How scams and exploitation start — and what you can do about it

(Aging Untold) — Scams targeting older adults rarely begin with an obvious threat. More often, they start with a friendly face, a helpful offer and a gradual erosion of boundaries.

The Aging Untold experts are shedding light on what families and caregivers should look out for and what you can do to protect the people you love.

It can start with a ‘friendly helper’

Amy O’Rourke, an aging expert, shared a case that illustrates how quickly a helpful arrangement can become exploitation.

“I got hired and this handyman was coming to this guy’s house. He had a memory impairment and he was paying him every single day for the job he did two weeks ago,” she said.

O’Rourke said concrete protective steps matter.

“Lock away your passwords, have a safe in the home — do some really concrete things to protect," she said.

Caregivers face risk from both sides

Caregivers themselves can be falsely accused, and that complicates the picture for families.

“Family members get accused all the time of stealing stuff from their loved one with dementia. Caregivers do as well,” Sam Cradduck, a gerontologist, said.

She said trust is essential, but so is healthy skepticism.

“There has to be that trust you have with the caregiver. But there’s always going to be the skepticism. You do have to treat people like they will — and it comes down to personal integrity of whether or not you’re going to," Cradduck said.

Why older brains are more vulnerable to scams

As we get older, the brain gets more trusting, Dr. Rhea Rogers, a board-certified physician, said.

“Unfortunately, older people are much more vulnerable to scams,” she said.

Loneliness compounds the risk.

Katherine Ambrose, an aging-well coach, said seniors may be more willing to engage with anyone who calls, including scammers calling from outside the country, simply because they want connection and feel good about being helpful.

“People of all ages can get scammed. But the deal is with seniors, is that they’re lonely — they may opt to talk to everybody that calls," she said.

Watch for conversations that get ‘too familiar’

Family members should pay attention to the tone of conversations between a caregiver and your loved one.

O’Rourke said families shouldn’t hesitate to intervene early.

“If you’re in the home and your parent has a caregiver and you hear a conversation that’s just a little too personal — stop it. Set a clear boundary, because that’s the beginning," she said.

Five key takeaways

1. Exploitation can start with helpfulness. A friendly handyman, a chatty caregiver or a concerned caller can all be entry points for financial abuse.
2. Lock down access to finances. Keep documents in a safe, use secure passwords and limit who has access to accounts or personal documents.
3. The aging brain becomes more trusting. This is a neurological shift, and it makes older adults genuinely more susceptible to manipulation.
4. Loneliness is a risk factor. Isolated seniors are more likely to engage with strangers, including scammers, because they crave connection.
5. Intervene early on boundary violations. If a caregiver’s relationship with your loved one starts feeling too personal, address it immediately — don’t wait.

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