Online scams aren’t just annoying emails and suspicious text messages anymore. For older Americans, they can wipe out savings that took decades to build.
According to an August 2026 report examining online fraud targeting Americans age 60 and older, Arizona seniors face the highest risk of falling victim to online scams in the country. And Arizona isn’t alone. Across several states, older residents are losing hundreds of millions—and in some cases more than a billion dollars—to online fraud.
Research from The Elder Justice Firm looked at all 50 states to determine where seniors are most vulnerable to financial predators. The findings reveal not only where scams are happening most often, but also where victims are losing the most money.
The Growing Cost of Scams Targeting Seniors
A few numbers from the study immediately stand out:
- Arizona: About 1 in every 200 seniors files a fraud complaint.
- Hawaii: The average senior victim loses more than $60,000.
- California: Residents age 60 and older collectively lost more than $1.4 billion to online fraud in 2025.
For someone living on Social Security, a pension, retirement savings, or a fixed monthly budget, a financial loss of this size can be devastating.
And that’s what makes elder fraud so frightening. A scammer isn’t simply taking money. They may be taking someone’s emergency fund, retirement savings, ability to pay for housing, or the money they were counting on to carry them through the rest of their life.
Which States Are the Riskiest for Senior Fraud?
Researchers compared fraud complaints among people age 60 and older, average losses per victim, total losses, and changes in fraud rates since 2021. The figures were adjusted for inflation and changes in each state’s senior population.
Those factors were combined to create an Elder Fraud Risk Score out of 100.
Here are the 10 states where seniors face the greatest risk:
| State | Scam Reports per 100K Seniors | Average Loss per Victim | Total Senior Losses in 2025 | Share of State Fraud Losses Borne by Seniors | Risk Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 486 | $35,000 | $344M | 55% | 99 |
| Hawaii | 222 | $60,400 | $55.4M | 52% | 74 |
| California | 241 | $63,400 | $1.404B | 38% | 72 |
| Utah | 382 | $28,200 | $65.9M | 34% | 66 |
| Maryland | 295 | $38,600 | $176.4M | 45% | 61 |
| New Mexico | 249 | $38,500 | $55.8M | 65% | 59 |
| Texas | 225 | $47,100 | $678.6M | 37% | 57 |
| Kansas | 273 | $27,700 | $55.7M | 38% | 56 |
| Nevada | 376 | $38,300 | $115.3M | 38% | 55 |
| Montana | 249 | $39,000 | $31.8M | 60% | 54 |
1. Arizona
Arizona earned an Elder Fraud Risk Score of 99 out of 100, making it the state where older residents are most exposed to online fraud.
There were approximately 486 scam reports for every 100,000 residents age 60 and older, or close to 1 in every 200 seniors.
The average victim lost around $35,000, while Arizona seniors collectively lost approximately $344 million in 2025.
Even more concerning is how quickly the problem is growing. The complaint rate among older Arizona residents has increased 183% since 2021, even after accounting for population growth.
Seniors were also responsible for more than half of the state’s overall internet fraud losses.
2. Hawaii
Hawaii ranks second, but its numbers tell a slightly different story.
Older residents aren’t reporting scams as frequently as those in Arizona, but when they do lose money, the losses can be enormous.
The average senior victim in Hawaii lost approximately $60,400.
That’s not pocket change. For many retirees, that’s close to an entire year’s worth of income.
Investment scams are reportedly a major contributor. Unlike a scam asking for one payment, investment schemes can continue for weeks or months, giving criminals more opportunities to convince victims to send additional money.
Overall, people age 60 and older accounted for more than half of Hawaii’s recorded fraud losses.
3. California
California’s numbers show just how expensive elder fraud has become.
Seniors in the state collectively lost more than $1.4 billion in 2025, the highest total loss among all 50 states.
The average senior victim lost approximately $63,400, which was also the highest average loss reported in the study.
Older Californians accounted for more than one-third of the state’s internet fraud losses.
When one scam can potentially erase $60,000 or more from someone’s savings, knowing how to recognize suspicious activity becomes an important part of protecting a retirement budget.
4. Utah
Utah’s biggest warning sign is how quickly elder fraud appears to be growing.
Reports from older residents increased from approximately 900 complaints in 2021 to more than 2,300 in 2025.
After adjusting for population growth, that’s an increase of about 131%—second only to Arizona among the states highlighted in the report.
Approximately 1 in every 260 older Utah residents filed a fraud complaint, with victims losing an average of $28,200.
Altogether, Utah seniors lost close to $66 million in 2025.
5. Maryland
Maryland rounds out the top five states with the highest elder fraud risk.
About 1 in every 340 older Maryland residents reported being defrauded, while the average victim lost approximately $38,600.
That resulted in more than $176 million in losses among the state’s senior population in 2025.
Fraud reports from older residents have also nearly doubled since 2021, suggesting this isn’t a problem families should assume will simply go away.
Why Talking About Scams Matters
One of the most important takeaways from this research has nothing to do with technology.
It’s communication.
A legal expert from The Elder Justice Firm emphasized that families can play an important role in preventing fraud by making sure older relatives have someone they feel comfortable contacting before sending money or sharing personal information.
That’s especially important because scammers frequently create a sense of urgency.
They may claim a loved one is in trouble, an account has been compromised, a payment must be made immediately, or an investment opportunity will disappear if the person doesn’t act right away.
The goal is often to get the victim to react emotionally before they have time to stop, think, or ask someone else for advice.
A Simple Family Rule Could Help Protect Your Money
One of the easiest protections families can put in place doesn’t cost anything:
Before sending money or giving personal or financial information to someone unexpectedly, call someone you trust.
That includes requests involving gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency, banking information, passwords, Social Security numbers, or unexpected “investment opportunities.”
And families need to make those conversations judgment-free.
If an older parent, grandparent, friend, or relative thinks they may have fallen for a scam, embarrassment shouldn’t keep them from speaking up. The sooner someone knows what’s happening, the sooner there may be an opportunity to stop additional payments, contact financial institutions, change compromised passwords, and report the fraud.
Protecting Your Retirement Means Protecting Yourself From Scams
We talk a lot about saving enough for retirement, cutting unnecessary expenses, creating emergency funds, and stretching a fixed income.
But protecting the money you’ve already saved deserves just as much attention.
Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, and anyone can be fooled by the right message at the wrong moment.
So when an unexpected email, phone call, text, social media message, or investment opportunity asks you to act immediately, give yourself permission to slow down.
Hang up. Don’t click. Don’t send the money. Call someone you trust.
Because protecting your financial future isn’t just about how much you save.
It’s also about making sure your hard-earned money stays yours.
