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news.outsourceaccelerator.com
Pranav Patel, a 33-year-old Indian national, was sentenced to 6 years and 3 months in federal prison for operating as a money collector in a $1.79 million government impersonation scam that targeted elderly Americans, with co-conspirators posing as government agents and threatening victims with arrest to extort cash and gold. Patel traveled along the East Coast collecting packages from vulnerable seniors, including one victim who was forced to sell his home after losing his life savings. Law enforcement recovered most of the funds after arresting Patel during a planned collection operation, though overseas call center operators remain under investigation.
the420.in
Two Indian nationals on student visas, Kishan Rajeshkumar Patel and Dhruv Rajeshbhai Mangukiya, were convicted in a $2.69 million elder fraud scheme targeting at least 25 elderly U.S. citizens through phishing and impersonation of government officials; Patel received 63 months in prison and was arrested in Texas attempting to collect $130,000 in illicit proceeds. The U.S. Embassy in India issued a formal warning that visa holders engaging in illegal activities face immediate visa revocation and permanent ineligibility, highlighting a growing pattern of international student fraud exploited for elder scams.
yahoo.com
In 2023, Americans lost $1.14 billion to romance scams, with the FBI reporting 17,910 complaints and $672 million in losses in 2024. Scammers build fake online relationships through stolen photos and personas on dating apps and social media, using emotional manipulation ("love bombing") to gain trust before requesting money, gifts, or sensitive information. Victims—who are often lonely, grieving, or trusting—experience lasting emotional and financial damage, with cryptocurrency increasingly used as the payment method due to its difficulty in tracing.
analyticsinsight.net
Scammers are increasingly using AI-generated deepfakes to create fake romantic identities on dating apps, establishing emotional connections with victims before requesting money for emergencies or investments. Incidents have risen from dozens to hundreds per month globally in 2024, with reported losses ranging from ₹3.6 lakh to over ₹20 lakhs in India and £93 million in the UK in 2023, including a notable case where a French woman lost €830,000 to someone posing as Brad Pitt. Detection relies on identifying technical inconsistencies (fuzzy edges, unnatural eye movements, poor lip-syncing) and behavioral red flags (pressure to move
theprescotttimes.com
Since January 1, 2025, the Prescott area has experienced over $2 million in reported scam losses, with seniors particularly vulnerable to romance scams, bank impersonation schemes, warrant scams, and gift card fraud. Notable cases include a $632,000 romance scam and gift card losses exceeding $33,000, with scammers using emotional manipulation and pressure tactics to request untraceable payments via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or electronic platforms. The Prescott Police Department urges residents to remain vigilant, hang up on suspicious callers, and contact their 24/7 dispatch line at (928) 445-3131 if they suspect fraud.
secondwavemedia.com
The United Way of Bay County is hosting a free Senior Fraud Prevention Workshop on June 27 to educate seniors and their families on protecting themselves from financial scams, with topics including recognizing common fraud tactics and steps to take if fraud is suspected. According to the FBI, scammers defraud senior citizens of approximately $3 billion annually, making this educational initiative part of a broader effort supported by a $30,000 Huntington Bank grant to assist vulnerable residents in Bay County.
lethbridgeherald.com
**Seniors and Financial Fraud - Overview and Rising Threats**
People age 60 and over lost $3.4 billion combined to fraud in 2023, with scammers increasingly targeting older adults through evolving methods including phone impersonation, online platforms like Facebook, and cryptocurrency schemes. Common scams include the grandparent scam, tech support fraud, romance scams, and investment schemes that exploit seniors' trust and lower technological proficiency. Law enforcement notes that fraudsters now use sophisticated tools and AI to appear more credible, making it essential for seniors to remain vigilant about unsolicited contact and requests for personal or financial information.
turnto23.com
California seniors lost nearly $833 million to scams in 2024, a 43% increase from the previous year, with romance and technology scams being the most prevalent in Bakersfield and Kern County. The FBI highlighted a case involving a retired educator who was defrauded after being contacted by a scammer posing as an attractive woman through a text message, demonstrating how emotional vulnerability can be exploited. To protect themselves, seniors should independently verify claims, check with the Better Business Bureau, resist pressure to act quickly, and never send money or gift cards to unverified individuals.
3dvf.com
The FBI has alerted the public to two growing smartphone scams targeting Android and iPhone users: one falsely claiming unpaid tolls requiring immediate payment, and another impersonating government agents threatening legal action. Both scams use spoofed official numbers and fraudulent links to steal personal and banking information, with payments often routed through untraceable methods like cryptocurrency and gift cards, resulting in financial loss, identity theft, and lasting psychological damage to victims. The FBI recommends ignoring urgent payment requests, never sharing personal information over the phone, verifying requests directly with official organizations using verified contact information, and exercising caution with unexpected links.
fox35orlando.com
Scammers are sending deceptive text messages to Florida drivers claiming they owe unpaid tolls or traffic tickets, using lookalike characters to impersonate the Department of Motor Vehicles and threatening license or registration suspension to pressure victims into clicking malicious links. State authorities warn that legitimate government agencies never contact residents by text for payment—official notices are sent by mail—and urge Floridians to delete such messages and report them to the Florida Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division or FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center.
wftv.com
**Summary:**
Scammers are sending text messages impersonating Florida's Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles agency, claiming recipients have unpaid traffic tickets and threatening driver's license suspension. The texts contain malicious links designed to steal personal information, and law enforcement advises recipients not to click the links and to report the scams to local authorities.
nasdaq.com
Older adults are vulnerable to financial fraud from family members and trusted individuals, not just external scammers. Experts recommend protecting against family financial abuse by establishing a trusted team to oversee finances, automating bill payments, monitoring accounts regularly, organizing legal documents (power of attorney, wills), requiring dual signatures for major transactions, and watching for red flags such as unusual financial activity, missing valuables, and unauthorized account changes.
aol.com
Family members can commit financial fraud against seniors in retirement, with red flags including unusual account activity, missing valuables, suspicious signatures, and unauthorized changes to wills or powers of attorney. Experts recommend protecting yourself through estate planning, forming a trusted financial care team, automating bill payments, securing personal information, obtaining legal documents like powers of attorney and wills, and implementing dual signatures or co-trustees to prevent any single person from having complete financial control.
justice.gov
Jamaican national Sherwayne Benjamin Bellinfantie was extradited to the United States in June 2025 to face charges for participating in a romance and lottery sweepstakes scheme that defrauded an 85-year-old Arizona resident of over $400,000 between 2015 and 2019. Bellinfantie and co-conspirators posed as romantic interests and falsely claimed the victim had won lottery prizes, requesting money for taxes and fees, while sending flowers to reinforce the deception. He faces charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering, each carrying a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
nationwidemediacentre.co.uk
A Nationwide Building Society survey of 2,000 students found that 28% have been scammed, with purchase fraud (46%), WhatsApp impersonation scams (39%), and blackmail/sextortion scams (29%) being the most common types. The research revealed a rising trend of blackmail scams targeting younger people on social media, often linked to romance scams where perpetrators extract private images or information before demanding money under threat of exposure to victims' contacts.
theglobeandmail.com
A "pump and dump" scam impersonated economist David Rosenberg and his investment firm, defrauding investors of over $1 million through fake Facebook and Instagram ads that promoted a nonexistent "Wolfpack program." Victims were lured into WhatsApp investment groups where scammers recommended obscure stocks that initially showed dramatic gains before collapsing, with individual losses ranging from $16,000 to $450,000.
lbc.co.uk
Four young Londoners lost £5,000 in a sophisticated rental scam after being pressured to find housing quickly due to an eviction notice. The scammers posed as legitimate estate agents and property managers on established rental websites (OpenRent and Rightmove), collected a holding deposit and first month's rent, but the property was already occupied and never theirs to let. This case reflects a broader trend in which nearly £9 million was lost across around 5,000 reported rental fraud cases, with 18- to 39-year-olds accounting for almost three-quarters of such reports.
americascreditunions.org
Credit unions are actively combating senior fraud through financial education programs, fraud task forces, and legislative advocacy. The industry urged Senate support for the TRAPS Act to establish a task force examining payment scams, while opposing expanded fraud liability that would strain resources and undermine consumer protections. Credit unions emphasize educating older Americans and their families about fraud detection methods to prevent scams targeting seniors.
fox23.com
A Broken Arrow woman testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about the rising threat of romance scams targeting seniors, sharing how her mother lost $350,000 to such a scam before her death. The hearing featured multiple advocates presenting data showing Americans lose between $7 billion and $62 billion annually to romance scams, emphasizing the need for federal action including the creation of a task force and stronger protections for elder victims.
fox23.com
A Broken Arrow woman testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee about romance scams targeting seniors, sharing how her mother lost $350,000 to a scammer before passing away—a tragedy April Helm attributed directly to the fraud and sleep deprivation tactics used by scammers. Advocates testified that adults lose between $7 billion and $62 billion annually to romance scams, urging Congress to establish a task force and strengthen enforcement measures to prosecute these criminals and protect elderly victims.
malwarebytes.com
Malwarebytes research surveying 1,300 people across the US and Europe found that 78% encounter scams on their smartphones at least weekly, with 44% encountering them daily, primarily through email (65%), phone calls/voicemails (53%), text messages (50%), malicious websites (49%), and social media (47%). Despite the high frequency of scam encounters, only 15% of respondents strongly agreed they could confidently identify a scam, highlighting the need for caution when receiving messages from unknown senders or urgent requests for money or personal information.
ttnews.com
Multiple states are warning residents about text message scams impersonating state motor vehicle agencies and demanding payment for fraudulent traffic violations or unpaid tolls, threatening driver's license revocation if victims don't pay. The scam has been reported across at least 17 states and represents an evolution of earlier toll-payment scams; the FBI reports text-based scams accounted for $470 million in losses in 2024, with toll scams alone generating $129,624 from nearly 60,000 complaints. State authorities advise residents not to click suspicious links and to contact their state motor vehicle departments directly if they receive threatening messages about unpaid traffic violations.
foxnews.com
Android is launching enhanced security features across Android 16 and select earlier devices to combat phone scams, fraud, and theft. Key protections include in-call blocks that prevent scammers from manipulating device settings during calls with non-contacts, AI-powered scam detection in Google Messages that identifies suspicious patterns in real-time, and Key Verifier for identity verification through encrypted keys. These features are designed to protect users from toll road scams, cryptocurrency fraud, financial impersonation, and tech support scams, with most analysis occurring on-device to maintain privacy.
mashable.com
Pig butchering scams are online confidence schemes where cybercriminals build trust with victims (often through romance or friendship) before convincing them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency opportunities, with the U.S. Attorney's Office recently seizing $225 million in cryptocurrency stolen from 400 victims worldwide. These scams, which operate at an industrial scale from compounds in countries like India, the Philippines, and Myanmar, typically target older Americans and lonely individuals, using fake identities and fabricated investment platforms from which victims cannot withdraw funds. To protect yourself, remain skeptical of unsolicited contact from strangers online, especially those promoting investment opportunities, and verify the legitimacy of any investment before sending money.
app.com
Scammers have been sending SMiShing (SMS phishing) text messages impersonating the New Jersey DMV since at least May 2025, threatening recipients with vehicle suspension, credit damage, and increased tolls to coerce immediate payment of alleged unpaid traffic tickets. The New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission confirmed these fraudulent messages are designed to steal personal and financial information, and emphasized that the legitimate DMV only sends appointment reminder texts and never requests payment or personal details via unsolicited communications. Consumers are advised to avoid clicking links in unexpected texts, visit official websites directly to verify any account issues, and report suspicious messages to the FTC, FBI's IC3, and local cybers
cnn.com
US law enforcement seized over $225 million in cryptocurrency stolen from more than 400 victims worldwide in a sophisticated investment scam, marking the largest-ever recovery in so-called "crypto confidence" or "pig butchering" schemes. The scammers, traced partly to the Philippines, conducted hundreds of thousands of transactions to launder the stolen funds, with authorities working to return assets to victims. Crypto investment scam losses have surged dramatically, reaching $5.8 billion in 2024 compared to $2.57 billion in 2022, with scammers often preying on vulnerable individuals including elderly Americans.
wknofm.org
Randy Hutchinson, CEO of the Better Business Bureau of the Mid-South, warns of rising sweepstakes and lottery scams in which fraudsters impersonate legitimate organizations and trick victims into paying upfront fees or taxes by falsely claiming they've won prizes. Red flags include winning contests never entered, requests for payment to improve odds, and solicitations for financial or personal information.
graphic.com.gh
Three separate indictments targeting Ghanaian nationals were unsealed in U.S. federal courts as part of a crackdown on transnational romance fraud schemes targeting elderly Americans. The cases involve multiple defendants accused of operating romance and inheritance scams from 2013 to 2024, using fake romantic engagements and false promises of wealth to defraud seniors of large sums of money, with proceeds laundered through Ghana and other locations. Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng was arrested in Ghana and faces extradition, while other defendants face wire fraud and money laundering conspiracy charges.
theglobeandmail.com
aOK, a new identity-verified chat app, launched to address the growing threat of romance scams and catfishing in online dating. The app requires government-issued ID verification for all users and uses end-to-end encryption to create a secure messaging environment, addressing a critical gap where conversations typically move to less secure platforms like WhatsApp after initial dating app contact. Romance scams cost victims £94.7 million in the UK and $1.3 billion in the US in 2024, with individual losses averaging over £10,000, making robust identity verification tools increasingly urgent for dating safety.
ghanaweb.com
Ghanaian businessman Joseph Kwadwo Badu Boateng and multiple associates have been charged in coordinated U.S. federal prosecutions for operating transnational romance and inheritance scams targeting elderly Americans between 2013 and 2024. Boateng allegedly led a decade-long scheme convincing seniors they could claim gold and jewels if they paid fabricated taxes and fees, while related defendants in Ohio and elsewhere defrauded elderly victims through fake romantic relationships and fraudulent business deals, laundering proceeds to Ghana and other countries. These cases represent part of a broader Department of Justice crackdown on international fraud networks preying on seniors, announced in conjunction with World Elder
durbin.senate.gov
Senator Dick Durbin testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee on elder fraud, reporting that Americans aged 60 and older lost nearly $4.9 billion to fraud in the prior year, with average losses of $83,000, representing a 43 percent increase year-over-year. He highlighted the particular threat of cryptocurrency ATM scams, which caused nearly $247 million in losses in 2024, a 31 percent increase, with one case involving an elderly Illinois woman losing her entire $40,000 life savings. Durbin introduced the Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act to require operators to register with regulators, display scam warnings, implement transaction limits, and ref
durbin.senate.gov
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on protecting older Americans from scammers, Senator Dick Durbin questioned witnesses about crypto ATM fraud, which resulted in nearly $247 million in losses to seniors in 2024, and introduced the Crypto ATM Fraud Prevention Act to combat the scams. Witnesses from AARP, USTelecom, and the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center confirmed that criminals are funneling elderly victims to crypto ATMs by convincing them they are saving themselves from legal prosecution, with crypto transactions now common in nearly all transnational elder fraud cases. Durbin also warned seniors to be skeptical of unsolicited phone calls claiming to be from government agencies and urged passage of
cnet.com
A nationwide DMV scam involves cybercriminals texting people claiming they owe fines for traffic violations or unpaid tolls, threatening license revocation or vehicle registration suspension to pressure victims into clicking malicious links or paying money. These phishing scams, reported in Indiana, Ohio, Maine, Texas, and other states, use official-sounding language, fake ordinance codes, and threats of jail time or credit score damage to create urgency, but legitimate DMVs typically only send texts that users have opted into and never request payment or personal information via text.
onfocus.news
A Marshfield woman lost money to a phishing scam on June 16 when she visited a fraudulent website mimicking Target's payment portal (misspelled as "TARGETT") and was tricked into purchasing gift cards by a scammer posing as customer service. After downloading a remote-access app at the scammer's direction and providing multiple gift card codes, she reported the incident to police and was advised to file a complaint with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. The case illustrates how scammers exploit trusted brands and small details to deceive consumers, with law enforcement urging people never to use gift cards for bill payments and to verify website URLs before entering sensitive information.
tradingview.com
New Zealand's Financial Markets Authority has reported an increasing number of investment scams targeting residents through unsolicited social media messages on platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook, with fraudsters impersonating investment firms or bank employees and promoting unrealistic high-return opportunities often tied to cryptocurrencies or forex. The warning follows similar patterns in Australia, where investment fraud accounts for over half of AU$119 million in scam losses in early 2025, and comes as regulators globally struggle to combat these schemes on messaging platforms.
uchealth.org
Scammers stole $3.4 billion from older U.S. adults in 2023, a 14% increase from the previous year, using tactics like romance scams, fake investments, and Medicare fraud that exploit fear and greed. Beyond financial losses, elder fraud causes significant psychological harm including anxiety, shame, depression, and in severe cases, suicidal ideation, requiring individualized mental health interventions such as cognitive behavioral therapy. Older adults are particularly targeted due to their assets, trust in authority, unfamiliarity with technology, and potential cognitive changes that impair fraud recognition.
fingerlakes1.com
**Summary:**
Medicare fraud costs U.S. taxpayers an estimated $60 billion annually, with recent investigations uncovering widespread schemes including unordered genetic testing kits, phantom billing for medical equipment, and catheter scams affecting individuals across Indiana and beyond. Notable prosecutions include a North Carolina man laundering $3 million in a $100 million DME scam and two Texas residents charged with $359 million in fraudulent genetic testing claims. Seniors should protect themselves by never sharing Medicare numbers with unverified callers, monitoring billing statements for unauthorized charges, and reporting suspicious activity to Medicare, the Senior Medicare Patrol, or the HHS Fraud Hotline.
smnewsnet.com
The U.S. Department of Justice announced reinvigorated efforts to combat transnational elder fraud schemes costing billions of dollars, with recent prosecutions targeting romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams. Key cases include Troy Murray, who sold a database of over seven million elderly Americans' personal information to Jamaican lottery fraudsters and laundered $1.6 million in proceeds, and Dennis Anderson and Frank Angelori, who brokered lead lists to Jamaica-based scammers from 2015-2020. Individual victims lost significant sums, with one Arizona victim losing over $400,000 to a lottery fraud scheme.
detroitnews.com
In response to rising scam cases in Metro Detroit, Chase and the Detroit Police Department hosted a workshop for seniors to educate them on common fraud tactics and prevention strategies, coinciding with World Elder Abuse Awareness Month. According to the FBI, individuals 60 and older lost nearly $4.9 billion to scams in 2024, with Michigan residents alone losing over $206 million to fraud last year, and the average victim losing $35,101. The workshop emphasized the motto "trust but verify" and covered common scams including impersonation, spoofing, phishing, and vishing, recommending that seniors verify contacts, avoid sharing personal information, resist pressure to act quickly, an
etedge-insights.com
Romance scams on dating apps have escalated dramatically, with reported losses topping $1 billion globally in 2024 and a projected rise through 2025. Scammers use emotional manipulation, stolen photos, and increasingly sophisticated AI tools (deepfakes, voice cloning) to build fake relationships and extract money from victims, often through fake investment schemes or fabricated emergencies. The article illustrates this trend through Jay's experience with "Alina" and notes that India has been particularly hard-hit, with 39% of daters encountering scammers and 77% seeing AI-generated photos, while crypto-hybrid romance scams grew nearly 40% year-
infosecurity-magazine.com
UK romance fraud victims lost £106 million ($144 million) in 2024, with 9,449 reported cases representing a 9% increase, according to City of London Police data. The average loss per victim was £11,222 ($15,211), with the 50-59 age group suffering the highest financial losses at £22.1 million; women were more vulnerable to prolonged manipulation lasting over a year, often culminating in cryptocurrency investment scams (pig butchering). Police emphasized that romance fraud uses sophisticated manipulation tactics and can affect anyone, urging victims to verify identities, avoid switching to personal messaging platforms, and report suspicious activity.
yahoo.com
A 65-year-old Houston man lost approximately $500,000 of his life savings in a government impersonation scam after receiving a call from someone claiming to represent the Vietnamese Embassy warning him of identity theft and money laundering in his name. The scammer exploited the victim's prior receipt of an official IRS identity theft warning, then directed him over five months to transfer funds via wire transfer while communicating through encrypted messaging and using forged documents and AI-generated videos. The loss has forced him to sell his home and reconsider retirement, though his daughter has launched a GoFundMe that has raised five figures to help him recover.
ago.mo.gov
Attorney General Bailey provides consumer protection guidance for post-disaster fraud prevention, identifying construction fraud, price gouging, and charity fraud as the most common schemes. Key recommendations include obtaining written contracts and multiple bids before hiring contractors, avoiding prepayment, reporting price increases on essential goods to authorities, and verifying charity legitimacy before donating. Consumers can contact the Consumer Protection Hotline at 800-392-8222 for additional assistance.
khou.com
Scammers in Bay City, Texas are impersonating business owners via phone calls to deceive employees into withdrawing cash from registers and depositing it into Bitcoin machines. The Bay City Police Department warns that scammers target both main office lines and personal cell phones, building trust through fabricated urgent scenarios before directing employees to empty cash registers. Authorities recommend businesses train staff to verify caller identity with managers and hang up if uncertain, as scammers continuously develop new tactics.
firstalert4.com
Thousands of people across the bi-state region received phishing text messages impersonating the Missouri Department of Transportation, threatening fines and prosecution for outstanding traffic tickets and demanding payment via a link. The scam originated from a Philippines-based number (+63 country code) and aimed to steal personal and financial information, though MoDOT does not actually enforce traffic tickets. Authorities advise recipients never to click links, respond, or reply "STOP" to these messages, as doing so can expose victims to cyberattacks or trigger additional spam.
wgrz.com
The Better Business Bureau is warning about a significant rise in text message job scams targeting young adults, with fraudsters using unsolicited texts and emails to advertise remote positions with high pay and flexible hours, often impersonating legitimate companies. Employment scams resulted in average losses of $1,500 per victim among ages 18-34 last year and ranked among the top three scams reported to the BBB, with scammers increasingly using AI to create convincing fake offers and sending fraudulent checks. The BBB recommends verifying the legitimacy of job offers, avoiding sending money to unknown contacts, and watching for red flags like unsolicited contact and pressure to act quickly.
lompocrecord.com
On World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15), the Santa Barbara County District Attorney's Office issued a reminder that seniors in the community face increasingly sophisticated financial exploitation and scams, emphasizing that this is both a national and local problem. The office provides educational presentations to senior centers and community organizations, and offers resources including a weekly "Scam Squad" podcast hosted by Chief Investigator Kristina Perkins that educates the public about common and emerging scams. Residents suspecting fraud or financial exploitation are encouraged to report immediately to local law enforcement or the District Attorney's fraud hotline at 805-568-2442.
fox10tv.com
A Chinese national with a revoked student visa was arrested after scamming a retired educator in Spanish Fort, Alabama, out of approximately $400,000 in life savings over three weeks. The suspect posed as a U.S. Marshal and convinced the elderly victim to liquidate her cash into gold bars, which he collected during four in-person meetings before she became suspicious and contacted police. Spanish Fort Police and the FBI collaborated on the arrest, which occurred just before Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and the case reflects a broader trend—the FBI reported $219 million in gold bar scam losses nationally in the previous year.
justice.gov
In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the U.S. Department of Justice announced reinvigorated prosecutorial efforts against transnational and domestic elder fraud schemes that cost seniors billions of dollars annually, highlighting recent cases involving romance fraud, lottery fraud, tech support fraud, and grandparent scams. A notable Montana case resulted in the arrest of a man involved in an India-based scheme impersonating U.S. Marshals that defrauded an elderly victim of over $1 million. The DOJ emphasizes the importance of community vigilance, victim restitution efforts, and encourages seniors and their families to contact the free National Elder Fraud Hotline for assistance with
justice.gov
In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Month, the U.S. Department of Justice announced reinvigorated efforts to prosecute transnational elder fraud schemes that cost American seniors billions of dollars. Recent prosecutions in the District of Rhode Island include: a British national convicted in a multi-state construction fraud targeting seniors across four states for over $1 million; eight individuals indicted for orchestrating transnational tech support scams that defrauded approximately 300 seniors across 37 states of over $5 million; and two residents charged with grandparent scams that defrauded seniors in Rhode Island and Massachusetts of at least $230,000. The DOJ urged seniors an