The #1 Scam Hitting Arizona Seniors Right Now

A study released this month confirms something many of us already suspected. Arizona now leads the nation in elder fraud, with seven fraud reports for every 1,000 residents over 60. In 2025 alone, nearly 10,000 Arizona seniors reported fraud to the FBI, with total losses over $343 million.

The most common scam type behind these numbers is not what you might expect. It is not the fake grandchild in trouble, or the too-good-to-be-true prize. It is business imposter fraud, someone pretending to be a company you already know and trust.

How it works

You get a call, text, or email. The caller says they are from your bank, Amazon, Microsoft, your electric company, or even the IRS. They tell you there is a problem, a suspicious charge on your account, an overdue bill, a security breach, and they need you to act immediately.

From there, the request usually falls into one of three patterns. They may ask you to click a link and log in, so they can steal your password. They may ask you to read them a code that was just texted to your phone, which lets them into your real account. Or they may ask you to move money into a separate account "for safekeeping" while they investigate. All three lead to the same place, your money in someone else's hands.

Why it works

These calls are built to feel urgent and official. Scammers use real company names, sometimes even fake caller ID that shows the company's actual phone number. The pressure to act fast is the point. A real business rarely needs you to do anything in the next ten minutes.

What real companies actually do

Your bank will never call and ask you to read back a verification code. Amazon does not threaten to cancel your account within the hour. The IRS does not call demanding immediate payment by gift card or wire transfer. If a message creates that kind of pressure, that is the clearest sign something is wrong.

What to do instead

Hang up, or close the email without clicking anything. Find the company's real phone number yourself, from a billing statement, the back of your card, or their official website, not from the number the caller gave you. Call that number directly and ask if there is really an issue. If it was legitimate, they will be able to help you the same way. If it was a scam, you will know right away, because the fake version has no idea what you are talking about.

One habit worth building

Before you act on any urgent message about your accounts, pause and verify independently. It takes five extra minutes and it is the single best protection against this type of fraud.

If you want more plain English lessons like this one, my full course, Scam-Proof Senior, is now open at scamproofaz.com.

Pete Miller
Founder, Scam-Proof Senior