If you have elderly parents, you’ve probably already worried about them falling for a scam. Maybe they’ve already received suspicious calls from someone claiming to be the IRS, their bank, or even a grandchild in trouble. Maybe they’ve clicked a link they shouldn’t have. Maybe you’ve seen the statistics — Americans over 60 lost over $3.4 billion to fraud in recent years.
The reason seniors are targeted so aggressively isn’t random. It’s because data brokers sell their personal information — names, addresses, phone numbers, ages, and more — to scammers who specifically target older adults. The more personal details a scammer has, the more convincing their approach becomes.
This guide shows you how to protect your elderly parents by cutting off the data supply that fuels these scams.
In this guide:
- Why seniors are targeted more than anyone else
- The most common scams targeting elderly adults
- How to remove your parents’ data from broker sites
- How to set up their devices for protection
- How to have the conversation with your parents
Start here: Run a free Optery scan with your parent’s name to see how much of their personal information is publicly available on data broker sites. The results will likely explain why they’re getting so many scam calls.
Why Scammers Target Elderly Adults
Scammers don’t randomly pick targets. They specifically seek out elderly parents and seniors for calculated reasons:
Data brokers reveal their age. Data broker sites publicly list dates of birth and ages. Scammers filter for people over 65 because they know older adults are statistically more vulnerable to certain types of fraud.
Seniors tend to be more trusting. Older generations grew up in an era where a phone call from “the bank” was legitimate. They’re conditioned to be polite and helpful — traits that scammers exploit ruthlessly.
They may be less tech-savvy. Understanding phishing emails, fake websites, and caller ID spoofing requires digital literacy that many seniors didn’t grow up with.
They often have savings and assets. Retirees with savings accounts, home equity, and retirement funds are higher-value targets than younger adults living paycheck to paycheck.
They may be isolated. Seniors living alone have fewer people to consult before making decisions. Scammers exploit this isolation by creating urgency that prevents the victim from checking with a trusted person first.
Their data is extensively available. Someone who has lived at the same address for decades, owned property, voted consistently, and maintained the same phone number for years has an enormous data broker footprint. Sites like Whitepages and Spokeo have decades of their personal information on file.
The Most Common Scams Targeting Seniors
Knowing what your elderly parents are up against helps you prepare them:
The Grandparent Scam. A caller pretends to be a grandchild in trouble — arrested, in a car accident, stuck in another country. They beg for money and plead “don’t tell Mom and Dad.” The scammer knows your parent’s name and the grandchild’s name because data broker sites list family members and their relationships.
IRS and Government Impersonation. Callers claim to be from the IRS, Social Security Administration, or Medicare. They threaten arrest, benefits suspension, or legal action unless the victim pays immediately or provides their Social Security number. Data brokers provide the personal details that make these calls sound official.
Tech Support Scams. A pop-up on their computer warns of a virus and provides a number to call. Or someone calls claiming to be from Microsoft or Apple, saying their computer has been compromised. They request remote access to “fix” the problem — then install malware or steal financial information.
Romance Scams. Through dating sites or social media, scammers build emotional relationships with lonely seniors over weeks or months, then request money for emergencies, travel, or medical bills. Data broker profiles help scammers research and target specific individuals.
Medicare and Health Insurance Scams. Callers pretend to be from Medicare offering new benefits, free equipment, or updated cards. They use the victim’s real name, address, and age (from data brokers) to sound legitimate while collecting insurance information for fraud.
Phishing emails impersonating banks. Emails that look exactly like legitimate communications from their bank, asking them to “verify” their account by clicking a link and entering their credentials. Data brokers provide the personal details that make these emails convincing.
Step 1: Remove Your Parents’ Data from Data Broker Sites
This is the single most impactful thing you can do to protect your elderly parents. Data broker sites are the primary source of information scammers use to target seniors. Removing your parents’ data cuts off the supply.
Run a scan first. Use Optery’s free scan to check your parent’s name and see which data broker sites have their information. Enter their name, city, and state — you’ll likely find them on 50-200+ sites with their address, phone number, and personal details fully exposed.
Then remove their data. You have two options:
Do it yourself (free but time-consuming): Use our removal guides to opt out of each site manually. Start with the sites most likely to be used by scammers:
Full list: How to Opt Out of Data Brokers.
Use an automated service (recommended for parents): Automated services are especially valuable for protecting parents because they handle the entire process AND continuously monitor for re-listings. You set it up once and your parents are protected ongoing — without them needing to do anything technical.
Optery — Our top recommendation for protecting parents. Free scan to see their exposure. Paid plans ($39-$249/year) automate removal from 350+ sites with continuous monitoring. Set it up on their behalf — they won’t need to manage anything. Read our full Optery review →
Incogni — Best budget option. Covers 180+ data brokers for $6.49/month billed annually. Simple setup that you can do for them. Read our full Incogni review →
Step 2: Set Up Their Phone for Protection
After removing your parents’ data from broker sites, set up their phone to block scam calls:
Enable Silence Unknown Callers (iPhone): Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers → toggle ON. This sends all calls from unknown numbers straight to voicemail. Legitimate callers will leave a message.
Enable Spam and Call Screen (Android): Open Phone app → Settings → Spam and Call Screen → enable all options.
Activate their carrier’s spam filter: T-Mobile Scam Shield, AT&T ActiveArmor, or Verizon Call Filter — all free. Call the carrier or download the app on your parent’s behalf.
Add a carrier PIN: Contact their phone carrier and set up a security PIN on their account. This prevents SIM swapping attacks — criminals convincing the carrier to transfer your parent’s phone number.
Full phone protection guide: How to Stop Robocalls on iPhone and Android.
Step 3: Secure Their Online Accounts
Help your elderly parents secure their most important accounts:
Set up a password manager. Install Bitwarden (free) on their phone and computer. Help them create unique passwords for their email, banking, and other important accounts. Full guide: How to Password Protect Your Online Accounts.
Enable two-factor authentication. Set up 2FA on their email and banking accounts using an authenticator app. This prevents account takeovers even if their password is compromised through a phishing attack.
Freeze their credit. Help them freeze their credit with all three bureaus. This prevents anyone from opening accounts in their name. Most seniors don’t need to apply for new credit regularly, so a permanent freeze has minimal inconvenience.
Set up Google Alerts. Create alerts for their name and phone number so you can monitor if their information appears on new websites.
Step 4: Lock Down Their Social Media
If your parents use Facebook (the most common platform for seniors):
Set their profile to private. Help them change their privacy settings so only friends can see their posts and personal information. Full guide: How to Protect Your Privacy on Social Media.
Remove personal details. Delete their phone number, email, address, and birthday from their Facebook profile.
Review their friends list. Help them identify and remove friend requests from people they don’t actually know. Scammers use fake friend requests to access personal information and build trust for romance scams.
Disable public search visibility. Settings → Privacy → “Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?” → No.
Step 5: Have the Conversation
The hardest part of protecting your elderly parents isn’t the technical setup — it’s the conversation. Seniors often resist these discussions because they feel patronized or don’t believe they’re vulnerable. Here’s how to approach it:
Don’t lecture — share stories. Instead of “you need to be more careful,” try “I read about this scam where they pretended to be your grandchild. Have you gotten any calls like that?” Stories feel less judgmental than instructions.
Show them their data broker profile. Run an Optery scan with their name while sitting together. Seeing their home address, phone number, and personal details publicly listed is often the wake-up call they need. “Look — anyone can see your address and phone number. That’s how these callers know your name.”
Make it about protecting them, not doubting them. Frame it as “I want to help protect you” not “you’re going to get scammed.” Emphasize that scammers are sophisticated criminals — falling for their tricks doesn’t mean someone is stupid or naive.
Establish a verification rule. Agree on a simple rule: “If anyone calls asking for money or personal information, hang up and call me first.” This single rule prevents the majority of phone scams because it breaks the urgency the scammer relies on.
Create a family code word. Establish a secret word that only family members know. If someone calls claiming to be a grandchild in trouble, the grandparent can ask for the code word. No code word = hang up.
Don’t shame if it happens. If your parent does fall for a scam, respond with support — not anger. Shame prevents victims from reporting what happened, which makes recovery harder and makes them more vulnerable to future scams.
Step 6: Set Up Ongoing Protection
Protecting your elderly parents isn’t a one-time task. Set up systems that run automatically:
Continuous data broker monitoring. Services like Optery and Incogni automatically remove your parents’ data from broker sites and catch re-listings. Set it up once and it runs in the background — no maintenance from your parents needed.
Regular check-ins. Make it a habit to ask about suspicious calls or emails during your regular conversations. Normalizing the topic makes them more likely to mention something before it becomes a problem.
Keep their devices updated. Help them keep their phone and computer software up to date. Security updates patch vulnerabilities that scammers exploit.
Opt out of pre-screened credit offers. Call 1-888-5-OPT-OUT on their behalf to stop pre-approved credit card offers from arriving in their mailbox. These offers are a target for mail thieves. Full guide to stopping junk mail.
Protect Your Parents Today
Your elderly parents are being targeted because their personal information is freely available to scammers. Every scam call they receive, every phishing email that knows their name — it all starts with data brokers selling their personal details.
Here’s what to do this weekend:
- Run a free Optery scan with your parent’s name — show them the results together
- Remove their data from broker sites using Optery or Incogni
- Set up their phone to block scam calls
- Freeze their credit with all three bureaus
- Establish the verification rule: “If anyone calls asking for money, hang up and call me first”
- Create a family code word to verify real family emergencies
The scammers are relentless. But with the right protection in place, your parents don’t have to be easy targets.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do my elderly parents get so many scam calls?
Because data brokers sell their personal information — including their age, which lets scammers specifically target seniors. Removing their data from broker sites using Optery or Incogni reduces scam call volume by cutting off the data supply. Learn more about why spam calls happen.
What should my parents do if they get a suspicious call?
Hang up immediately. Never press buttons, provide information, or send money. Then call you or another trusted family member to discuss what happened. Establish this rule before a scam attempt happens.
Can I set up data broker removal for my parents?
Yes. You can run the Optery free scan with their name and set up a paid removal account on their behalf. Incogni also allows you to set up an account for another person. Your parents don’t need to manage anything technical.
My parent already fell for a scam. What should I do?
Contact their bank immediately to report unauthorized transactions. Freeze their credit with all three bureaus. File a report at IdentityTheft.gov. Then remove their data from data broker sites to prevent future targeting. Most importantly — respond with support, not blame.
Should I freeze my elderly parents’ credit?
Yes. Most seniors don’t need to apply for new credit regularly, making a permanent credit freeze ideal. It prevents identity theft with zero inconvenience for someone who isn’t opening new accounts.
What’s the most important single thing I can do to protect my parents?
Remove their personal information from data broker sites. This is the root cause of most scam targeting — when their name, age, address, and phone number are publicly listed, scammers use that data to target them with personalized attacks. Start with a free Optery scan.
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. See our affiliate disclosure for details.