Federal agencies warn Alaska seniors: government will never demand gift cards

Social Security warns Alaska seniors: government will never demand gift cards

Social Security Administration Commissioner Frank J. Bisignano released a video message Monday warning Alaska seniors that no government agency will ever demand payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers. Only scammers will. Anyone receiving such demands should report them, not pay them.

The message marks World Elder Abuse Awareness Day and launches a federal "Never Ever" campaign coordinated through the Elder Justice Coordinating Council. The Federal Trade Commission received over 375,000 reports of government imposter scams in 2025, with losses totaling $917 million. Financial losses among consumers aged 60 and older quadrupled between 2020 and 2024, reaching $2.4 billion.

The campaign repeats established federal consumer guidance. FTC materials and a June 2024 U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging report both state that government agencies will never ask for payment via gift cards or wire transfers.

The campaign establishes three bright-line rules:

• Government agencies will never say money isn't safe and must be moved to protect it

• Will never threaten to suspend benefits for failure to pay immediately

• Will never demand payment through apps, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or gift cards

Scammers are using artificial intelligence to impersonate government officials in tech support, sweepstakes, romance, and government impersonation schemes targeting older adults, according to the Social Security Administration.

The Alaska Medicare Information Office is distributing federal toolkits and connecting seniors to the Eldercare Locator, which links older adults and caregivers with trusted local resources.

Alaska saw a 43% increase in scams in one year, with seniors losing over $16 million in 2025, according to FBI data cited by state legislators during April testimony on cryptocurrency kiosk fraud. One lawmaker's mother lost a year's worth of house payments to a scam involving spoofed law enforcement calls and Bitcoin kiosks.

The federal warning follows a March 2024 Alaska Division of Senior and Disabilities Services bulletin warning providers about fraudulent faxes demanding medical records in connection with Medicare. The division advised that the requests were scams.