Investigators in North Carolina say they're seeing more older adults become the target of fraud schemes, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. 

According to the IRS's 2025 Internet Crime Complaint Center's Report, individuals over the age of 60 filed the most complaints out of any age group, highlighting a 59% increase from the previous year. 

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"In 2025, the IC3 [Internet Crime Complaint Center] received thousands of complaints, and in just 2025 alone, it equalled $7.7 billion," said Special Agent John Siddons. "It's increasing year over year." 

Siddons said the IRS recently launched an "Elderly Fraud Blitz," helping target scammers and seniors who were considered to be at risk in North Carolina. 

"One person alone lost approximately $4 million, and most of that money came from their retirement account," Siddons said. 

Viraj Shah, a junior at Greenlevel High School in Cary, said his grandfather lost his business after falling for a phishing email in 2022. A scammer posed as someone with tech support asking for his grandfather's business account credentials. He shared the information, thinking that it would protect his account. 

"He woke up the next morning to find all of his business accounts completely empty, and he had to file for bankruptcy in that same week," Shah said. 

That year, Shah started his own nonprofit, Click With Confidence. He and more than 30 other high school students now travel to senior centers and retirement communities once a month, sharing presentations about how to avoid falling victim to scams. 

Students are also responsible for studying up on the latest scams targetting seniors and providing resources for how to file a report for those who've fallen victim. 

"We're kind of like, bridging the intergenerational gap," Shah said. "Not only does it make the seniors feel like there's someone looking out for them, someone to help guide them through these things, but they also have the most updated information to kind of guide them through the process."

The IRS says the list of new scams stealing money from the elderly is growing, as technology makes it easier for thieves to pose as someone else. For example, con-artists involved in what law enforcement calls the "Grandparent Scam," can use technology to pretend to be a someone's family member. They often use artificial intelligence to mimic their voice, posing as if they are in trouble and need money immediately for bail or another emergency. 

In some cases, scammers will pose as a law enforcement or government officials, demanding payment to avoid arrest. 

"Generally, the IRS is not going to contact someone and start asking you for passwords, social security numbers," Siddons said. 

Investigators say the best thing to do if you believe you may be a target of a scam is to not act immediately.   

"Seniors are smart," Shah said. "They're not dumb. That's absolutely not the case. They just have to stop and really think. Think, 'Have I done this? Have I given a package to UPS? Have I been to this state? Have I been tolled on this toll role? Seniors remember this stuff, way more than people think. They just need to take a pause."