if something looks wrong.
- Turn on account alerts for large withdrawals and new payees.
- Freeze credit at Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. It's free and stops new accounts in their name.
- Sign up for Property Watch. Salt Lake County's free alert emails or texts the owner when any document is recorded on their property (SL County Recorder, 385-468-8145).
- Silence unknown callers on smartphones and use call-blocking from the phone carrier.
- Put a durable power of attorney in place so a trusted person can act if needed.
- Set a regular money check-in, like reviewing statements together once a month with our monthly money check.
Talk early, talk often. People who've been scammed often feel embarrassed and hide it. Make it safe to say, "I think I got a weird call," with no judgment.
Who to call in Utah
Where to report and get help.
| Situation | Contact | Phone |
|---|---|---|
| Abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult | Utah Adult Protective Services | 1-800-371-7897 |
| Help reporting fraud against someone 60+ | National Elder Fraud Hotline | 833-372-8311 |
| Is this a scam? Guidance from a fraud specialist | AARP Fraud Watch Helpline | 877-908-3360 |
| Consumer scams, telemarketing, door-to-door sales | Utah Division of Consumer Protection | 801-530-6601 |
| Investment fraud | Utah Division of Securities | 801-530-6600 |
| Too many policies, or an agent who misled your parent | Utah Insurance Department, Life & Annuity | 801-957-9290 |
| Insurance fraud | Utah Insurance Fraud Division | 844-373-0233 |
| Deceptive charity or fundraiser | Utah Division of Consumer Protection | 801-530-6601 |
| Unlicensed or dishonest contractor | Utah Division of Professional Licensing | 801-530-6628 |
| Medicare fraud or billing errors | Senior Medicare Patrol | 1-800-541-7735 |
| Suspicious document recorded on a home | SL County Recorder, Property Watch | 385-468-8145 |
| Support for crime victims through the court process | SL County DA Victim Support | 385-468-7570 |
Workshop
Protecting a Parent's Money
Bring your parents. A fraud-prevention professional walks through real examples, and every family leaves with a printed protection plan.