Senior Citizens Major Target

Tax fraud and scams targeting senior citizens are a major concern. Scams involving sweepstakes, lotteries, investments, phishing and thieves impersonating IRS employees are among the top 10 fraud schemes used by criminals to target seniors, according to Timothy Camus, Deputy Inspector general for investigations at the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration (TIGTA). Speaking to a congressional committee, Camus added that “financial scams often go unreported by senior citizens or can be difficult to prosecute, so they are considered a ‘low-risk’ crime.”