Elder Fraud in Texas

Cryptocurrency scams resulted in $9.3 billion in reported losses in 2024, with $5.8 billion specifically from investment fraud schemes; seniors over 60 suffered approximately $2.8 billion in losses. Scammers increasingly use AI-generated deepfakes of celebrities and trusted contacts to convince victims to invest in fake cryptocurrencies or surrender wallet access. The article advises investors to verify the legitimacy of coins and sources, never share private wallet information, use multi-factor authentication, and carefully examine exchange website URLs before investing.

The Justice Department filed a civil forfeiture complaint against $868,247 in Tether cryptocurrency that was allegedly stolen through investment scams operated by the LME Crypto Group, which impersonated the London Metal Exchange and defrauded at least four victims across DC, Texas, Illinois, and Florida between September 2022 and February 2025. The scheme involved criminals establishing trust through misdirected text messages, then directing victims to fake investment platforms that displayed false profits before locking victims out of their accounts and stealing their funds, with one victim losing $1.3 million and another losing $30,000. The FBI recovered and is forfeiting the laundered cryptocurrency funds that were transferred through

Georgia ranks 7th nationally for senior fraud losses, with older residents losing an estimated $1.57 million per 100,000 people in 2024, while seniors across the U.S. reported $4.8 billion in fraud losses total. The most common scams targeting older adults include imposter scams, shopping fraud, and high-stakes crypto and romance schemes, with individual crypto and romance fraud cases averaging over $108,000 in losses. Experts recommend families discuss scams with elderly relatives, watch for pressure tactics and unusual payment requests, and report suspicious activity to protect the state's 1.7 million residents over 60.

Federal prosecutors in Southern California charged 28 members of a Chinese organized crime ring with defrauding seniors out of $65 million since at least 2019, with the scheme involving overseas call centers in India and U.S.-based conspirators who posed as government officials and bank representatives to pressure victims into sending money via wire transfer, cash, or gift cards. The operation targeted thousands of Americans, including a 97-year-old San Diego widow who lost her entire life savings, and laundered proceeds through luxury vehicles and high-end rentals until federal agents seized $4.2 million and multiple vehicles including a Porsche and Mercedes-Benz. The breakthrough came partly from YouTube scam

April Guadalupe Hernandez was indicted by a Bernalillo County grand jury for assuming the identities of licensed nurses and illegally providing hospice care, including mis-transcribing a medication order that nearly resulted in a fatal morphine overdose. Hernandez, a certified nurse assistant, allegedly stole the identities of three nurses from Texas, California, and Kansas to gain employment at three healthcare facilities over 18 months, defrauding them of approximately $40,000. She faces 19 charges including identity theft, nursing without a license, elder abuse, and violations of the Nursing Practice Act, with a potential sentence of up to 27.5 years in prison

A Plano man fell victim to "cash trapping," a scheme where a suspect places a metal device over an ATM's cash slot, causing customers to hear money dispensing but never receive it. The suspect, Romanian national Ionut Aurel Iova, would then remove the device and steal the cash after victims left; he was arrested in Houston and faces multiple charges after at least two confirmed incidents at a Bank of America location. Police urge ATM users to report malfunctions immediately rather than leaving, as there may be additional unreported victims.

This educational article reports that online scams caused a record $16.6 billion in losses in 2024, with 73% of U.S. adults experiencing some form of online scam or attack. The article outlines common scam tactics (unsolicited contact, promises of easy money, requests for personal information or upfront payments) and describes six prevalent scam types including counterfeit merchandise, charity fraud, cryptocurrency investment fraud, bogus debts, home repair scams, and emergency/grandparent scams that specifically target seniors. Awareness of these warning signs can help individuals avoid becoming victims.

This educational article reports that scams cost Americans $16.6 billion in 2024, with 73 percent of U.S. adults experiencing online scams or attacks. The piece outlines common red flags—unsolicited contact, promises of easy money, requests for personal information or upfront payments—and describes prominent scam types including counterfeit merchandise, charity fraud, cryptocurrency investment schemes, bogus debts, home repair scams, and emergency/grandparent scams that particularly target elderly individuals.

A Tarrant County jury duty impersonation scam targeted vulnerable victims, including Air Force veteran Bill Phillips, who lost $14,000 after receiving a call claiming to be from the sheriff's office alleging he missed jury duty and owed fines. Scammers kept victims on the phone for hours, instructing them to withdraw cash and deposit it into Bitcoin machines to avoid arrest, with some victims losing over $100,000. Law enforcement advises avoiding unknown callers and remembering that legitimate agencies never demand untraceable payments like cryptocurrency or gift cards.

YouTubers conducting "scambait" sting operations in 2020-2021 provided crucial evidence that helped federal prosecutors dismantle a Chinese organized crime group that defrauded more than 2,000 elderly victims of approximately $65 million across the United States. The scheme, operated primarily by Chinese nationals working with Indian call centers, targeted seniors (average age 70+) through phone calls, emails, and pop-up ads, using social engineering tactics to trick victims into wire transfers, cash shipments, and gift card payments by impersonating bank employees or government officials. Twenty-five of 28 indicted defendants were arrested and face federal charges including mail fraud, wire fraud,

Arizona is projected to lose over $4 billion to financial fraud in 2024, with the state ranking 11th nationally in fraud rates at 1,459 cases per 100,000 residents, according to a Common Sense Institute report. Common fraud types affecting Arizonans include grandparent scams, romance scams, gift card scams, skimming, and forgery, with experts noting that only about 14% of fraud is reported to authorities. Researchers recommend that families help protect older adults—who are at higher risk due to lower technological familiarity—by teaching them to verify sources before sharing financial information online.

A 26-year-old certified nurse assistant in New Mexico, April Guadalupe Hernandez, was charged with 19 counts of misconduct including nursing without a license, identity theft, abuse of a resident, and fraud for falsifying nursing credentials and stealing identities of nurses from Texas, California, and Kansas. Over one year, Hernandez worked at three hospice centers using different name variations, claiming to hold higher nursing credentials than she possessed, and made a potentially fatal medication error (an overdose of morphine) that was caught before administration; she has an arraignment scheduled for September 8th.

Federal prosecutors charged more than two dozen members of a Chinese scam ring with defrauding thousands of victims of over $65 million through refund scams that involved unsolicited contact, psychological manipulation, and remote computer access. The investigation was aided by YouTube scam-baiters who conducted undercover operations in 2020-21, and recent raids across four states resulted in 25 arrests, $4.2 million in seized cash, and the impoundment of luxury vehicles. Notable victims included a 97-year-old Holocaust survivor's widow from San Diego who lost her life savings.

An elderly San Angelo resident lost $900,000 in a sophisticated computer scam where suspects impersonating a government agency convinced him his computer was locked and instructed him to withdraw cash to purchase gold bars, which they collected over four separate meetings. The suspect, Muthukrishnan Palraj, was identified through surveillance footage and vehicle registration and arrested in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on August 11; investigations across multiple jurisdictions uncovered approximately $51 million in losses attributed to his activities, with both state and federal cases pending and potential deportation upon conviction.

A journalist conducting an undercover investigation nearly fell victim to a StubHub impersonation scam after clicking a "Call now" button on a fraudulent website listing. The scammer, posing as StubHub customer service, attempted to manipulate the victim into purchasing gift cards by requesting repeated password entries, app downloads, and account "verification"—tactics StubHub confirmed they never use. The victim avoided financial loss by deliberately stalling with intentional typing errors and refusing to complete the scammer's requests, while documenting the hour-long call from a number in the 910 North Carolina area code.