Maryland Law Enforcement Partners to Raise Awareness About Elder Fraud

Baltimore, Maryland - Bingo remains a classic pastime for many older adults, so the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Maryland recently used the game as an innovative tool to educate seniors about common fraud scams as part of Operation Silver Sentinel.

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the results of the federal operation with Executive Special Agent in Charge Kareem A. Carter, Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI); Special Agent in Charge Brian McDonough, United States Secret Service (USSS) - Baltimore Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul, FBI Baltimore Field Office.

During the operation, from Oct. 19 through Oct. 23, local, state, and federal law-enforcement partners across Maryland participated in the enforcement initiative that targets local victims of elder fraud. Through Operation Silver Sentinel, 78 law enforcement volunteers - from across 15 federal, local, and state, law-enforcement agencies - participated in an elder-fraud prevention outreach surge.

The U.S. Attorney's Office hosted elder-fraud bingo at the Laurel-Beltsville Senior Activity Center. During the event, Assistant U.S. Attorneys provided seniors with elder-fraud bingo cards that listed helpful prevention and reporting resources and highlighted popular scams, such as romance or government impersonation, for seniors to look out for. Additionally, as part of the surge, IRS-CI and USSS special agents led victim outreach and conducted additional outreach events at other senior centers across Maryland. Law enforcement partnered to engage with 55 senior centers, along with more than 100 victims across Maryland - who each had at least $250,000 stolen from them within the past year - about scams that target seniors.

In 2024 and 2025, older adults were victimized out of more than $2 billion from targeted fraud schemes, including investment, tech support, and romance scams. These outreach events are in response to this growing problem and the DOJ's Elder Justice Initiative.

As detailed in the DOJ's 2026 Elder Justice Annual Report, this year, the Department pursued nearly 350 criminal and civil enforcement actions involving fraud or abuse that targeted or disproportionately affected older adults. Approximately 96 percent of the cases were criminal in nature and 45 percent involved international schemes. These cases named 712 defendants charged with stealing or alleged to have stolen $4,841,305,931 from 711,353 victims.

During that same period, the Department also engaged in nearly 1,200 public awareness and training events, reaching more than 62 million Americans. The Department also helped organize and participated in the Never Ever Campaign, a public-private coordinated consumer education effort to raise awareness about government and business imposter scams, collectively reaching over 95 million individuals.

U.S. Attorney Hayes commended the IRS-CI, USSS, FBI, Baltimore County Police Department - Cyber and Financial Crimes Section, Department of Homeland Security - Office of Inspector General, Diplomatic Security Service, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation - Office of Inspector General, Federal Reserve Board - Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, Homeland Security Investigations, Montgomery County Police Department - Financial Crimes Section, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation - Office of Inspector General, Social Security Administration - Office of Inspector General, Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration, and the Westminster Police Department for their work in the operation.

For more information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney's Office, its priorities, and resources available to report fraud, please visit justice.gov/usao-md and justice.gov/usao-md/report-fraud.

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Agency Quotes

Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland

"The U.S. Attorney's Office is committed to helping seniors live their later years without the threat of financial fraud, scams, or exploitation," Hayes said. "Elder fraud is a serious, nationwide problem that necessitates a strong and coordinated response. Through our Elder Justice Initiative and operations like Silver Sentinel, we are working with federal, local, and community partners to hold accountable those who target and prey on our most vulnerable citizens."

Kareem A. Carter, Executive Special Agent in Charge, IRS-CI, D.C. Field Office

"Sadly, financial scams targeting seniors are billion-dollar illicit enterprises. Older adults across the United States face a range of evolving threats, including government impersonation calls, fraudulent investment and cryptocurrency schemes, tax related identity theft, and scams just to name a few," Carter said. "Elder fraud abuse and the resulting financial devastation wreaks havoc on seniors. IRS Criminal Investigation special agents and our law enforcement partners, are committed to conducting surges like Operation Silver Sentinel to help seniors avoid falling victim to these malicious schemes."

Brian McDonough, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Secret Service, Baltimore Field Office

"Elder fraud can have a devastating impact on older Americans, threatening their hard-earned savings, independence, and sense of security," McDonough said. "Those who target seniors exploit trust and vulnerability for personal gain, often causing financial and emotional harm that can last a lifetime. The Secret Service is proud to stand with our law enforcement partners to protect Maryland's seniors. Prevention begins with awareness, and we urge every member of the community to recognize the warning signs of fraud and report suspected scams."

Jimmy Paul, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Baltimore

"These are devastating crimes, not only robbing seniors of their savings, but their confidence and sense of security. As part of Operation Silver Sentinel, teams of FBI Baltimore special agents met with seniors across Maryland to help them recognize scams, manage the impact, and cut ties with criminals," Paul said. "We remain firmly committed to protecting our seniors, and partnering in this united effort is an important step toward stopping these crimes."