Grandparents Lose $5 Million to AI Voice-Cloning Scams in 2025 as Elder Fraud Tops $352 Million
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jun 11
Grandparents Lose $5 Million to AI Voice-Cloning Scams in 2025 as Elder Fraud Tops $352 Million
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 11
Summary
$5 million in reported 2025 losses came from FBI-tracked “distress scams” that trick grandparents into sending urgent money, often for fake bail or legal emergencies.
AI voice-cloning has made those calls more convincing, letting scammers mimic a grandchild from social-media clips or voicemails; the FBI counted $352 million in AI-related scam losses among victims 60 and older.
Exposed birth dates, Social Security digits and home addresses help criminals target older Americans, who held a median net worth of $409,900 for ages 65 to 74 and lost about $38,500 per victim on average in 2025.
Reported losses likely understate the damage: the FTC logged $2.4 billion in elder fraud losses for 2024 but estimated actual losses may have reached $81.5 billion.
Officials and consumer advocates urge preemptive defenses, including trusted contacts on brokerage accounts, holds on suspicious withdrawals, callback verification of emergency requests and blocking online Social Security changes.