Be wary of elder fraud scams

Posted on June 12, 2026

As part of the stages of life, many of us find ourselves caring for elderly family members. It can be a stressful, challenging endeavor in the best of times. It’s especially troubling if an elderly family member becomes the victim of fraud.

June is Elder Abuse Awareness Month and to help raise awareness of elder fraud, DRS would like to remind family members of three major scams that often target the elderly:

Imposter Scams: Scammers pose as government officials (for example, representing pension support services on behalf of DRS), or tech support representatives from DRS, calling the member to “update their pension account.”

REMEDY: tell the caller you will call them back, and call DRS directly from the website phone number listed to confirm the call. Note: Keep in mind that DRS will never contact you to ask for your password, social security number, bank account or other private information over phone, email or text.
Email Phishing Scams: Fraudulent emails, texts, or calls from a fake DRS representative, designed to steal personal information. To identify an email phishing scam, observe the following two bullet points below before confirming with DRS:
- The message creates urgency or pressure, such as “act now,” “your account will be suspended,” or “immediate action is required.”
- The sender asks for personal or financial information, such as your Social Security number, bank account information, passwords, or account login credentials.

REMEDY: If you suspect an email to be fraudulent, stop and confirm with DRS by calling the agency phone number listed on the DRS website to confirm the activity.

Mail Fraud Phishing Scams: Bad actors send physical mails that appear to be from DRS and direct members to a fake website to collect their personal information. To identify physical mail fraud, observe the following two bullet points below before confirming with DRS:
- The letter asks you to visit a website or scan a QR code to update personal information or log in to your account.
- The letter contains threats, warnings, or deadlines that pressure you to act quickly without verifying the request with DRS first.

REMEDY: If you suspect a letter to be fraudulent, call DRS from the phone number listed on DRS website to confirm the letter before taking any action.

In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, June 15, the DRS Education & Outreach team has partnered with a representative from the Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) to provide a live webinar presentation covering Elder Fraud and Financial Fraud prevention on Monday, June 15 at noon.

Select this link to see the full webinar schedule for June. If you’re not in a DRS retirement plan, select “Not sure of my plan” when signing up. We recommend joining a few minutes early to test your connection and sound. Review joining and participating in Zoom webinars for tips.

This webinar will not be recorded. If you’re unable to attend, DFI has a great article you can find from the Personal Finance section of their website.

If you need to request an Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) related reasonable accommodation to participate, please email us at drs.medregister@drs.wa.gov. Some requests may require 10 business days.

The Department of Social and Health Services Adult Protective Services (APS) office website has tips on protecting vulnerable adults. Concerns of abuse, neglect, self-neglect or exploitation can be reported to them .

Finally, AARP also has some great resources: