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in Robocalls / Phone Scams
theverge.com
· 2025-12-08
Shan Hanes, former CEO of Heartland Tri-State Bank in Kansas, was sentenced to 24 years in prison after embezzling $47.1 million from the bank and routing it to cryptocurrency accounts controlled by pig butchering scammers. Between May and June 2023, Hanes made 11 wire transfers using stolen bank funds while also embezzling from a local church, investment club, and his daughter's college savings account, ultimately causing the bank to collapse. Pig butchering scams, which lure victims into fake cryptocurrency investments through relationship-building on messaging apps and social media, have cost victims over $75 billion globally in recent years
1011now.com
· 2025-12-08
A 68-year-old woman in Lancaster County lost $7,000 after receiving a pop-up window on her computer warning of suspicious banking activity; she was directed to withdraw the money and convert it to Bitcoin, a common fraud tactic. In a separate incident, a man was targeted in an attempted sextortion scam via a dating app and Snapchat, where a woman threatened to share explicit photos unless he paid $2,000, though he avoided losing money by hanging up. The Lancaster County Sheriff's Office warns residents that anyone instructed to purchase Bitcoin by phone should hang up immediately, as these scams affect people of all ages.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
A Portland woman fell victim to a romance scam after matching with someone on Tinder who posed as "Barton Nathan" and convinced her to send over $40,000 under the guise of needing money for visa fees, medical emergencies, and legal costs. The scammer used emotional manipulation and false promises of meeting in person to extract funds over several months before the victim realized the relationship was fraudulent. Romance scams resulted in over $1.14 billion in reported losses across more than 64,000 cases in 2023, making them the costliest type of online fraud despite being significantly underreported due to victim shame.
securityboulevard.com
· 2025-12-08
Kansas bank CEO Shan Hanes was sentenced to 24 years in prison for embezzling $47.1 million through wire transfers to cryptocurrency wallets as part of a "pig butchering" scam in which he was the victim-turned-perpetrator. His actions directly caused Heartland Tri-State Bank to collapse, resulting in $9 million in losses to investors, with the FDIC absorbing the remaining $47.1 million. Hanes circumvented internal banking controls with the help of employees to facilitate the fraudulent transfers between May and June 2023.
berkshireeagle.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece explains why telephone scams disproportionately target seniors over 60, accounting for more than 25 percent of fraud reported by this age group compared to less than 10 percent for those under 60. Scammers exploit seniors' ingrained etiquette behaviors (answering phones politely when they ring) and the telephone's familiarity as a lifelong communication device. The article provides practical defense tactics including not answering unknown calls, questioning callers, verifying government contact through independent channels, and recognizes that despite 2019 legislation requiring "Possible Scam" caller ID warnings, fraudulent calls remain difficult to stop due to provider circumvention of rules
news5cleveland.com
· 2025-12-08
Two Akron senior citizens—a 75-year-old and a 74-year-old—were defrauded of a combined $156,000 in an online scam that escalated to in-person theft. Scammers used fake pop-up warnings claiming hacked accounts and impersonated Microsoft and federal agencies to convince the victims to withdraw cash and hand it over to couriers who appeared at their homes. The cases have been referred to the FBI and Cyber Task Force, with police urging residents to be cautious of unsolicited demands for large cash payments and to report suspected fraud immediately.
fox61.com
· 2025-12-08
Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection warned residents of a scam targeting Eversource and United Illuminating customers, where scammers impersonate utility company employees and offer fake senior rate discounts while requesting personal information like account numbers and payment details to commit identity theft and financial fraud. The DCP advised customers to hang up on unsolicited calls, verify legitimacy by calling the official number on their bill, and report scams to authorities and credit agencies.
rockislandtoday.com
· 2025-12-08
State Representative Dan Swanson reported on a community scam awareness event held in Alpha, Illinois, organized in collaboration with Farmers State Bank, the Illinois Attorney General's office, and local sheriffs to educate residents—particularly seniors—about various fraud schemes ranging from local to international operations. Swanson emphasized that awareness and simple precautions, such as avoiding unknown calls and protecting personal information, are the best defenses against becoming a scam victim. Additionally, an upcoming senior and veterans fair was announced for September 9 in Macomb to provide health screenings and information from senior service agencies.
liherald.com
· 2025-12-08
Nassau County police arrested two Bronx men in July 2024 after they attempted to scam a 73-year-old East Meadow resident by falsely claiming his bank account was compromised; the investigation revealed they were responsible for numerous additional scams. The county is warning residents about prevalent scams including home improvement fraud, fake relative arrest schemes, Social Security and IRS impersonation scams, lottery fraud, and computer remote access scams, which collectively cost victims thousands of dollars. Officials urge residents, particularly seniors, to remain vigilant, verify caller identities, avoid unsolicited services, and report suspected scams to authorities immediately.
dfpi.ca.gov
· 2025-12-08
Cryptocurrency scams have surged 900 percent since the pandemic began, with over 46,000 Americans losing more than $1 billion to crypto fraud in 2021 alone. Common scams include phishing attacks, Ponzi schemes, fake ICOs, and fraudulent exchanges that exploit crypto's decentralized and hard-to-trace nature. Consumers should exercise caution by only investing what they can afford to lose, verifying information through credible sources, using secure storage methods, and consulting state and federal watchdog organizations like California's Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI).
bbc.com
· 2025-12-08
Between January 2022 and January 2023, a "pig-butchering" investment scam targeting Chinese citizens was operated from the Isle of Man, with scammers working from the Seaview Hotel and former bank offices in Douglas. Nearly 100 Chinese workers, many transferred from the Philippines, used fast broadband and QQ messaging to lure victims into fake investment schemes where they posed as investment "teachers" and fellow investors, ultimately siphoning off millions of dollars. Six workers have since been convicted in Chinese courts for their roles in the scam, which was run by Manx Internet Commerce (MIC), part of a larger company group that also operated an online casino to exploit
helpnetsecurity.com
· 2025-12-08
In the first half of 2024, Hiya detected nearly 20 billion suspected spam calls globally, with spam flag rates exceeding 20% of unknown calls in 25 of 42 countries, alongside a significant rise in AI deepfake voice-cloning scams—including a January robocall impersonating Joe Biden in New Hampshire. Medicare, health insurance, and tax scams dominated in the United States, while France and Spain experienced the highest European spam rates (53% and 51% respectively), Brazil received the most spam calls per capita (26 monthly), and Canada and the UK saw surges in Amazon and tax authority impersonation scams. Researchers anticipate voice
theconversation.com
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old Maryland woman named Mae fell victim to tech support fraud when she clicked a malicious link claiming to be from Apple, leading scammers posing as tech support and bank fraud personnel to convince her to purchase gift cards totaling thousands of dollars over a 10-hour period. The case illustrates a larger problem: an estimated $8 billion is stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older through stranger fraud, with gift cards increasingly becoming the preferred payment method for scammers because they lack consumer protections afforded to credit and debit cards and are easily converted to untraceable purchases or resold on dark web marketplaces. The investigation reveals that federal regulators have consistently
stgeorgeutah.com
· 2025-12-08
This is an educational piece explaining the "pump and dump" stock scam, which has persisted since the early days of unregulated Wall Street and continues today through modern channels like email and social media. The author advises investors to recognize three warning signs: unsolicited tips from strangers, appeals to greed or fear, and pressure to act quickly, emphasizing that legitimate investment opportunities would not be mass-marketed to millions of people by unknown parties.
americanbanker.com
· 2025-12-08
A neobank called Charlie is intentionally slowing payment processing speeds to combat the rising tide of financial fraud, implementing "Speed Bumps"—strategic pauses combined with real-time alerts and education—at vulnerable transaction moments. The company highlights that while most financial institutions prioritize faster payments, fraud has significantly increased with AI-enabled scams targeting all demographics, with elderly customers particularly vulnerable to long-con schemes like impersonation fraud and romance scams. Charlie's approach also allows customers to set custom transaction rules and designate family members as "fraud alert co-pilots" to monitor accounts, recognizing that even small frauds under $1,000 can have material consequences for those living pay
forbesafrica.com
· 2025-12-08
Elder fraud losses exceeded $3.4 billion in 2023, representing an 11% increase from the previous year, with scammers increasingly employing long-term relationship-building tactics rather than quick schemes targeting seniors aged 60 and older. Beyond elder fraud, the IRS has initiated over 460 criminal investigations into Employee Retention Credit (ERC) abuse, including a case where a preparer filed over $124 million in false claims, while also offering a second voluntary disclosure program through November 2024 for businesses to repay incorrectly claimed credits at 85% of the amount received.
columbuscountynews.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal investigators in North Carolina seized approximately $5 million in cryptocurrency tied to a "pig butchering" scam, in which criminals pose as romantic partners to build trust with victims before directing them to fake cryptocurrency trading platforms. The scammers promised high investment returns on these fraudulent platforms, then prevented victims from withdrawing funds and demanded additional payments for supposed taxes and penalties. The FBI traced victim funds through multiple cryptocurrency wallets used to launder the proceeds, with one victim losing an entire individual retirement account to the scheme.
scroll.in
· 2025-12-08
A physiotherapist from Lucknow named Rose Jehan was trafficked to the UAE under false employment promises and enslaved by a Chinese-run cybercrime syndicate operating from Ajman, where she was forced to conduct investment scams against Indian victims while confined in an apartment with other trafficked women from South Asia. Working 13-hour shifts, she and approximately 100 other workers made 700-800 calls daily impersonating company representatives to defraud unsuspecting individuals, with Rose herself extracting Rs 500,000 from a retiree's life savings in one instance. The investigation revealed that the UAE had become a global hub for these operations, with thousands of
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old Maryland resident named Mae fell victim to a tech support scam that ultimately resulted in fraudsters convincing her to purchase gift cards as payment. The article documents how gift card fraud has become a leading payment method in elder fraud schemes, with an estimated $8 billion stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older, yet federal regulators have failed to implement consumer protections for gift cards comparable to those for credit and debit cards. The investigation reveals that while fraudsters, gift card companies, and retailers profit from these schemes, the privately-held technology companies managing the gift card infrastructure are best positioned to prevent fraud but lack legal requirements to do so.
upi.com
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old Maryland woman named Mae fell victim to tech support fraud after clicking a malicious link on her frozen laptop, leading fraudsters to convince her to purchase gift cards worth thousands of dollars over a 10-hour period. The case illustrates a broader problem: an estimated $8 billion is stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older through fraud, with gift cards increasingly becoming the preferred payment method for criminals due to minimal consumer protections and difficulty in tracing funds. Federal regulators have failed to provide gift cards with the same protections as credit and debit cards, while retailers, technology companies, and fraudsters all profit from the scheme at victims' expense.
theitem.com
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old Maryland woman named Mae fell victim to a tech support scam when a fake Apple alert prompted her to contact fraudsters posing as Apple and bank employees, who ultimately convinced her to purchase gift cards totaling thousands of dollars over a 10-hour period. The case illustrates a broader problem: an estimated $8 billion is stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older through fraud, with gift cards increasingly becoming the payment method of choice for criminals because they lack consumer protections afforded to credit and debit cards. Federal regulators have failed to adequately protect consumers from gift card fraud despite it being a growing problem, while technology companies and retailers benefit financially from these crimes due to
wagmtv.com
· 2025-12-08
Aroostook County, Maine has experienced an increase in online scams using fake missing person posts to manipulate people into sending money, with scammers mimicking real emergencies like missing children or natural disasters. Red flags include unfamiliar names, photos from non-local locations, repeated posts asking for donations across multiple platforms, misspellings, disabled comments, and lack of official law enforcement sources. Police recommend verifying posts by contacting local law enforcement directly, checking with Facebook group administrators, and ensuring legitimate posts come from official sources like NCMEC or credible news outlets with specific details about the missing person.
freep.com
· 2025-12-08
Metro Detroit police report a surge in scam schemes targeting residents, in which perpetrators impersonate government agencies, tech support, or financial institutions to convince victims to withdraw large sums of cash or cryptocurrency. Victims are instructed to either hand cash to "couriers" or deposit funds into bitcoin ATMs, with one Northville Township woman in her 70s losing $300,000 through a combination of cash, bitcoin, and gold bars in summer 2024. Scammers keep victims on the phone to prevent them from seeking help and often direct them to multiple banks to avoid suspicion.
aol.com
· 2025-12-08
A GOBankingRates survey of over 1,100 Americans found that nearly 40% reported being victims of identity theft, financial fraud, or financial scams. The article identifies 14 common scam types affecting Americans, including phone scams (17% of victims), money transfer scams (12%), online shopping fraud, phishing, imposter scams, Social Security scams, debt collection scams, romance scams, and tax scams, along with practical prevention tips for each. No specific dollar loss amounts are provided, but the survey emphasizes that scams are widespread and offer guidance on how to protect oneself from each type.
dos.ny.gov
· 2025-12-08
The New York Department of State's Division of Consumer Protection released fraud prevention guidance for older adults, noting that financial exploitation is the most prevalent form of elder abuse. According to the FBI's 2023 Internet Crime Report, adults aged 60 and older lost at least $3.4 billion annually to fraud, with investment scams accounting for over $1 billion of those losses—a 38% increase from 2022. The agency advises seniors to recognize red flags in investment and reverse mortgage scams, conduct independent research before committing funds, and avoid unsolicited financial contacts.
usatoday.com
· 2025-12-08
Young adults ages 18-24 are increasingly targeted by scammers during back-to-school season, with this age group reporting a median loss of $155 per scam in 2022—higher than other age groups for the first time. Common scams include textbook fraud, scholarship schemes, and employment offers, which exploit college students' inexperience with financial transactions and life decisions. Protection strategies include verifying websites, using credit cards for purchases (which offer more protection than peer-to-peer payment apps), and being cautious of unsolicited offers and deeply discounted prices.
wwaytv3.com
· 2025-12-08
Election-related scams exploit voters' emotional investment in candidates and causes by mimicking legitimate campaign emails and phone calls to steal personal information, banking details, and donations. The Better Business Bureau advises verifying email links by typing official URLs directly into browsers, avoiding clicking suspicious links, being wary of pressure tactics, and researching organizations before donating or sharing personal information. Common scams include phishing emails with malicious links, fake surveys requesting Social Security numbers or credit card information under the guise of prizes, and fraudulent donation requests that divert funds to scammers rather than campaigns.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
A 2023 GOBankingRates survey of over 1,100 Americans found that nearly 40% of respondents had experienced identity theft, financial fraud, or financial scams. Common scams included phone scams (17% of victims), money transfer scams (12%), online shopping fraud, phishing schemes targeting personal information, and imposter scams (7%), with the article providing prevention tips such as verifying requests through direct contact, shopping on reputable websites, and avoiding suspicious email links.
newschannel5.com
· 2025-12-08
The Tennessee Attorney General's Office warns that QR code scams are rising, including phishing scams that steal personal information, payment scams using fake codes in public places, package scams directing users to malicious websites, cryptocurrency scams, and donation scams impersonating charities. The office recommends verifying QR code sources, inspecting codes for tampering, using secure scanner apps, previewing URLs before clicking, avoiding unsolicited codes from mail/email/text, and keeping device security software updated.
calgaryherald.com
· 2025-12-08
An article detailing the author's personal experiences with various phone scams—including fake Amazon Prime warnings, impersonation of police, grandparent scams, and suspicious robocalls—while critiquing the ineffectiveness of the Do Not Call registry. The author notes that despite over 240 million numbers on the registry since 2003, scammers continue unabated because the list exempts political parties, charities, and surveys, and explicitly does not stop illegal calls. The piece highlights common scam tactics targeting seniors and emphasizes that the recommended solution of not engaging with suspicious calls offers limited practical protection.
lagrangenews.com
· 2025-12-08
Troup County law enforcement warned of an active impersonation scam where callers falsely claim to be sheriff's deputies, demanding immediate payment of $2,000 or more to settle warrants or fines, often keeping victims on the phone and coercing them to withdraw cash from ATMs. The sheriff's office received at least 20 reports of the scam in a single morning, with scammers using convincing tactics like police radio background noise and caller ID spoofing; authorities emphasized that legitimate law enforcement never collect fines by phone and advised citizens to hang up and call back using verified numbers.
949thebull.iheart.com
· 2025-12-08
Members of The Bobby Bones Show shared personal experiences with various scams including credit card fraud, fake online job offers, rental listing scams, and catfishing schemes. Examples included a listener who gave her credit card to a stranger at her door, fake product sales (produce and a cat deposit), unauthorized credit card charges, phishing links, mall-based photography scams, and a 2010 catfishing incident where Bones was deceived by someone posing as a Guess Jeans model. The anecdotes illustrate common scam tactics targeting individuals through unsolicited contact, fake online opportunities, and social engineering.
decrypt.co
· 2025-12-08
Shan Hanes, former CEO of Kansas Heartland Tri-State Bank, was sentenced to over 24 years in prison for embezzling more than $47 million between May and July 2023 to fund a cryptocurrency pig butchering scam. His fraudulent transfers, which also included stealing from a local church and investment club, directly caused the bank's collapse and resulted in $9 million in investor losses. Hanes pleaded guilty to embezzlement by a bank officer, a charge that carries a maximum sentence of 30 years.
sonomasun.com
· 2025-12-08
An 88-year-old woman lost $4,600 to a sophisticated scam that began with a fraudulent Norton AntiVirus email. After calling the number in the email, she was socially engineered into sharing a two-factor authentication code, which gave scammers access to her bank account; they transferred $4,000 to her checking account, then intimidated her into sending back $3,600 via Bitcoin and cash to an Uber driver. The article emphasizes the importance of verifying sources, never sharing sensitive information or authentication codes, consulting trusted individuals, and reporting scams to authorities.
tampabay.com
· 2025-12-08
A cybersecurity firm KnowBe4 discovered that a newly hired remote software engineer was a North Korean scammer operating through a U.S. laptop farm, exposed when the company laptop immediately began downloading password-stealing malware. The scheme involved multiple actors including a compromised American citizen whose identity was stolen, fake references with Gmail addresses, and inconsistencies in the hiring process that the FBI has linked to a known North Korean data-stealing operation targeting I.T. positions at American and British companies. The incident highlights vulnerabilities in remote hiring processes and the need for companies to implement stronger verification procedures, in-person interviews, and cross-referenced background checks to prevent foreign threat actors from infilt
kdhlradio.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers in Prescott, Wisconsin are impersonating IRS agents via phone calls and text messages, claiming victims owe back taxes and threatening arrest warrants to create urgency and panic. The Prescott Police Department advises residents to hang up and contact the IRS directly rather than responding to such unsolicited communications.
americanbanker.com
· 2025-12-08
A widow lost $87,000 to Social Security Administration impersonators who contacted her two weeks after her husband's death, likely finding her through obituaries. The incident illustrates a broader crisis: over 8.68 million elder fraud cases occur annually in the U.S., costing victims an average of $20,015 each and totaling $113.7 billion yearly, with perpetrators increasingly using AI-generated deepfakes and threatening language to exploit vulnerable seniors unfamiliar with modern technology. Several states are responding by passing laws that require banks to report suspected fraud, block suspicious transactions, and train employees to identify elder exploitation schemes.
communitycare.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
This educational guide from Community Care Inform Adults outlines best practices for social workers protecting vulnerable adults from scams, which are recognized as financial abuse under the Care Act 2014. Key recommendations include treating scams as safeguarding concerns, working multi-agency with police and trading standards, acting quickly to prevent escalation, assessing mental capacity, and developing comprehensive risk assessment and protection plans in partnership with clients. The guide notes that 73% of UK adults have been targeted by scams, with 35% (19 million people) losing money, yet fewer than one-third report the crime to authorities.
foxbusiness.com
· 2025-12-08
During back-to-school season, fraudsters employ multiple scams targeting families seeking savings, including deep-discount shopping scams on social media (offering counterfeit or non-existent brand-name items), textbook scams (selling fake or undelivered books at reduced prices), and financial aid scams. The Federal Trade Commission advises consumers to research sellers beyond social media platforms, use credit cards for purchases, avoid payment methods like gift cards and wire transfers, and buy from official retailers to protect themselves from losing money to these schemes.
wxxinews.org
· 2025-12-08
This discussion addresses the rising prevalence of scams targeting older adults, including text message schemes impersonating government agencies (like the Thruway Authority), unsolicited calls offering medical supplies, and investment fraud from fake celebrities. Experts from law enforcement and elder care organizations, along with a caregiver, discuss how to recognize these scams and respond when a loved one has been victimized.
jdsupra.com
· 2025-12-08
Trademark scams targeting applicants and registrants have increased significantly, with fraudsters using fake invoices mimicking the USPTO, unsolicited phone calls demanding immediate payment, and deceptive emails from purported trademark attorneys claiming competing registrations or trademark conflicts. The scams aim to trick victims into paying bogus fees by creating urgency around losing trademark rights, though the USPTO never sends invoices directly to applicants and legitimate communications go only to attorneys of record. Best practices include verifying all trademark communications with your attorney and ignoring unsolicited offers for trademark services or payment demands.
njspotlightnews.org
· 2025-12-08
The FBI reported that scammers stole approximately $3.4 billion from seniors in 2023, with the actual figure likely higher due to underreporting caused by victim embarrassment and uncertainty. Common scams targeting older adults include mail fraud, online scams, and identity theft, often leveraging fear of missing out and appearing legitimate. To protect themselves, seniors should verify the legitimacy of unsolicited communications by contacting companies directly through official websites rather than using contact information provided in suspicious emails or calls.
transylvaniatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Marlene Cronin of Brevard received a phishing email claiming she owed a $7.65 toll road charge with a $765 penalty, which she correctly identified as a scam after calling the unresponsive phone number. The article details the broader elder fraud crisis affecting seniors nationwide, noting that Brevard County's population is over one-third seniors and that scammers employ increasingly sophisticated tactics including emotional manipulation, AI-generated voices, fake emails, and impersonation of government agencies. According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, cybercrime losses reached $12.4 billion in the prior year, with seniors particularly vulnerable due to social isolation, significant savings,
kvoa.com
· 2025-12-08
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes issued an alert about cryptocurrency scams targeting consumers through investment schemes, impersonation fraud, and blackmail extortion. Scammers use phone calls, emails, social media, and dating apps to pose as investment managers, government officials, or love interests to trick victims into buying and transferring cryptocurrency. The Attorney General recommends verifying caller information independently, remaining skeptical of unsolicited requests for cryptocurrency payments, never sharing personal information with unknown callers, consulting trusted individuals before major financial decisions, and reporting suspicious activity to law enforcement.
prunderground.com
· 2025-12-08
Traverse Bay Farms partnered with financial expert Andy LaPointe to promote senior fraud prevention through his book "Senior Savvy: A Comprehensive Guide to Avoiding Scams." The guide educates seniors on recognizing and protecting themselves from various scams including door-to-door, telephone, phishing, social media, romance, and cryptocurrency schemes, while providing actionable strategies for internet safety, password management, and scam reporting.
asic.gov.au
· 2025-12-08
ASIC released a report examining anti-scam practices at 15 banks outside Australia's four major banks and found significant gaps in fraud prevention and victim support. The review identified inconsistent scam strategies, narrow liability approaches, poor customer service responses, and inadequate staff training, with customers bearing 96% of scam losses during 2022-2023. While overall scam losses decreased 13% to $2.74 billion in 2023, reported scams increased 18.5%, highlighting the need for coordinated industry and regulatory action to improve protections for vulnerable customers.
wftv.com
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
During the 2024 election season, Charlotte residents experienced increased political calls and texts, many of which were scams rather than legitimate campaign communications. Equifax's Identity Theft Protection team identified five types of political scams targeting voters: fake polls/surveys, donation scams, impersonation scams, questionable petitions, and voter registration scams. Experts recommend not providing unsolicited information, avoiding pressure to act immediately, verifying directly with official sources, and deleting suspicious messages.
iid.iowa.gov
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece identifies six common scams targeting Iowa storm victims: FEMA impersonation scams, contractor fraud (storm chasers), fake charities, insurance claim scams, phishing communications, and identity theft. The article provides preventative measures for each scam type, including verifying credentials, obtaining multiple estimates, researching charities through watchdog organizations, contacting insurance companies directly, and freezing credit. Resources provided include the Iowa Attorney General's Office, Iowa Insurance Division, and FEMA fraud hotline for reporting suspected fraud.
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
A Baltimore therapist lost over $10,000 in a police impersonation scam in May, when a fraudster claiming to be a Baltimore County Sheriff's officer threatened her with arrest for missing a court date and demanded payment of two citations via bank withdrawals and bitcoin. The scammer kept her on the phone for five hours and attempted to extort additional money before she contacted the actual police department and discovered the fraud; FBI officials warn that recovered funds are rarely returned and recommend hanging up on such calls.
wlos.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational resource compiles key contacts and services for preventing and reporting elder fraud, including the National Elder Fraud Hotline (1-833-FRAUD-11), HELPS Non-Profit Law Firm (855-435-7787), AARP Fraud Watch Network (877-908-3360), and local Buncombe County resources. The guide emphasizes the importance of staying informed through watchdog alerts and utilizing community support services to protect elderly individuals from scams and fraud.