> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smartseniordaily.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Scam Reporter Points Out Two Scams Draining Seniors' Savings Right Now - URL: https://www.smartseniordaily.com/scam-reporter-points-out-two-scams-draining-seniors-savings-right-now/ - Published: 2026-10-23T05:40:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T05:39:59.000Z - Description: Want to lose $100,000? Here's how to do it! - Author: Gary P Guthrie - Tags: Scam Alerts I wish I were writing about a world made better by humble people like Mister Rogers and Dolly Parton. Instead, I frequently write about scams here at Smart Srnio, because they've gone from an occasional nuisance to an everyday fear that seniors—more than most—wake up to. Few people know that world better than **Mark Huffman**. A former Associated Press reporter and editor and a former MarketWatch correspondent, Mark has investigated scams for a consumer website since 2004\. In more than two decades on the beat, he's seen just about every con there is, and he's put what he learned into his new book, [***The Scam Playbook***](https://amzn.to/4k6QXwM?ref=smartseniordaily.com). His big lesson: the methods change, but the con doesn't. People don't get taken because they're foolish. They get taken because the criminal on the other end is very good at what he does. Here are two of the scams doing the most damage to older adults right now. [![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d9/1a/d91a71e8-ed81-4ec8-8028-ec14ba129b35/content/images/2026/10/image-17.png)](https://amzn.to/3UCV7lO?ref=smartseniordaily.com) ## **Two Scams to Watch For** ### **1\. The "safe account" scam** In his book, Huffman lays out the premise of how a caller claiming to be from your bank's fraud department says crooks are draining your account. The remedy? The caller says it’s moving your money to a "safe" account right now. If only things worked that way. But that “safe” account actually belongs to the scammer. **Often, the scheme starts with a pop-up.** In one case from Mark’s files, a retired college professor saw a pop-up warning claiming to be from Microsoft — something that might give us all pause. But, when she called the number, the “Microsoft rep” explained that hackers had gotten into her bank account and, then, transferred the call to someone at her “bank.” The so-called bank official then kept her on the phone while she drove around town buying $20,000 in Target gift cards to “protect” her money. **This one is costing older adults dearly**. The FTC says reported **losses of $100,000 or more among people 60+** who were targeted by business and government imposters hit $445 million in 2024, eight times the 2020 figure. **The tells:** 1) No real bank protects your money by telling you to move it. 2) No one from a bank, a government office, or anywhere is going to have you go out and buy gift cards and give them the code on the back. As the FTC warns, gift cards are for gifts. ### **2\. “Please, help, Grandma,” now with AI** **A frantic grandchild calls from jail, a hospital, or a foreign airport, and is having some sort of issue (e.g., arrested, in the ER, or can't board their flight).** The “grandchild” begs you not to tell her mom and dad, and that, psychologically, makes you feel special. **The twist these days is voice cloning**. All it takes these days is a scammer lifting a few seconds of audio from a video posted on Facebook and making it sound like your grandson or granddaughter – the exact same one they found in that video that you just had to show to the world. **Many times, the “grandchild” tells you that a "lawyer" or "deputy" is coming by to pick up the bail money.** Except for the fact that those lawyers or deputies aren’t who they say they are. They’re just part of the fraud to help deliver your money to the scammer. **The tell:** Secrecy plus urgency, the combination that is solid gold to a scammer. If you get a call like this, hang up and call your grandchild, or their parents, at a number you already have (not one you’re given by the scammer). Better yet, set up a family code word now to act as your guarantee the call is from inside the family. ## How to Protect Yourself Both scams carry the three red flags Mark says show up in almost every con. Spot even one, and it's time to break off contact. 1. **They contacted you.** A surprise call, text, email, or pop-up. 2. **They stir up a strong emotion.** Fear, panic, or the urge to protect someone you love. 3. **They demand you act right now.** Often, a firm “tell no one” directive. Also listen for how they want to be paid. Gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, cash, or even gold handed to a courier, or a transfer to a "safe" account, all mean stop. The antidote is what AARP calls an "active pause." Hang up. Don't pay, don't click, and don't share a code. Then check it out yourself using a number (your bank, your grandchild, etc.) that you already trust. A real bank or a real grandchild will still be there in 10 minutes. A scammer won't. ## **If it already happened** First, it's not your fault. As Mark writes, the shame belongs to the scammer. Second, move fast. Call your bank, card company, or gift card issuer right away and ask them to stop the payment. Then report it. Scammed? Get help now Where to report it National Elder Fraud Hotline U.S. Department of Justice, for ages 60+ [Call 833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311)](tel:18333728311) AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline Free support, whether or not you're an AARP member [Call 877-908-3360](tel:18779083360) Federal Trade Commission File a report online [ReportFraud.ftc.gov](https://reportfraud.ftc.gov/?ref=smartseniordaily.com) **You can pick up a copy of Mark's new** [**'The Scam Playbook'**](https://amzn.to/3UCV7lO?ref=smartseniordaily.com) **– both digitally and in a printed version – at Amazon.** --- *Sources: Statistics and case examples are drawn from* [The Scam Playbook](https://amzn.to/3UCV7lO?ref=smartseniordaily.com) *by Mark Huffman, which cites Federal Trade Commission and FBI data. The FTC figures on losses among older adults are from the FTC's* [*August 2025 data release*](https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/news/press-releases/2025/08/ftc-data-show-more-four-fold-increase-reports-impersonation-scammers-stealing-tens-even-hundreds?ref=smartseniordaily.com)*.*