Senior Scams and Financial Exploitation: Decision Checklist

Scams, Identity Theft, Robocalls, and Financial Exploitation: Decision Checklist

Questions and documents to check before taking action for older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and families.

By: Senior Budget Living Editorial Team
Last reviewed: 2026-07-30
Audience: Retirees, older adults, people with disabilities, caregivers, and families
Jurisdiction: United States
Verification: Source-linked reference page; important individual details require direct confirmation.

Primary sources

Senior Budget Living summarizes and organizes information. The original organizations below remain the authority for current rules, forms, alerts, coverage, and eligibility.

Important limitation

General educational information only. Individual circumstances differ. Verify important decisions with the appropriate government agency, provider, insurer, attorney, clinician, or other qualified professional.

Use this checklist before making a decision

Recognize current scam patterns, slow down urgent demands, protect accounts, report losses, and involve trusted help without blaming the victim. A checklist cannot decide an individual case, but it can prevent missed questions, missing records, and avoidable deadlines.

Decision checklist

Pause and independently contact the organization using a number from an official statement, card, or website.
Never provide a verification code, password, Social Security number, Medicare number, or bank credentials to an unsolicited caller.
Ask a trusted person to review urgent requests involving money, secrecy, romance, investment, or account access.
Save messages, phone numbers, envelopes, receipts, transaction IDs, and screenshots.
Contact the bank, card issuer, payment service, or cryptocurrency exchange immediately after a suspected loss.
Report identity theft and fraud through the relevant official reporting system.

Information to write down

The exact program, provider, company, service, product, or legal document involved.
The person’s state, county, ZIP code, coverage, deadlines, accessibility needs, and preferred contact method.
Names, dates, confirmation numbers, written notices, estimates, contracts, and appeal instructions.
The original source used to verify each important claim.

Questions to ask

Which rule or program applies to this exact situation?
What is the deadline, and what proves that the request was received?
What costs are excluded from the quoted amount?
What changes by state, plan, provider, or household?
Is there an appeal, grievance, correction, or second-review process?
Where is the answer published by the responsible agency?

Official sources

FTC Consumer Alerts — official or established source for current details.
Report Fraud — official or established source for current details.
IdentityTheft.gov — official or established source for current details.
DOJ Elder Justice — official or established source for current details.

Related information

Within this subject: Updates and Official Changes, Official Help and Trusted Starting Points, Common Mistakes and Warning Signs, State-by-State Differences.

Also review: Internet Access, Digital Skills, Privacy, and Cybersecurity, Abuse, Neglect, Guardianship, and Exploitation, Social Security, SSI, SSDI, Pensions, and Income Benefits.

Last reviewed

This checklist was reviewed on 2026-07-30. Verify current rules before acting.

Permanent supporting link:
https://SeniorBudgetLiving.com/guides/scams-financial-exploitation/checklist
Short spoken link:
https://SeniorBudgetLiving.com/go/scams-checklist