Retirees Targeted by Summer Scams During Holiday Travel Season

Scams targeting retirees increase during the six-week period from Memorial Day through the Fourth of July, with fraudsters using tactics such as fake vacation rentals, impersonation schemes, and public Wi-Fi traps. This seasonal pattern has led to substantial financial losses for older adults, based on recent data from federal agencies.

Fraudsters often create fake listings for vacation rentals on popular platforms, offering unusually low prices and requesting payments outside official channels. These schemes are designed to trick retirees seeking travel deals during the summer months, especially when demand for accommodations is high.

Another method involves impersonation scams, particularly those known as grandparent scams, which tend to increase when school is out and retirees may have less predictable routines. Scammers use urgent messages to convince victims to provide money or sensitive information, exploiting the seasonal changes in family schedules.

Public Wi-Fi networks in locations such as airports, hotels, and resorts are also used by scammers, who set up networks with names similar to legitimate ones. These “evil twin” hotspots allow fraudsters to intercept login credentials and other private data from unsuspecting users, putting travelers at risk.

What the numbers show

• In 2024, travel and vacation fraud caused $274 million in losses, FTC reported
• Impersonation scams led to nearly $3 billion in losses for those 60 and over in 2024
• FBI IC3 recorded over $7.7 billion in losses for victims over 60 in 2025
• Average loss per older victim in 2025 exceeded $38,000
• More than 12,400 older victims reported losses of $100,000 or more in 2025

Scammers may also use information from vacation photos posted online to gather details about retirees’ locations, travel plans, and family members. This data can help personalize future scams or indicate when a home may be unoccupied, increasing vulnerability to targeted attacks.

After making initial contact, some fraudsters follow up by posing as recovery services, seeking to obtain more money or information from individuals who have already been targeted. This approach can prolong the impact of the original scam and lead to additional losses.

According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, complaints from victims over age 60 surpassed 201,000 in 2025, with total reported losses rising 59% compared to the previous year. The FTC also stated that median losses from travel and vacation fraud were higher for those aged 70 and above, with the oldest victims reporting median losses of $1,650 in 2024.

These scams continue to have a substantial financial impact on retirees, with official reports indicating that older adults are frequently targeted and often suffer higher-than-average losses compared to other age groups.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.