Every year, ACL’s Eldercare Locator leads “Home for the Holidays,” a campaign to encourage friends and families to use holiday visits as an opportunity to talk about an important topic affecting the health and well-being of older adults. This year, the focus is on increasing awareness of common scams, including tips to avoid fraud and what to do if you suspect you’re a victim.The Eldercare Locator is a public service provided by ACL and administered by USAging. It connects older adults and their caregivers with trustworthy local resources that provide assistance with meals, home services, transportation, caregiver training, respite care, and more — including agencies and organizations that can help with financial education and fraud prevention.

ACL’s Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) program can also help with education and fraud prevention. With offices in every state, including Massachusetts, SMP’s trained team members answer questions and share useful prevention tips with beneficiaries, family members, and caregivers. They also can assist people who think fraud, errors, or abuse have already occurred.

This holiday season, help spread the word about the importance of avoiding scams and preventing and reporting fraud. Learn more about the Home for the Holidays campaign and find ready-to-use materials like fact sheets and a social media toolkit on the campaign webpage

• Financial exploitation is a form of elder abuse and it affects millions of older adults each year.
• Scams targeting people 60 and older resulted in over $3.4 billion in losses in 2023 alone, according to the FBI.
• While fraud happens throughout the year, it is more common during the holidays. More frequent online shopping and donation requests result in more opportunities for fraud.
• Scammers use various methods. One common tactic is asking people to buy gift cards with the promise of being paid back. Another is pretending to be a Medicare representative and asking for someone’s Medicare or Social Security number. Some scams take advantage of current events, like schemes involving insurance claims after disasters.