Every generation faces new challenges in ministry. For many deacons today, one of the most heartbreaking is the rise in scams and fraud targeting older adults. Across Canada, seniors are losing their savings, their confidence, and often their sense of dignity to increasingly sophisticated scams.
A Growing Crisis
The numbers are sobering. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC) reports that in 2024 there were more than 108,000 fraud reports and $638 million in losses — the highest total ever recorded in Canada. Seniors account for a disproportionate share of these losses. (See antifraudcentre-centreantifraude.ca, 2025)
A 2025 Equifax Canada survey found that 96 percent of Canadians aged 65 and older felt vulnerable to being scammed — more than any other age group. For many older adults living on fixed incomes or alone, even a small financial loss can have devastating effects.
To churches and deacons, these statistics are not just numbers — they are lived stories. Deacons are often the first to hear from seniors in their congregations or communities who have suffered financial loss, shame, or isolation.
Earlier this year, deacons across the country began sharing this growing concern with Diaconal Ministries Canada. Deacons shared how they were struggling to know how best to walk with victims of fraud and support them holistically. This prompted a national webinar this past June titled “Seniors & Scammers: What Deacons Need to Know”, led by Alan Spratt, a former Toronto Police officer and former deacon.
“Fraud is as ubiquitous as speeding,” Spratt told attendees. “It’s not a question of if we will be targeted, but where we are vulnerable and how we prepare.”
Why Seniors Are Vulnerable
Scammers prey on trust, politeness, and isolation. What used to be phone-based “grandparent scams” have evolved into elaborate online deceptions using cloned voices, spoofed email addresses, and fake government credentials.
In his webinar, Spratt outlined several factors that make older adults particularly susceptible:
- Loneliness and Isolation: Fraudsters often fill a void by pretending to offer companionship, friendship, or business opportunities. Over time, they introduce others into the story — “lawyers,” “children,” “accountants” — to build credibility and deepen emotional attachment.
- Cognitive Decline: Age-related memory or reasoning challenges can make it harder to spot inconsistencies or deceit. Some scammers even persuade victims to unknowingly help launder funds or forward packages.
- Moral Instincts: Seniors’ natural kindness, empathy, and politeness can be weaponized against them. “Our moral instincts are used against us,” Spratt said. Emergency scams exploit compassion; telemarketers exploit politeness.
- Fear and Shock: A midnight phone call claiming a grandchild is in jail, or a message threatening arrest or property seizure, can cause panic that short-circuits reason.
- Financial Pressure: On a fixed income, a promise of “quick profit” or “debt forgiveness” can feel like relief — until it’s too late.
- False Hope: Winning a sweepstakes or lottery or promising unrealistic investment opportunities tells seniors their problems will be solved and/or it will make life better (for them or someone they love).
Spratt emphasized that while “greed” is sometimes assumed, most victims are not greedy — they are lonely, trusting, or simply caught off-guard at the wrong moment.
From Awareness to Action
In the webinar, Spratt didn’t just diagnose the problem — he offered practical, pastoral strategies for prevention, many of which align beautifully with the diaconal call to walk with people and not just do things for them.
1. Combat Isolation: Identify seniors who may be lonely or disconnected and encourage social involvement: church coffee hours, exercise groups, reading clubs, or volunteer roles. “Community is one of the strongest safeguards,” Spratt noted. “Where people are known and connected, scams lose power.”
2. Strengthen Financial Safeguards: Encourage seniors to work with banks or trusted advisors to set spending limits, set up automatic bill payments, or have joint accounts with a trusted person. Families can consider powers of attorney or oversight on online banking to catch irregularities early.
3. Give Permission to Be Rude: Spratt’s advice was simple but profound: teach seniors that it’s okay to hang up, close the door, or delete an email. “Give your senior permission to hang up on telemarketers,” he said. “That’s not rude; that’s wise stewardship.” Role-play scenarios in small groups or family settings — ‘What would you do if…?’ This builds confidence and helps responses become second nature.
4. Use Trusted Verification: Designate a family member, neighbour, or deacon as a verification contact. If an “urgent” call or email arrives, the senior should always check with that person before acting. “Never verify a request using the contact information provided in that request,” Spratt warned.
5. Equip and Encourage: Make scam-prevention a regular topic in church newsletters, small groups, and diaconal visits. Share stories of real-life incidents (without naming victims) to normalize talking about fraud. Shame keeps people silent — information sets them free.
Aylmer Deacons Turn Learning into Action
After the June webinar, Jeff Robinson, a Diaconal Ministries board member and former deacon, decided to take what he’d learned and bring it to his own community in Aylmer, Ontario. Working with his local deacons, church members, and the Aylmer Police Service, Jeff organized a scam-prevention evening at Heritage Place, a seniors’ apartment complex originally founded by the church 45 years ago.
Nearly 60 people attended — a capacity crowd. Officer Hearn from the municipal police led the presentation, and deacons helped seniors with questions afterward. The event sparked further collaboration: a local pastor invited the police to present to the town’s Ministerial Association, extending the impact beyond one congregation.
“By hosting this event,” Jeff reflected, “we not only shared information, we built community. Seniors met their local officers, reconnected with neighbours, and knew their church cared.”
“Officer Hearn was impressed by the turnout… many people came up and spoke with him after the presentation so they got their questions answered personally and he was able to make connections with people in the community.”
Holding this kind of gathering for our local seniors made our diaconate realize that we need to tap into local resources… to engage with them beyond just hosting a social gathering once or twice a year and streaming our church service to them. – Aylmer Deacons
Attendees of the webinar took their learnings home and began implementing changes. One senior resident checked and revised her banking card tap limits after the session, as suggested. Others looked at and cancelled various subscriptions they had signed up for.
“Holding this kind of gathering for our local seniors made our diaconate realize that we need to tap into local resources, like police services or health agencies, to engage with them beyond just hosting a social gathering once or twice a year and streaming our church service to them,” shared members of Aylmer’s diaconate (team of deacons). “By having our deacons plan and lead these kinds of sessions, it will hopefully build deeper relationships so that our seniors will feel comfortable approaching us with different questions and concerns and we can more efficiently direct them to the right places to go for help and support.” Their team of deacons agreed that these kinds of events are important, particularly for their seniors – not just because of the information shared, but because they aid in building a sense of community within their facility or complex and in their congregation.
How Diaconal Ministries Supports Deacons in This Work
Fraud prevention may seem far from traditional benevolence, but it flows directly from the diaconal calling to protect the vulnerable, empower people through education, and respond compassionately to victims and their families.
As the challenges facing deacons shift into new territory (digital fraud, senior financial abuse, social isolation), Diaconal Ministries is ready to support you. Whether it’s helping you plan educational sessions, connecting you with local agencies, equipping your team to walk alongside seniors with compassion, or helping you integrate the ministry of deacons into broader community partnerships — we are your ally!
Diaconal Ministries ensures you’re not alone in this work by offering webinars, resource toolkits, and networking opportunities. A church’s ministry to seniors doesn’t have to be reactive; with education and relationships with local partners, deacons can become proactive agents of support and resilience in their church and community.
By sharing stories — like this one from Aylmer CRC — we hope deacons will learn from one another and see the possibilities! Deacons are encouraged to look for and use the assets in their own church and surrounding community. (Do they have a police officer that attends their church that could help facilitate an education session? Are they connected to a local seniors centre that could benefit from this? Could they partner with the local library who runs sessions like this?)
Deacons are not financial experts or social workers; they are ministers of mercy and justice. In a world where scams exploit isolation and fear, the presence of a caring, informed deacon can make all the difference.
Call to Action
If your team of deacons is looking for resources and other support in the area of benevolence, visit our Benevolence page HERE and/or feel free to reach out to your local Diaconal Coach or one of our Regional Ministry Developers today.
