Sen. Mark Kelly, D-Ariz., is requesting that the Senate Special Committee on Aging hold a hearing on the effects of artificial intelligence on older Americans, who are facing a barrage of AI scams targeted at older people.
AI has introduced a series of new mechanisms by which criminals can prey on seniors, who tend to be less digitally literate and more trusting. Chatbots, voice cloning technology, and deepfake content designed to appear authentic are used to build false trust or stoke fear in scam victims, compelling them to hand over money and private information.
In a letter to Committee Chairman Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., shared exclusively with NBC News, Kelly is seeking an examination of how AI can be used as a tool for seniors, while protecting them from scams and exploitation.
“AI tools can both help and harm seniors,” Kelly wrote. “As this technology advances, Congress has a responsibility to ensure it is developed, deployed, and used in ways that protect consumers and promote public trust.”
Scams cost older Americans more than $4.8 billion in 2024 alone, some assisted by AI, according to the Aging Committee’s annual fraud report.
One of those seniors is Christine, an 86-year-old grandmother, who told NBC Philadelphia in an interview that scammers stole thousands of dollars from her by using AI to impersonate her granddaughter on a phone call, saying that she had been in an accident and needed help.
“These deceptive schemes can cause life changing harm,” Rosie Cordero-Stutz, the Miami-Dade County sheriff, said at a field hearing on protecting Florida’s seniors from fraud and financial exploitation led by Scott in August.
“Those threats are only becoming more sophisticated,” she said, adding that victims are “left feeling embarrassed, isolated and afraid.”
Posing as a relative claiming to be in urgent financial need, known as a “grandparent scam,” is just one of dozens of methods that criminals use to trick seniors with AI, according to the FBI.
“Seniors deserve to feel safe when answering the phone, opening their email and trusting the people around them,” Scott said at the field hearing.
In his letter, Kelly asks that the Aging Committee examine what legislative reforms might be necessary to curb these scams, which can leave seniors financially and emotionally devastated.
In a statement to NBC News, Scott said he “welcomes” Kelly’s focus on AI and shared that a hearing on scams targeting seniors is already in the works for next year.