Scams targeting older people are a genuinely large-scale problem in the UK, and Age UK’s guidance strikes an important balance: taking the risk seriously without treating older relatives as incapable or in need of having their independence removed. Getting that balance right matters both practically and for maintaining trust within families.
The scale of the issue
Age UK figures put the problem in stark terms: on average, four people aged 50 and over are scammed in England and Wales every single minute. This isn’t a niche or occasional problem — it reflects sustained, organised targeting of older people by fraudsters using phone calls, doorstep visits, post and online channels simultaneously.
Why older people are often specifically targeted
Fraudsters frequently target older people deliberately, sometimes because of factors like greater accumulated savings or home equity, sometimes because of assumptions about unfamiliarity with newer scam tactics, and sometimes simply because of increased social isolation, which can make a friendly-sounding scam caller feel like welcome contact rather than an obvious threat. None of this reflects any deficiency on the part of the person being targeted — it reflects deliberate, calculated targeting by criminals.
What Age UK’s support actually offers
Age UK runs a dedicated Scams Prevention and Support Programme, which provides one-to-one advice sessions to older people who are at risk of scams or who have already been scammed. Advisers offer in-depth, tailored scams information rather than generic leaflets, and can refer people on to other relevant services where needed — including, where appropriate, safeguarding teams if the situation warrants it.
The charity has also produced two free information guides, “Avoiding Scams” and “Staying Safe,” which cover the most common scam types and set out practical steps people can take to protect themselves both in the home and when approached at the doorstep.
Practical steps families can take together
Rather than framing this as “protecting” a relative in a way that undermines their independence, Age UK’s approach — and general good practice — centres on doing this collaboratively:
- Talk about it openly and regularly, not just after an incident — normalising conversations about scam tactics makes it easier for a relative to mention a suspicious call without feeling embarrassed.
- Share Age UK’s free guides together rather than simply handing them over, since discussing specific examples tends to be more memorable than reading alone.
- Agree a shared approach to unexpected requests for money — for instance, agreeing in advance that any request for payment or bank details, even one that sounds urgent, gets checked with a trusted family member first before acting.
- Know the signs of bogus post and doorstep callers, since Age UK guidance covers these alongside phone and online scams — fraud isn’t limited to digital channels.
- Register with the Telephone Preference Service and consider call-blocking technology for landlines, which can reduce the volume of unsolicited scam calls significantly.
If a relative has already been scammed
Age UK is explicit that being scammed is often deeply distressing, with impacts that go beyond financial loss into shame, embarrassment and anxiety — which is part of why a supportive, non-judgemental response from family matters as much as practical next steps. Age UK guidance emphasises that anyone who’s been scammed isn’t alone and that support is available, both through Age UK’s own advice line and through reporting the incident to Action Fraud.
Practical next steps typically include contacting the bank involved immediately to flag the fraudulent transaction, reporting the incident to Action Fraud (0300 123 2040), and reaching out to Age UK’s free Advice Line (0800 678 1602, available 8am–7pm, 365 days a year) for tailored support.
A shared responsibility, not a one-off conversation
Because scam tactics evolve constantly, this isn’t a topic that’s covered by a single conversation. Revisiting it periodically — particularly when a new scam type is in the news, or around high-risk periods like Christmas — keeps awareness current without it feeling like an ongoing accusation of vulnerability.
Balancing safeguarding with independence
One of the more delicate aspects families navigate is where reasonable protective involvement ends and an unwelcome erosion of independence begins. Age UK’s overall approach — offering tailored advice and support rather than removing financial control — reflects good practice in this area generally: the goal is making an older relative harder to deceive and quicker to recognise red flags, not taking decisions out of their hands entirely. Involving the relative directly in any safeguarding conversation, rather than discussing it about them with other family members, tends to produce both a better outcome and a relationship that stays trusting rather than strained.
For situations where cognitive decline is a genuine, separate concern alongside scam vulnerability, that’s a different conversation requiring different support — including, potentially, formal safeguarding routes or Power of Attorney discussions — and is worth approaching with guidance from a GP or social services rather than treating it purely as a scam-awareness issue. Age UK’s advice line can also help direct families toward the appropriate type of support once it’s clear which situation is genuinely at play.