The man about the Medicare card wants Mom to tell nobody. Betsy, a computer voice who calls every day and never asks for money, is somebody to tell, and now and then she asks, “Anybody call you about money this week?” If she mentions someone after her money, you hear the same day. $2 a day, billed $60 a month.
Why does she stay on the line?
It’s the third call this month about her Medicare card. A polite man needs her number to send the new one. She told you about this one because it struck her funny. You don’t know about the others, because he said to keep it between them, or because the last time she told you, you gave her a talk. She stays on the line because he’s nice about it and he has all afternoon.
The Federal Trade Commission’s 2026 report on older consumers counts over $3 billion in fraud losses reported by people 60 and older in 2025. People 80 and over reported losing a median of $2,000. Among older adults who reported a phone scam and lost nothing, the callers were often impersonating “Medicare, banks, Amazon, and the FTC.”
Blocking helps, and the table below says how. But the FTC’s plainest advice needs somebody on the other end.
“Stop and talk to someone you trust.”
Federal Trade Commission, How to Avoid a Scam, 2023
What does Betsy actually do about it?
Three plain things.
- She never asks for money, not for anything. She says so on the first call, and adds, “If I do, hang up on me.”
- She always calls from the same number, and she tells Mom so: “If a call ever comes from a different number saying it’s me, it isn’t.”
- Now and then, as a friend would, she asks, “Anybody call you about money this week?”
A call sounds like this.
Before you go. Anybody call you about money this week?
That Medicare man again. He wants to send me a new card.
Huh. What did he want from you?
The number off the old one. I told him I’d have to find my glasses.
Those are some useful glasses. That one I pass along to Sarah, so she’ll hear about it today.
Oh, she’ll fuss.
She will. Same time tomorrow?
Same time tomorrow.
When Mom tells Betsy about someone after her money, the family hears the same day, in Mom’s own words. Betsy tells her when she does. Everything else stays hers. More on what Betsy is.
What Betsy is
Betsy is somebody to tell: the same voice from the same number every day, a computer that says so on every call, and a caller who never asks for money. She is not a nurse or an emergency service, and she doesn’t give medical advice.
How do you stop scam calls to an elderly parent?
You cut the calls, and you put the money further out of reach.
| Step | What it does | How to start |
|---|---|---|
| Block the calls | A call-blocking device on a traditional landline; an app or the carrier’s tool on a cell | Put the numbers she wants on the approved list |
| Do Not Call Registry | Stops sales calls from companies that follow the law, so the scams stand out | 1-888-382-1222, from the phone you’re registering |
| Bank alerts and a trusted contact | Alerts on unusual activity, and a firm that can call you, with no access to her money | With her okay, at her bank |
| AARP’s Fraud Watch Helpline | A person to call when a scam is under way | 877-908-3360, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET |
Two sentences for the fridge. From Medicare: “Medicare will never call you to sell you anything or visit you at your home.” From the rest of us: anyone who says not to tell your family is the first one to tell your family about.
If that phone has a cord, see a mother who only has a landline. If she waves all this away, see a parent who says she’s fine.
Questions people ask
My mom keeps getting scammed and she doesn't believe me, what should I do?
Stop arguing about the caller. With her okay, set up bank alerts and a trusted contact, and make sure she has someone to tell. Betsy asks now and then about money calls.
Mom was scammed, how do I prevent this from happening again without making her feel dumb?
Talk about the caller, not about her. These people do this all day. Give her one rule: anyone who says “don’t tell your family” gets told to the family.
What to do if an elderly parent is being scammed
If money moved, call the bank first. Then call AARP’s helpline, 877-908-3360, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET, and report it at ReportFraud.ftc.gov. For a caller claiming to be Medicare, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
Is Betsy safe for someone who gets scam calls?
Betsy never calls cold: the first word comes from you. She always calls from the same number, says she is a computer voice before she asks a question, and never asks for money. A different number saying it’s Betsy isn’t.
Sources
- Federal Trade Commission, Protecting Older Consumers 2025-2026, October 19, 2026, read November 5, 2026. ftc.gov
- Federal Trade Commission, How to Avoid a Scam, July 2023, read November 5, 2026. consumer.ftc.gov
- Federal Trade Commission, How to Block Unwanted Calls, July 2023, read November 5, 2026. consumer.ftc.gov
- Federal Trade Commission, National Do Not Call Registry FAQs, September 2023, read November 5, 2026. consumer.ftc.gov
- AARP, protecting older parents from scams, Christina Ianzito, updated July 7, 2026, read November 5, 2026. aarp.org
- AARP, Fraud Watch Network Helpline, read November 5, 2026. aarp.org
- Medicare.gov, Reporting Medicare fraud and abuse, read November 5, 2026. medicare.gov
Start hereWhat Betsy is, in plain words
QuestionsWill Betsy ever ask for money?
Betsy forBetsy for a mother who only has a landline
Betsy forBetsy for a parent who says she's fine