US Launches ‘Never Ever’ Campaign to Protect Older Americans From Exploitation

The Trump administration has launched a government-wide strategy to protect the rights of elderly citizens and has kicked off the “Never EVER” national campaign to help people identify and avoid being victimized by scams.

The strategy—Federal Elder Justice Action Plan—seeks to “protect older Americans’ rights, strengthen accountability, and make help easier to find,” the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said in a June 9 statement.

The action plan involves implementing “measurable steps to prevent harm, disrupt exploitation, hold bad actors accountable, and connect older Americans to help.”

“Financial exploitation, including imposter scams, is one of the urgent threats the Action Plan seeks to address. Research estimates that roughly one in ten older adults experiences abuse, neglect, or exploitation each year,” the department said.

Scammers often impersonate popular businesses or government agencies to pressure people into handing over money, granting access to financial accounts, or providing personal information. Some of the schemes also create safety risks by pushing vulnerable targets to meet someone in person.

The Elder Justice Coordinating Council said that the Federal Elder Justice Action Plan has three priorities—addressing fraud and financial exploitation of elderly Americans; improving the prevention and reporting of elder abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and strengthening enforcement on the issue.

The plan aims to strengthen coordination with financial institutions, communication providers, payment service providers, and law enforcement agencies.

Clear guidance will be provided on where and how to report instances of fraud and abuse, the council said. The plan seeks to expand cross-agency coordination and increase training for investigators and prosecutors.

The action plan comes as the FBI’s 2025 Internet Crime Report, released this April, listed 201,266 complaints from individuals aged 60 and older last year, the highest number of complaints filed by any age group.

People in this group suffered more than $7.7 billion in losses from cybercrimes, up 59 percent from 2024. The average loss among people aged 60 and older was $38,500. Almost 12,500 elderly individuals suffered losses of more than $100,000 each.

“President Trump and I are committed to ensuring every American can age with dignity, independence, and security,” said Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Scammers steal an estimated $28 billion from older Americans each year.”

“Through the Federal Elder Justice Action Plan and the ‘Never EVER’ campaign, the Trump administration is protecting seniors, supporting victims, and holding criminals accountable. The message is simple: no government agency will ever tell you to move your money to ‘protect it’—that’s a scam.”

The Adult Protective Services receives around 1.3 million reports of elder abuse and self-neglect annually, the department said.

Action Against Scammers

In recent weeks, the United States has taken action against multiple scammers who targeted elderly Americans.

On June 1, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a Jamaican national pleaded guilty to being part of an international sweepstakes scam that stole more than $9 million from more than 200 elderly U.S. citizens.

On May 20, the FBI said it shut down a call center based in India that was accused of scamming millions of dollars from elderly Americans.

Earlier, on May 8, the DOJ said a Chinese national and ringleader of a $27 million money laundering operation that targeted around 2,000 elderly Americans was sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.

Last December, a group of lawmakers introduced the National Strategy for Combating Scams Act, which seeks to protect seniors from scammers, according to a Dec. 8, 2025, statement from the office of Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.).

The legislation will require the FBI to develop a coordinated national strategy to counter scams, drawing on input from seniors, scam victims, nonprofits, businesses, and law enforcement.

“Every year, scammers steal billions of dollars from Americans, harming families, especially seniors. But the federal government lacks a strategy to address the scope and speed of these schemes,” Kelly said.

“This bipartisan bill will create a coordinated approach to crack down on fraud, better protect families and seniors, and hold scammers accountable.”

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.