Date: June 15, 2026
Contact: newsroom@ci.irs.gov
Washington – Protecting older Americans remains a top priority for IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), and within the last two years, the agency has seen an increase in fraudulent activity targeting the elderly. In fiscal year (FY) 2025 alone, IRS?CI initiated 97 new elder fraud investigations, and halfway into the current fiscal year, investigators have opened an additional 64 cases. From FY2021 through FY2026, the agency launched 255 elder fraud investigations with alleged fraud totaling $885.86 million. $736.82 million in alleged fraud is tied to cases initiated within the last two years. Nearly 97% of IRS-CI’s prosecuted cases resulted in convictions, with defendants receiving federal prison sentences averaging almost four years.
Common elder fraud schemes
Criminals continue to use deceptive tactics to steal money and personal…
These frauds exploit emotional vulnerability and trust rather than technical weaknesses.
- Romance Scams: Scammers build long-term online relationships with victims, eventually fabricating a “crisis” (medical emergency, legal trouble, or travel costs) that requires the victim to send money.
- Pig Butchering: A hybrid scam where the criminal builds a romantic or platonic relationship to eventually “tutor” the victim in a fraudulent cryptocurrency investment.