Older adults increasingly avoid phone calls due to fraud and social factors

Many older adults are making a deliberate choice to stop answering phone calls, driven by a combination of security concerns and social dynamics. A significant factor is the rise in phone-based fraud. In 2024, the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center reported that adults aged 60 and older submitted over 147,000 complaints, with estimated losses to cyber-enabled fraud reaching approximately $4.8 billion.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) identified the phone as the primary contact method for fraud reported by the elderly. The increasing sophistication of AI tools has made scam messages more convincing, leading to heightened anxiety. Additionally, social factors play a role; older adults may avoid calls to manage emotional fatigue or to reduce the pressure of long conversations, preferring shorter, more casual check-ins that accommodate the busy schedules of their adult children.