The U.S. government last month announced the Federal Elder Justice Action Plan, described as a “government-wide strategy to protect older Americans’ rights, strengthen accountability, and make help easier to find.” The plan includes a “Never EVER” campaign to help people avoid government and business imposter scams.
“Elder fraud is a cruel and heartbreaking crime,” said Ryan Kriegshauser, U.S Attorney for Kansas. “Losing money to fraud is hard at any age, but it’s especially devastating for older people with limited ability to replace their lost income. These victims have done nothing wrong except trust the wrong person or be fooled by a scam.”
Kriegshauser said criminals are increasingly pretending to be law enforcement officers, courthouse employees and other government officials to trick people out of their money, and the scams largely target senior citizens.
In December, a federal grand jury in Wichita indicted two defendants for allegedly defrauding an 84-year-old Sedgwick County woman out of $255,287 in gold, which they convinced her to give them for safekeeping. According to news reports, the woman had been contacted by a man claiming to be a FBI agent who told her that her Social Security number had been compromised and she needed to convert her assets to gold. The woman’s stolen assets are believed to have been transferred to overseas accounts.
In 2025, the Federal Trade Commission received more than 375,000 reports about government imposters, with reported losses of $917 million.
One common scam starts with an unexpected call from someone who says they’re from a well-known business, saying there’s suspicious activity on your account. They then transfer you to someone who says they’re from the government, who urges you to move your money to protect it. Other common scams start with calls about suspended Social Security numbers or supposed eligibility for government benefits. Fake caller IDs and fake badges are often used to convince victims.
To recognize and avoid a government imposter, the “Never EVER” campaign asks you to keep these things in mind:
• Never ever will someone from the government say: “Your money isn’t safe. Move it to protect it.” Only a scammer will.
• Never ever will someone from the government threaten to suspend your government benefits if you don’t pay immediately. Only a scammer will.
• Never ever will someone from the government demand that you pay with a payment app, cryptocurrency, wire transfer or gift cards.
Talk to someone you trust if you’re worried about a problem with your account or identity — especially if the stranger says they’re from the government or the situation is serious or involves a crime. Visit ejcc.acl.gov/imposters for more on imposter scams. And if you spot an imposter scam — or any other type of scam — report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
