Scams Against Seniors Rising; Indiana Among Worst
With scams against seniors on the rise, new research has revealed the states with the most victims of fraud over the age of 60, and Indiana ranks in second place.
In 2024 alone, $4.8 billion was stolen from Americans aged 60 and over through internet crime. But where are seniors suffering most at the hands of fraudsters?
The research, compiled by the experts at Caring.com, analyzed where seniors are most likely to be victims of fraud and the locations with the highest fraud losses, alongside other factors such as the most common scam types and the age groups being targeted the most.
You can read the full research here: https://www.caring.com/resources/senior-scams-report
The States with the Highest Proportion of Fraud Victims over 60:
| Rank | State | Over 60s Fraud Complaints per 100,000 of the Population (2024) |
| 1 | Arizona | 88.3 |
| 2 | Indiana | 76.9 |
| 3 | Nevada | 70.6 |
| 4 | Alaska | 64.9 |
| 5 | New Mexico | 54.3 |
| 6 | Oregon | 53.6 |
| 7 | Colorado | 52.8 |
| 8 | Maryland | 51.8 |
| 9 | Florida | 51.1 |
| 10 | Utah | 50.4 |
Arizona has the unfortunate title of having the highest proportion of fraud victims over 60. In 2024, there were 88.3 fraud complaints per 100,000 people aged 60 and over. This could be due to the state’s relatively high proportion of older people, with 16.9% of the population over 65.
Indiana took second place, with 76.9 fraud complaints from people aged 60 or over per 100,000 people last year. To combat this issue, the Indianapolis FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association launched a community outreach event to educate older people on preventing fraud.
In third place is Arizona’s neighbor, Nevada. In 2024, seniors in Nevada reported 70.6 fraud complaints per 100,000 people. According to a 2023 report into fraud in the state, imposter scams are the most common, with 6,790 cases, followed by online shopping fraud (3,097) and prizes, sweepstakes, and lottery scams (1,731).
The research also revealed:
- Indiana has seen the biggest increase in fraud against older adults over the past three years, rising 240%
- Seniors in D.C., lost more than $35 million per 100,000 people to fraud in 2024.
- Seniors lost over $108,000 per case to cryptocurrency scams, often linked to romance scams.