U.S. attorney visits Summit County senior centers to warn about scams
Melissa Holyoak brought a statewide fraud warning to Summit County senior centers as Utah seniors face a surge in AI-driven scams and fast-rising losses.
At the Midvale Senior Center on June 16, U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak told about 50 people that artificial intelligence is “supercharging” scams aimed at older residents. Her fraud-prevention campaign has reached an estimated 800 Utah seniors at 19 centers, with visits planned across all 29 counties.
The outreach is timed to Elder Abuse Awareness Month and World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, which fell on June 15, 2026. Holyoak, who was sworn in as U.S. attorney for the District of Utah on May 28, said the Justice Department and other government agencies will never cold-call people demanding money, gift cards or cryptocurrency, or tell them to move money to “keep it safe.”
Imposters posing as banks, the IRS or even grandchildren push victims into urgent, high-pressure decisions. The event also included a fraud-bingo activity led by assistant U.S. attorney Mark Hirata, and attendee Sally Smith, 79, asked questions about AI scams.
Holyoak told seniors to stop, talk to someone they trust and verify directly with the real business or agency, because scammers rely on fear and urgency to keep victims from checking first. Federal Trade Commission data show victims age 60 and older nationwide reported losses rising from $600 million in 2020 to more than $3 billion in 2025.
In the FBI’s 2025 internet crime report, Utah ranked 27th nationally in losses reported by people over 60, at nearly $66 million. Utah U.S. Attorney’s Office data show fraud cost Utah residents $55.2 million in the first two quarters of 2024, up from $36.4 million in the same period of 2023, $32.6 million in 2022 and $20.4 million in 2021.
By June 11, Holyoak had already visited more than a dozen senior centers in 12 counties and later had reached 13 counties, with all 29 counties expected to be covered by July. Holyoak, who served as a Federal Trade Commission commissioner from March 25, 2025, to Nov. 17, 2025, worked with the FTC on the Utah initiative.
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