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wect.com
· 2026-08-13
State and local agencies in Brunswick County, North Carolina held a free community awareness event called "Scam Jam" to educate job seekers and residents about employment fraud and identity theft risks. The event, hosted by NCWorks Career Center at Brunswick Community College, featured presentations on identifying job scams, protecting personal information, understanding worker rights, and recognizing legitimate hiring practices. No specific fraud cases or dollar losses were mentioned; the focus was preventative education as job scams continue to increase.
abc7.com
· 2026-08-13
Eleven people in New York were arrested for operating an international marriage fraud scheme that facilitated sham marriages between American citizens and foreign nationals, primarily Chinese, seeking green cards and U.S. citizenship over more than a decade. Foreign nationals paid up to $100,000 each for assistance in arranging fraudulent marriages complete with staged ceremonies, with prosecutors estimating the network generated tens of millions of dollars from hundreds of victims. The defendants face up to 10 years in federal prison if convicted in what authorities describe as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.
legit.ng
· 2026-08-13
Babajide Adesayo, 41, of Georgia, was convicted on August 6, 2026, of laundering $2.7 million stolen from elderly victims through romance scams orchestrated between April 2020 and September 2021. Adesayo operated as a central figure in a transnational network that posed as romantic interests and business partners to defraud victims, then rapidly moved the stolen funds through accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and other countries to prevent recovery. He faces up to 20 years in prison per conspiracy count and was convicted on 18 charges including money laundering offenses.
giant.fm
· 2026-08-13
Teresa Palmer, a 55-year-old branch manager at Credit Union 1 in Columbus, Indiana, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing $381,400.05 from elderly and vulnerable customers between 2021 and 2022. Palmer exploited her access to customer accounts by forging signatures, making unauthorized withdrawals, and fraudulently issuing cashier's checks, targeting victims including one with dementia who could not monitor their finances. She was ordered to pay full restitution of $381,400.05 to her victims.
ilmattino.it
· 2026-08-13
A 30-year-old man from the Naples area was arrested in Avellino for running a "fake carabiniere" scam targeting elderly victims across six municipalities between May and June 2026. The suspect posed as a law enforcement officer over the phone to convince seniors that relatives had legal problems, then sent accomplices to collect cash, jewelry, and other valuables worth tens of thousands of euros from their homes. Investigation evidence including surveillance footage, phone records, and witness testimony led to his identification and pre-trial detention.
townhall.com
· 2026-08-13
Babajide Adesayo, a Georgia man, was convicted of laundering $2.7 million stolen from elderly victims through romance and online scams between April 2020 and September 2021. Fraudsters posed as romantic partners or business associates to convince elderly victims to send their retirement savings, which Adesayo then transferred overseas to China, Hong Kong, and Nigeria to prevent recovery. Adesayo continued laundering money even after his indictment and arrest, and now faces up to 20 years in prison per conspiracy charge.
techtimes.com
· 2026-08-13
President Trump signed an executive order authorizing vetted private companies to conduct offensive cyber operations—including covert access and system disruption—against foreign criminal networks for the first time in U.S. history, addressing the $20.8 billion in cyber-enabled crimes Americans lost in 2025 to ransomware, pig-butchering scams, and financial fraud. The program creates "Participating Companies" that gain legal immunity from the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act when conducting government-approved surveillance and sabotage operations against foreign cybercriminals, with safeguards including dual approval requirements from DOJ and DHS directors and potential $1 million bond requirements for non-compliance.
dawn.com
· 2026-08-13
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency arrested 114 foreign nationals (111 Chinese and 3 Vietnamese) operating a cyber-romance and sextortion network from an IT business in Islamabad, Pakistan. The network allegedly lured victims into explicit online conversations and videos, then exploited the material for blackmail and financial fraud targeting individuals across multiple countries. The investigation revealed organized cybercrime activities linked to cyber-romance financial fraud, with charges filed under Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and Penal Code.
pakistantoday.com.pk
· 2026-08-13
Pakistani authorities arrested 114 foreign nationals (111 Chinese and 3 Vietnamese) in Islamabad who were allegedly operating a cyber-romance and sextortion network from an IT company, targeting victims in multiple countries by luring them into explicit online interactions and then using the material for extortion and financial fraud. The suspects face charges under Pakistan's cyber crime and penal codes related to electronic fraud, sexual exploitation, and organized criminal activity, with investigations ongoing to identify additional victims and trace the financial infrastructure used in the scheme.
hoodline.com
· 2026-08-13
A York County man lost $47,000 to a romance scam where a 27-year-old Bronx resident posed as a grieving widow named "Lara Lafayette" on a dating app for widowed people, claiming she needed money to access an inheritance from her deceased father. The suspect, Abdul Rashid Ibraham, created fraudulent documents and bank certificates to convince the victim to send checks between March and April, before the scheme unraveled when a bank employee reported the suspicious activity. Ibraham faces felony charges including theft by deception and financial exploitation of an older adult, with investigators also discovering he used a stolen identity to open the bank account where the checks were deposited.
dawn.com
· 2026-08-13
Pakistani authorities arrested 114 foreign nationals (111 Chinese and 3 Vietnamese) operating a cyber-romance and sextortion network from an IT business in Islamabad, where they lured victims into explicit online conversations and exploited the material for extortion and financial fraud. The investigation revealed the organized cybercrime operation targeted individuals across multiple countries, with no specific victim loss amounts disclosed in the report. The suspects face charges under Pakistan's Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act and Pakistan Penal Code, with potential sentences up to seven years imprisonment and fines up to Rs10 million ($38,000 USD).
nbclosangeles.com
· 2026-08-13
Five men were arrested in Glendale following an investigation into a mail theft and identity theft scheme at an apartment complex on West Colorado Street, where suspects allegedly tampered with mailboxes, stole residents' mail, and used stolen personal information to fraudulently obtain credit cards. During search warrants executed on August 13, detectives recovered credit card re-encoding devices, numerous fraudulent credit cards, personal identity information, cash, and gold from the suspects' units. The investigation is ongoing as authorities work to identify additional victims whose information may have been used in the fraudulent scheme.
yahoo.com
· 2026-08-12
A stolen vehicle recovered in Virginia led authorities to discover gold coins and a gold bar connected to a $2 million fraud scheme targeting elderly victims who were persuaded to purchase gold for scammers. The investigation identified at least one victim in James City County who made multiple payments to the suspects, with approximately $2 million expected to be recovered. The multi-state scheme, involving suspects who transported the gold to New York to be melted down, is believed to extend across Pennsylvania, Illinois, Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, and New York.
newsbreak.com
· 2026-08-12
In port-out or SIM-swap attacks, criminals convince wireless carriers to transfer a victim's phone number to a device they control, allowing them to intercept one-time verification codes and gain access to bank accounts, email, and investment accounts. The FBI recorded SIM-swap complaints rising over 400 percent in three years with reported losses exceeding $68 million, with older adults holding large account balances being frequent targets. Protection requires adding a port-out PIN to wireless accounts and using app-based authentication instead of text-based verification codes.
manxradio.com
· 2026-08-12
Over 500 business professionals, regulators, and law enforcement officers gathered at a conference in Douglas to address financial crime, including discussions on "pig-butchering" (online investment fraud) and transnational criminal enterprises. U.S. Treasury officers presented insights into sanctions investigations, while the UK National Crime Agency discussed Operation Atlantic, an initiative targeting online investment fraud schemes.
kompas.id
· 2026-08-12
Foreign cyber syndicates are operating from Indonesia by exploiting legal jurisdictional loopholes, primarily running love scams, online fraud, and gambling schemes that target victims abroad to avoid Indonesian law enforcement. From January to August 2026, Indonesia's immigration authority took action against 10,911 foreign nationals for administrative violations related to these crimes, a 146% increase from 2025, with perpetrators from countries like Vietnam and China deliberately targeting victims in the United States, Mexico, and other foreign nations. Since direct criminal prosecution is hindered by the absence of domestic victims, authorities are using immigration law violations as the primary enforcement mechanism to deport or prosecute the offenders.
thepaypers.com
· 2026-08-12
Cryptocurrency fraud has evolved from a niche problem into a mainstream threat affecting banks, payment providers, and ecommerce platforms, with organized operations running "pig butchering" romance and investment scams from industrial compounds in Southeast Asia targeting victims globally for an estimated USD 18–37 billion in losses in 2023 alone. Common crypto scam types include romance/investment schemes, phishing attacks that steal wallet credentials, fake investment platforms using Ponzi structures, and insider threats from employees with privileged access to digital assets. Financial institutions and regulators must understand how these professionally-run, script-based fraud operations work to identify them earlier in the transaction chain rather than after funds are lost.
dailypost.ng
· 2026-08-12
Artificial intelligence is enabling 55% of cybercrimes across Africa, with losses surging from $192 million in 2024 to $484 million in 2025, according to INTERPOL's African Cyberthreat Assessment Report. AI-facilitated scams include credential harvesting, phishing, and the use of AI-generated digital personas to bypass biometric systems and commit mobile money fraud, business email compromise, and romance scams. INTERPOL warns that fragmented cybercrime legislation and low AI readiness among African law enforcement agencies, combined with poor inter-agency data sharing between banks and authorities, are hampering efforts to combat this industrialized, transnational criminal ecosystem.
unionleader.com
· 2026-08-12
Scammers steal an estimated $7 billion annually from senior citizens, with those living with dementia facing heightened vulnerability due to cognitive decline affecting memory and judgment. The Alzheimer's Foundation of America recommends the S.A.F.E. approach—solidifying security practices, applying blocking tools, finding monitors for financial activity, and establishing stronger safeguards—to help caregivers protect loved ones with dementia from fraud and identity theft.
altoonamirror.com
· 2026-08-12
Pennsylvania Attorney General David Sunday is urging passage of Senate Bill 738, which would allow bank employees to place seven-day holds on transactions suspected of fraud, with possible 15-day extensions by officials. The push comes as older adults in Pennsylvania lost nearly $216 million to online scams in 2025, with investment scams accounting for over $98 million (up 75% from 2024), government impersonation scams at $10.66 million, and romance scams at $20.2 million. Similar fraud-prevention legislation has already been enacted in at least 33 states, including Georgia as of July 1.
asialink.unimelb.edu.au
· 2026-08-12
Online scam compounds operating across Cambodia and the broader Southeast Asian region generate an estimated $12.5 billion to $40 billion annually, with victims targeted globally from fortified facilities resembling prisons. The proliferation of these operations has been enabled by Cambodia's erosion of democratic checks and balances since 2013, with evidence suggesting high-level government officials and their relatives have financial stakes in or direct ties to cybercrime syndicates. In 2024 alone, Cambodians lost $40 million to online scams, while foreign workers trapped in these compounds have endured slave-like conditions including rape and torture.
dallasexpress.com
· 2026-08-12
Teresa Palmer, a 55-year-old former credit union branch manager in Columbus, Indiana, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing over $381,000 from customer accounts between January 2021 and December 2022. Palmer exploited her position to forge customer signatures, issue unauthorized cashier's checks, and conduct hundreds of fraudulent transactions targeting elderly and vulnerable customers, including one with dementia, diverting the stolen funds to personal expenses including gambling. She was ordered to pay $381,400.05 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release.
theindianalawyer.com
· 2026-08-12
Former Centra Credit Union manager Teresa Palmer was sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay $381,400 in restitution after pleading guilty to bank fraud for stealing from at least four elderly or financially vulnerable customers between 2021 and 2022. Palmer forged customer signatures on banking documents, made unauthorized cash withdrawals, and fraudulently issued cashier's checks, keeping the proceeds for herself. The credit union discovered the fraud during an internal investigation and terminated Palmer in December 2022.
wishtv.com
· 2026-08-12
Teresa Palmer, a 55-year-old former Credit Union 1 branch manager in Columbus, Indiana, was sentenced to three years in federal prison for stealing $381,400.05 from four customer accounts over two years by forging signatures and issuing fraudulent cashier's checks. Palmer deliberately targeted elderly customers and individuals unable to monitor their finances, including one victim with dementia, using stolen funds for personal expenses and gambling. She must pay full restitution of $381,400.05 to her victims.
hoodline.com
· 2026-08-12
A 71-year-old Lorain woman lost $30,000 in a tech support scam where a fraudster posing as a Microsoft representative convinced her that federal investigators needed to move her money to a secure account to protect it from hackers and criminal activity. The scammer stayed on the phone while she withdrew the cash from her bank and instructed her to hand it over in a shoebox to a stranger in a Kohl's parking lot, where an Asian man in his early 20s collected the money and disappeared. The woman did not realize she was being robbed until after the exchange, as the scammer had coached her throughout the entire process to make her believe he was helping protect her accounts.
dailyhodl.com
· 2026-08-12
William Ly, a 26-year-old California man, is accused of draining an 89-year-old retiree's cryptocurrency account of over $97,000 through more than 80 unauthorized transactions over 15 months after befriending the victim at a local seniors' breakfast club and resetting his Coinbase password. Ly was arrested in August 2025 and faces charges of financial elder abuse, grand theft, and identity theft, with authorities suspecting additional victims may exist.
smh.com.au
· 2026-08-12
AI-generated scam emails impersonating prestigious publishers, editors, and media figures are targeting authors internationally with fake publishing deals and promotional opportunities. Scammers use AI to create convincing, detailed emails that reference authors' work and professional credentials before eventually requesting payment for services. The Australian Society of Authors has reported a significant surge in these "pig butchering" style scams, with some writers receiving multiple fraudulent emails daily.
yahoo.com
· 2026-08-12
A Dooly County man lost $164,000 in a "Pig Butchering" romance scam, where he was deceived through Facebook into investing in fake cryptocurrency by someone posing as a woman. After the victim reported the crime to the FBI, federal prosecutors successfully seized approximately $18,000 worth of Bitcoin that had been stolen from him, with the suspected scammers operating out of Malaysia. The case highlights a growing trend of cryptocurrency investment fraud, with Georgia residents reporting over $152 million in investment fraud losses in 2024, with crypto accounting for $132 million of that total.
risingsunnewspapers.co.za
· 2026-08-12
On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons (July 30), South African activist Romita Hanuman-Pillay highlighted how traffickers use scams to exploit victims, particularly through fake job advertisements, online fraud operations, and romance scams that target people globally. She warned that transnational organized crime groups force thousands into financial fraud schemes and industrial-scale cybercrime operations, with major trafficking hotspots in South Africa including Durban, Johannesburg, and Bloemfontein. Victims are typically lured through false employment promises or kidnapped directly, with traffickers increasingly using social media to identify and exploit targets by monitoring their personal information and online patterns.
abcnews.com
· 2026-08-12
Former Southern Poverty Law Center CFO Heidi Beirich was arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for allegedly overseeing fraudulent donor payments to informants infiltrating hate groups, including one KKK imperial wizard and an individual with whom she had a romantic relationship and shared a bank account. Between 2015 and 2021, approximately $140,000 in donor funds flowed into the shared account with one informant who had received over $1 million from the SPLC since 2007. Beirich is the first individual charged in connection with the SPLC organization's April indictment on bank fraud and money laundering charges.
newsnationnow.com
· 2026-08-11
A jury duty scam is spreading nationwide where callers impersonate law enforcement and claim victims missed jury duty summons, demanding immediate payment of thousands of dollars to avoid arrest. The scammers use psychological tactics including empathetic tones, incremental compliance requests, and personal information obtained through spyware to pressure victims into paying via wire transfer, cryptocurrency, or retail stores. Reported losses include $25,000 in Florida and $2,000 in Ohio, with police warning that legitimate courts never demand immediate payment by phone, text, email, cryptocurrency, or gift cards.
mk.co.kr
· 2026-08-11
A criminal organization of seven members, including a Chinese man in his 50s, defrauded 436 people of approximately 40.9 billion won by creating a fake volunteer group called "Brilliance Team" and promoting fraudulent investments in a non-existent virtual asset called "AIXT Coin." The group used multiple deceptive tactics including Ponzi scheme mechanics, romance scams, multi-level recruitment, and AI manipulation through fake media coverage to build credibility before disappearing after failing to deliver promised exchange listings. Victims and police suggest the actual damage could reach hundreds of billions of won with thousands of additional undocumented victims.
punchng.com
· 2026-08-11
An Interpol report warns that artificial intelligence is being used in 55% of cybercrimes across Africa, with Nigeria, South Africa, South Sudan, and Namibia being the most affected countries between January 2024 and September 2025. AI-enabled crimes include deepfakes, romance scams, ransomware attacks targeting healthcare and utilities, and Business Email Compromise (BEC) schemes, with Nigerian cybercriminals routing illicit proceeds through crypto exchanges and money-laundering operations. Nigeria accounted for $92 billion of the $205 billion in cryptocurrency transactions during this period, with attackers using generative AI, machine learning, and voice cloning to scale attacks and evade detection
fox5atlanta.com
· 2026-08-11
A federal jury convicted 41-year-old Babajide Adesayo of Douglasville, Georgia for his role in a transnational romance and business scam that defrauded elderly victims of $2.7 million between April 2020 and September 2021. Adesayo acted as a money launderer for an international network, receiving stolen retirement savings under the guise of an automotive business and then wiring the funds to accounts in China, Hong Kong, and Nigeria. He was found guilty of two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 16 counts of transactional money laundering, with sentencing scheduled for November 20.
suffolktimes.timesreview.com
· 2026-08-11
A Southold woman lost nearly $7,000 in a grandson scam where callers falsely claimed her grandson needed bail money for a DWI arrest, with a courier collecting the cash from her home. Jonathan Manuel, 37, of Paterson, New Jersey, was arrested and charged with third-degree grand larceny after police recovered the $6,720 from his vehicle. The same day, town officials also warned residents about fraudulent emails impersonating the Zoning Board of Appeals and requesting payment through suspicious links.
foxnews.com
· 2026-08-11
Maribeth Ellen Jones, 51, of Bonita Springs, Florida, was arrested for fraudulently claiming to have cancer between 2022 and 2024 and scamming over 238 people out of more than $40,000 through GoFundMe campaigns and direct donations. Jones, an activities director, fabricated her illness and even had community members cut her hair to simulate chemotherapy preparation, using the stolen funds to pay personal debts. GoFundMe removed her fundraisers, banned her account, and refunded over $41,000 to donors through their Giving Guarantee program.
newsbreak.com
· 2026-08-11
Once elder fraud money is wired overseas or converted to cryptocurrency, it is virtually impossible to recover because these transfers are designed to be fast and irreversible, making prevention the only realistic strategy. The key to stopping fraud is recognizing the artificial urgency built into scam scripts—whether involving a fake grandchild, phony government agent, or tech support—since legitimate agencies never demand immediate payment through untraceable channels like wire transfers, gift cards, or crypto. The most effective defense is introducing a delay by consulting a trusted family member or verifying the request through an official number, which dissolves the pressure that makes these scams work.
goldrushcam.com
· 2026-08-11
William Ly, 26, of Simi Valley was arrested for stealing over $97,000 from an 89-year-old victim through a financial elder abuse scheme that spanned from June 2024 to September 2025. Ly befriended the victim at a local breakfast club, gained access to his Coinbase cryptocurrency account, and conducted more than 80 unauthorized transactions transferring funds to accounts and wallets in his name. The Ventura County Sheriff's Office, working with the FBI and Ventura County Fraud Working Group, is investigating whether there may be additional victims.
fincrimecentral.com
· 2026-08-11
Babajide Adesayo, a 41-year-old Georgia resident, was convicted of laundering over $2.7 million stolen from elderly victims of romance fraud and other online schemes between April 2020 and September 2021. Adesayo received the criminal proceeds through business accounts controlled by co-defendant Efemena Igbe, disguised the transfers as vehicle sales, and rapidly moved the funds to overseas accounts in China, Hong Kong, Nigeria, and other jurisdictions. The victims, primarily elderly people deceived by fraudsters posing as romantic partners or business contacts, had been manipulated into sending retirement savings and substantial personal funds based on fabricated emergencies.
hoodline.com
· 2026-08-11
Babajide Adesayo, a Douglasville man, was convicted on all 18 counts of money laundering after moving over $2.7 million stolen from romance scam victims through a transnational network to accounts in China, Hong Kong, and Nigeria between April 2020 and September 2021. The scammers posed as romantic partners, friends, or business associates to defraud primarily elderly victims of their retirement savings through false stories about business equipment, imprisonment, and medical emergencies. Adesayo faces up to 20 years per conspiracy count and up to 10 years per transactional money laundering count, with sentencing scheduled for November 20.
thenextweb.com
· 2026-08-11
Impersonation scams using AI technology surged over 1,400% in 2025, with AI-enabled operations generating 4.5 times more revenue than non-AI operations while reaching significantly more victims through deepfake identity verification that costs as little as $20 and defeats liveness checks 58% of the time. Crypto accounts for 88% of all detected deepfake fraud globally, with North American losses exceeding $410 million in the first half of 2025, though enforcement efforts have resulted in $4.4 billion in frozen assets and nearly 5,800 arrests across 97 countries.
wjcl.com
· 2026-08-11
A Douglasville man was convicted of laundering over $2.7 million stolen from romance scam victims, primarily elderly adults who lost retirement savings between April 2020 and September 2021. Babajide Adesayo helped move victims' funds through a transnational network to China, Hong Kong, and Nigeria by disguising the transactions as vehicle payments from his automotive business. He was convicted on two counts of conspiracy to commit money laundering and 16 counts of transactional money laundering, with sentencing scheduled for November 20.
cyberpeace.org
· 2026-08-11
A scam network in Hyderabad, India used AI-generated images and affordable "rent a boyfriend" service packages (₹499-₹4,499) advertised via social media to target lonely individuals, particularly young women, who paid via QR codes before the fraudsters disappeared. The scheme exploits loneliness and uses classic confidence-fraud tactics including love bombing and mirrored interests to lower victims' guard before requesting payment. Global romance and confidence fraud losses reached $929.3 million in 2025 according to the FBI, with AI-generated profiles increasingly used as an accelerant for such scams.
nbcnewyork.com
· 2026-08-11
Carmine Agnello, grandson of mob boss John Gotti, reported to federal prison to serve a 15-month sentence after pleading guilty to wire fraud for illegally obtaining $1.1 million in COVID-19 relief loans. He had attempted to delay his surrender by claiming he would donate a kidney to his mother Victoria Gotti, but a federal judge rejected the deferral request after finding no concrete evidence the transplant surgery was imminent. Agnello fraudulently obtained the loans through his company by lying about employee count, his criminal record, and how he would use the funds, ultimately spending the money on other ventures including a cryptocurrency investment.
jamaica-gleaner.com
· 2026-08-10
Two Jamaican lottery scammers used used-car dealerships in Jamaica and the US to launder over US$9 million stolen from more than 200 elderly American victims through sweepstakes fraud schemes. Jordan Trought and his co-accused directed victims to deposit funds into accounts associated with their car dealerships, with documented cases showing individual victims losing between US$114,000 and US$450,000 each. Law enforcement officials warn that the largely unregulated used-car industry has become an increasingly attractive money-laundering vehicle for international fraud operations targeting seniors.
chinadailyasia.com
· 2026-08-10
Hong Kong police dismantled a "compensated dating" scam syndicate on August 4, arresting eight people involved in 80 fraud cases totaling over HK$6.2 million ($790,000) in losses. The scam, which operated since 2024, used online advertisements offering "sugar daddy" arrangements and fake lawyers to trick victims—predominantly women aged 19-41—into paying legal and penalty fees with promises of refunds that never materialized. Some victims were targeted again by secondary scams claiming to recover their losses.
singjupost.com
· 2026-08-10
This transcript from an August 2026 FBI interview does not contain information about elder fraud, scams targeting seniors, or fraud cases suitable for an elder fraud research database. The content focuses on FBI Director Kash Patel discussing World Cup security operations, counter-drone systems, and mentions Operation Blackout only in passing without substantive details about scam victims or fraud amounts.
koreapost.com
· 2026-08-10
South Korean financial authorities conducted an anti-phishing campaign at Busan Sea Festival warning the public about sophisticated voice-phishing scams that use deceptive text messages impersonating wedding invitations, parcel deliveries, and fine notices to trick victims into installing malicious apps. Voice-phishing losses in South Korea surged 56.1% year-over-year to 1.133 trillion won between January and November 2025, though recent government intervention measures have reduced cases and losses by 35.3% over seven consecutive months. Authorities express concern that criminals may be shifting tactics to newer scams on social media and messaging platforms rather than being deterred entirely.
stories.td.com
· 2026-08-10
Fraud losses reached $16 billion in 2024, a 25% increase from 2023, with rising scams involving fake celebrity endorsements, cryptocurrency schemes, and QR code fraud. Criminals are increasingly using stolen celebrity images on social media to lure victims into bogus investment schemes and pressuring people, particularly seniors, to send money through cryptocurrency ATMs where funds are nearly impossible to recover. Experts recommend verifying information sources directly, remaining skeptical of social media claims, and openly discussing fraud experiences to help others recognize warning signs.
community.triblive.com
· 2026-08-10
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday warned of a rising "government imposter scam" where callers use number spoofing to impersonate county sheriff's offices and demand immediate payment via phone for bail or bonds, claiming arrest warrants have been issued. Scammers pressure victims to pay through untraceable methods like gift cards, Bitcoin, or cash withdrawals, exploiting the urgency created by false legal threats. Legitimate law enforcement never demands immediate phone payments, and residents are urged to hang up, independently verify information, and report suspicious calls to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.