ROANOKE, Va. – Virginia ranks 11th nationwide in elder fraud losses, with nearly 4,000 residents aged 60 and older reporting losses exceeding $106.6 million in 2024, according to recent data.
“A lot of the seniors, you know, their life savings is all they have. They’re on fixed incomes, and they just prey upon that fear,” said Ron Boyd, CEO of the Local Office on Aging in Roanoke, who has witnessed countless stories of older residents falling victim to scams. “There’s always a new scam. It’s always some resurface, and people, I mean, it’s just heartbreaking, sometimes, some of the stories that you hear.”
The reported figures likely represent only a fraction of actual cases, as many incidents go unreported.
Even experienced professionals in cybersecurity aren’t immune to these schemes.
Eddie Worth, president of Safe Surfin, has been teaching online safety for decades with the non-profit. He shared a time he was almost a victim of fraud.
“I was approached by what I thought was Microsoft, believing I had been hacked. It looked legitimate,” Worth said. The scam escalated when he received a fraudulent bank call claiming his funds were being depleted. “It ended up Microsoft had nothing to do with it. Obviously, it was a fraud.”
Experts recommend several key steps to avoid becoming a victim:
- Never share Social Security numbers, banking information, or passwords with unknown contacts
- Avoid sending money through gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to strangers
- Verify urgent requests through official company or government websites
- Trust your instincts and consult with trusted individuals about suspicious contacts
“We tell kids to go to a trusted adult, but I’m also recommending that the experienced folks here go to trusted folks,” Worth said.
Boyd emphasizes that communication is crucial in preventing fraud.
“It can happen to any of us, and a lot of people hide behind the shame of ‘how could I have let this happen?’ It can happen to any of us, on any given day,” he said