Elder Scam Investigations in Colorado

01The problem

Why Older Coloradans Are Targeted

FBI figures reported in April 2025 showed 3,125 Coloradans aged 60 and older reporting losses of more than $74 million to scams in 2024, and reported losses are only part of the real total because many victims never tell anyone. Older adults are targeted because they often have savings, home equity and good credit, because they tend to answer the phone and trust a polite caller, and because shame keeps many from reporting. Our Pueblo private investigators and Loveland team both see the toll on retirees.

Isolation makes it worse. A widow in a foothills home, a rancher on the Eastern Plains or a retiree whose children live in other states may have no one nearby to question a story before money moves. Some cases involve strangers overseas; others involve a caregiver, a neighbor or a relative. The investigation looks the same at the start in both kinds of cases: establish what was sent, when, how and to whom, before records are lost and the trail goes cold. If an older relative has stopped answering calls altogether, our missing family member searches come first.

02Colorado law

How Colorado Law Treats Exploitation of At-Risk Elders

Colorado's criminal code gives added protection to at-risk elders, defined as people 70 or older under C.R.S. § 18-6.5-102. Theft from an at-risk person is generally a class 5 felony under $500 and a class 3 felony at $500 or more under § 18-6.5-103(5), and the statute reaches theft by a person acting in a position of trust even when the victim is not present. That covers many of the cases families bring us, such as caregivers, agents under a power of attorney and trusted helpers who quietly drain accounts, and when an agency's worker is involved our Colorado employee theft investigations examine the employer's controls.

Colorado also requires listed professionals, including certain bank and financial-institution employees, health care providers, social workers and clergy, to report suspected mistreatment of an at-risk elder to law enforcement within 24 hours under § 18-6.5-108. Families of people in their sixties are not covered by the elder definition but may still have strong civil claims. An elder scam investigation gathers facts the Colorado elder law and litigation attorneys we support can use, and our asset investigations in Colorado show what may be recoverable.

• At-risk elder: generally 70 or older
• Theft from an at-risk person: class 5 or class 3 felony
• Position-of-trust theft covered
• Bank staff among mandatory reporters

03Reporting

Where to Report Elder Fraud in Colorado

Call the bank or card issuer first to stop further payments, then report to local police or the sheriff. Adult Protective Services in Colorado is run by each county's human services department; Jefferson County, for example, has a 24-hour line at 303-271-4673. AARP ElderWatch Colorado, a partnership with the Colorado Attorney General, takes calls at 1-800-222-4444, option 2, and the Attorney General's Stop Fraud Colorado site accepts consumer complaints. Online and phone scams can also be reported to the FBI at IC3.gov, and our Aurora investigators meet east-metro families who need help preparing those reports.

Investigators work alongside these reports, never in place of them. We help families assemble what each office needs: statements, check images, wire records, call logs and a timeline. When the concern is abuse inside a care facility rather than money taken by a scammer, our care-facility abuse investigations follow a different process. If you are unsure what has already been reported, a confidential case review puts it in order.

04Schemes

Scams We See Most Often With Older Victims

Grandparent scams use a frightened voice and a story about an arrest or accident to demand bail money, sometimes collected by a courier at the door. Government impostors claim to be from Social Security, Medicare, the IRS or a sheriff's office and demand payment in gift cards, wires or crypto. Tech support callers take remote control of a computer and move money between accounts. Romance scams begin on social media or dating sites and can run for months; our online dating identity research often shows the profile is stolen.

Colorado's weather adds its own version: after a hailstorm, door-to-door roofing and repair crews collect deposits from older homeowners and never return. Crypto kiosks are another common endpoint. Since January 1, 2026, Colorado's kiosk law limits new customers to $2,000 a day and offers a refund path for a new customer's first overseas transaction if fraud is reported within 60 days. Our Colorado scam investigation services cover contractor and marketplace fraud in detail.

05Insiders

When the Exploiter Is a Caregiver, Friend or Relative

The hardest cases involve people the victim trusts. A paid caregiver adds herself to a bank account, a new friend borrows repeatedly and never repays, or an adult child acting under a power of attorney pays personal bills from a parent's savings. These situations are emotionally charged and often disputed, so careful documentation matters more than accusations. We review account activity the family is entitled to see, map who had access and when, and research the person's background through caregiver background screening.

Capacity is often central. If the older adult agreed to a transfer, the question becomes whether they understood it and whether they were pressured. We document the circumstances around key transactions, including who was present, who drove them to the bank and what was said, so counsel and medical experts can evaluate capacity and undue influence. When valuables, vehicles or heirlooms are missing, our stolen property recovery work traces where they went.

06Money trail

Following the Money: Accounts, Deeds and Payment Rails

Money leaves a trail even when it moves quickly. We build a ledger from bank and card statements, check images, wire confirmations, gift card receipts, payment app histories and kiosk records, then identify the receiving accounts and, where possible, the people behind them. Real estate transfers are recorded with the county clerk and recorder, so a deed signed under pressure can be found and documented. Our asset tracing for Colorado families extends the search to property the exploiter now holds.

Colorado's civil theft statute, C.R.S. § 18-4-405, generally allows an owner to recover the greater of $200 or three times actual damages, plus attorney fees, from the taker, and counsel may weigh other claims as well. Victims who lost money once are often targeted again because their information is shared among scammers. Our personal data removal service cuts down what people-search sites expose, and changing phone numbers and email addresses can help.

07Local context

Rural Colorado, Long Distances and Families Far Away

Many of the families who call us live outside Colorado or hours away from a parent in a mountain town, on the Western Slope or in a small plains community. Distance delays discovery; a monthly phone call does not reveal a new name on the bank account. We handle the Colorado side of the work, including interviews with neighbors, bank branch staff where they are willing, and the people the victim has been dealing with, while reporting to the family remotely in writing.

Field work is assigned from the nearest team, such as our Durango investigators in the southwest and our Greeley team for Weld County and the northeast. Colorado no longer licenses private investigators at the state level, so families should ask about supervision and insurance before hiring anyone; our Colorado guide to vetting an investigator lists the questions. Delator Group is a licensed Tennessee firm that applies Tennessee's standard everywhere it works.

Services

Elder Scam Investigation Services

• Transaction ledgerA dated ledger of every payment, wire, check, gift card and kiosk deposit tied to the scheme, with receiving accounts identified.Learn more
• Report preparationOrganizing statements, call logs and a timeline for APS, police, the bank and AARP ElderWatch Colorado.Learn more
• Scammer identificationResearch into phone numbers, profiles, email addresses and accounts used to contact and collect from the victim.Learn more
• Caregiver and helper researchBackground and access review of caregivers, helpers and new acquaintances involved in suspicious transactions.Learn more
• Power of attorney reviewDocumenting transactions made by an agent under a power of attorney for counsel evaluating misuse.Learn more
• Property and deed tracingFinding real estate transfers, vehicle title changes and missing valuables, and identifying who now holds them.Learn more
• Crypto and kiosk tracingFollowing kiosk deposits and wallet transfers and tracking Colorado's 60-day refund reporting window.Learn more
• Exposure reductionRemoving the victim's personal details from people-search and data broker sites to reduce repeat targeting.Learn more
• Court paper serviceDelivery of complaints, protection order papers and subpoenas in Colorado, with a signed affidavit of service.Learn more

How it works

How an Elder Scam Investigation Works

1. 01

   Confidential family intake

   We learn what happened, who holds legal authority for the older adult, which accounts are involved and what has already been reported, and flag any urgent steps.

2. 02

   Written scope at the scam minimum

   You receive the planned tasks and an estimate measured against the $2,000 scam investigation minimum, with hours at $100 each, approved in writing first.

3. 03

   Tracing, research and interviews

   We build the money ledger, research the people involved and interview witnesses, updating the family and any attorney in writing as facts develop.

4. 04

   Report for APS, police and counsel

   You receive a dated report with exhibits and a timeline, organized for Adult Protective Services, law enforcement, the bank and your lawyer.

Compare

Colorado Elder Fraud Reference Points

Statewide coverage

Elder Fraud Cases Across Colorado

Ledger work and research are done remotely at the same hourly rate statewide. Interviews and field work come from the nearest team, including our Lakewood investigators for Jefferson County, the Parker private investigators for Douglas County, our Boulder team and the Grand Junction investigators on the Western Slope. The Colorado investigations hub lists every city we cover.

• Denver
• Lakewood
• Pueblo
• Loveland
• Durango
• Greeley
• All of Colorado

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Every service

Investigations available in Colorado

Every service below is available in Colorado and across Colorado, run by the same Delator Group leadership that manages our Tennessee casework. Choose a service to read how it works in Colorado.

Service areas

Private investigators across Colorado