Elder Fraud in Alabama

**Summary:** Todd Bernstein, a 67-year-old Michigan insurance agent, pleaded no contest to four counts of insurance fraud involving misleading information on annuity applications for clients over 65, concealing that new annuities were purchased with proceeds from early surrendered annuities. As part of his plea agreement, Bernstein paid $107,918.13 in restitution and agreed to forfeit his insurance license. He faces sentencing in October 2025.

Julian, a self-described digitally savvy graphic designer, lost money to a sophisticated tax authority impersonation scam that exploited his emotional vulnerability and shame about unfiled taxes by pressuring him to purchase gift cards as "good faith" payment. Australian consumer watchdog data reveals that while overall scam reports declined, reports involving financial losses increased 40.5 percent nationally, with even higher increases among culturally and linguistically diverse Australians (44 percent) and First Nations Australians (55.3 percent), driven by increasingly sophisticated online shopping scams, phishing attacks causing $19.5 million in losses, and AI-powered tactics including deepfakes that exploit emotional states to

Andrea Estell Cochran, a 51-year-old from Houston, was arrested and charged with federal bank fraud after using forged passports to impersonate account holders and withdraw approximately $11,000 from multiple banks across Washington state and Maine in 2024. She faces up to 30 years in federal prison plus additional state charges, with a plea deal hearing scheduled for August 28, 2025. A separate study by VPNPro found that seniors aged 60 and older across all U.S. states lost significant sums to fraud in 2022, with losses ranging from approximately $3 million to $31 million per state, highlighting the widesprea

Andrea Estell Cochran, a 51-year-old from Houston, was arrested and charged with federal bank fraud after using fake passports to impersonate account holders and withdraw approximately $11,000 from multiple Washington state banks in 2024, with similar attempts in Maine; she faces up to 30 years in prison and state charges across multiple Washington counties. Additionally, a VPNPro study reveals that seniors aged 60 and over across all U.S. states lost substantial sums to fraud in 2022, with per-victim losses ranging from $13,118 to $30,150 depending on the state, highlighting seniors as prime targets for scammers

Chase Bank and the Birmingham Police Department hosted a scam prevention education event for seniors at Five Points West Library, where attendees including Denise Biddings shared experiences of falling victim to fraud—Biddings' household lost nearly $600 to a gift card scam targeting her husband. Speakers emphasized that seniors are frequently targeted because scammers exploit their trustworthiness, unfamiliarity with technology, loneliness, and desire to help, with common scams including impersonation, romance, and unsolicited calls demanding personal information. Experts advised seniors and their families to avoid giving personal information over the phone, hang up and verify through official channels, and treat requests for secrecy as

This is a complaint regarding alleged abuse and neglect at Hebrew SeniorLife/Center Communities of Brookline, with the author questioning why local media (Ch. 25) has not investigated the facility. The poster claims neighbors and Harvard Medical School students have warned them about unsafe conditions at the residence and encouraged them to contact media outlets. *Note: This appears to be a social media post or forum entry rather than a news article. It contains allegations but lacks specific details about incidents, affected individuals, documentation of complaints, or outcomes.*

TARCOG is hosting a free Fraud and Scam Summit in Athens, Alabama to educate seniors, caregivers, and professionals about recognizing and preventing scams, which cost Americans nearly $5 billion annually. The event features experts from law enforcement and the Alabama Securities Commission discussing common fraud tactics, identity theft prevention, and reporting procedures, with particular focus on romance scams as the fastest-growing threat targeting vulnerable seniors. Attendees can register on the waiting list by contacting TARCOG at 256-830-0818, and resources will be available online for those unable to attend.

Text message scams falsely claim recipients owe money for traffic violations, parking tickets, jury duty, toll bridges, or vehicle registration, using urgent language and fake government agency names to pressure quick payment. Red flags include non-existent government agencies, fake violation codes, grammar errors, and the use of text messaging itself—legitimate government agencies send official mail or paperwork, never unsolicited texts. Recipients should never click links in these messages, as they may steal personal information or install malware, and should report suspicious texts to the Federal Trade Commission.

ITV Good Morning Britain correspondent Noel Phillips lost nearly $30,000 of his life savings in a sophisticated bank impersonation scam where fraudsters called posing as Chase Bank representatives, convinced him his account was compromised, and manipulated him into transferring funds to accounts they claimed were in his name. Phillips was subsequently let go from Good Morning Britain days later as part of the broadcaster's £15 million budget cuts. The incident highlights how scammers exploit the appearance of legitimacy by routing calls through actual bank systems and manipulating victims into keeping the fraud secret from bank staff.

Senators Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) introduced the bipartisan GUARD Act to combat financial scams targeting older Americans, particularly those using cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. The legislation would allow state and local law enforcement to use existing federal grant funding to hire personnel and deploy advanced tracing tools, addressing gaps that enable scammers to escape prosecution. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans aged 60 and older lost over $2.3 billion to fraud in 2024—a 21% increase from 2023—with experts estimating total unreported fraud at $61.5 billion, including growing "

Elderly fraud in the U.S. resulted in nearly $5 billion in losses during 2024, representing a 46% increase in complaints and 43% increase in financial losses compared to 2023, according to FBI data showing 147,127 complaints. TARCOG's Senior Medicare Patrol is hosting a free Fraud & Scam Summit on August 20, 2025, to educate seniors, families, and caregivers on recognizing common scams, identity theft prevention, detecting financial abuse, and reporting resources. The event at Athens State University will feature local experts and community organizations providing educational information and support.

The Better Business Bureau reports a rise in work-from-home scams where fraudsters pose as employers on job sites, luring victims to messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram to request personal information and banking details under the guise of hiring and payroll setup. Scammers then send fake checks for office supplies and ask victims to return "leftover" money, which results in thousands of dollars in losses and puts victims at risk of identity theft when checks bounce. The BBB advises job seekers to research companies thoroughly, avoid sharing personal information with unverified employers, and be cautious of any requests to send money before employment begins.

A mother and daughter from Alabama were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to defrauding an elderly victim of over $500,000 between December 2020 and February 2022. While working as in-home caretakers with access to the victim's financial information, Mykia L. Henderson (32) and Cynthia H. Mixon (50) created fraudulent payment accounts through Square and Stripe to charge the victim's credit cards, wrote unauthorized checks, and deposited stolen funds into their own accounts. Henderson received 87 months in prison and Mixon received 57 months for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

TARCOG is hosting a free Fraud & Scam Summit on August 20, 2025, in Athens, Alabama, to educate the community about elder fraud following reports that seniors lost nearly $5 billion to financial scams across the U.S. in 2024. The summit will cover topics including recognizing common scams, identity theft prevention, the role of caregivers in detecting fraud, and reporting procedures, with exhibitors from state programs and community organizations providing resources.

Senator Rick Scott led a bipartisan effort to introduce the GUARD Act, legislation designed to equip local and state law enforcement with advanced tools—including blockchain tracing technology—to investigate and combat financial scams targeting older Americans. The bill addresses a growing crisis: Americans over 60 lost $4.8 billion to scams in 2024, while those aged 50-59 lost an additional $2.5 billion, with estimates suggesting total fraud losses affecting seniors range from $28.3 billion to $137 billion annually. The legislation aims to expand federal grant programs for specialized training and improve coordination between federal and local agencies to prosecute scammers and recover stolen funds.