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The Massachusetts Better Business Bureau warns Connecticut residents about 11 prevalent holiday scams including fraudulent USPS package notifications, fake gift card offers, counterfeit job postings, look-alike websites, fake charities, phishing shipping links, puppy sales (with 80% of sponsored pet ads being fake), misleading social media advertisements, social media gift exchange schemes, and holiday-themed apps—all designed to steal personal information or money. Scammers use tactics like impersonating legitimate companies, offering free prizes, and creating convincing replicas of official websites and communications to deceive consumers during the holiday season.

The Better Business Bureau warns of surging online shopping scams expected during the $240 billion holiday season, with reports jumping 125% year-over-year to nearly 30,000 incidents in 2023. Scammers use fake social media advertisements to promote steep discounts on popular items like beauty products, shoes, and viral mugs, as well as pet scams, with over 87% of 2024 reports involving financial losses. The BBB recommends verifying sellers before purchasing, using credit cards, avoiding social media ads, and reporting suspicious activity to protect against these growing fraud schemes.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong held a forum at Union Baptist Church in Stamford to educate seniors about elder justice issues, highlighting that financial fraud and abuse cost seniors in America over $38 billion annually. The Office of the Attorney General and the Coalition for Elder Justice in Connecticut promoted the Elder Justice Hotline (1-860-808-5555), launched in 2021, to help older adults seek information, assistance, and justice against scams and abuse.

Trung Nguyen, a 48-year-old Massachusetts man, was convicted Friday of money laundering charges for operating an unlicensed Bitcoin exchange service from 2017 to 2020 that converted over $1 million in cash into cryptocurrency. His operation facilitated money laundering for a methamphetamine dealer and multiple romance scammers, including $325,000 from a Kansas City victim, $60,000 from a Connecticut victim, and $60,000 from a Massachusetts victim. Nguyen faces decades in prison and hundreds of thousands in fines at his February 12 sentencing.

Tolulope Samuel Bodunde, a 33-year-old Nigerian citizen, was sentenced to two years in prison for participating in a multi-country business email compromise scheme that defrauded multiple victims including Connecticut, Colorado, Alaska, and New York-based companies. Bodunde specifically exploited elderly women through romance scams to serve as unwitting money mules and was ordered to pay $494,939 in restitution to three victims. The criminal network, led by co-conspirator Okechuckwu Valentine Osuji, operated over several years by impersonating legitimate entities in electronic communications to trick victims into transferring money to accounts controlled by the conspirators.

Scammers in Connecticut impersonated the Southwestern Connecticut Agency on Aging to target grieving seniors, using the agency's trusted name to pressure victims into revealing credit card information for fake funeral and burial contracts. The fraudsters identified vulnerable seniors by monitoring obituaries and exploiting their recent losses. Officials warn that legitimate organizations will never pressure callers for immediate payment and encourage seniors to report such scams to the national elder fraud hotline at 833-FRAUD-11.

HSI arrested two men in Rhode Island in connection with elder fraud schemes targeting seniors through online pop-up scams. Jirui Liu, 22, of Canada was charged after allegedly defrauding a 79-year-old man of $30,000 in cash and $130,000 in gold bars by impersonating federal authorities and falsely claiming his assets were compromised; a 72-year-old victim lost nearly $200,000 in a similar scheme involving Kush J. Patel, 22, of Connecticut, who posed as an FTC agent directing the victim to purchase and deliver gold bullion.

Two individuals, Jirui Liu (22, Canada) and Kush J. Patel (22, Connecticut), were charged with wire fraud and money laundering in separate but similar schemes targeting Rhode Island seniors. Liu's scheme defrauded a 79-year-old victim of $35,000 in cash and $130,000 in gold bars through fake pop-up warnings about illegal activity, while Patel's scheme extracted approximately $363,090 in gold bullion from another victim using the same tactics; both defendants were arrested when law enforcement arranged controlled deliveries of counterfeit items.

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AARP Connecticut offers a free bimonthly webinar series called "Fighting Fraud with AARP Connecticut" that educates participants on current fraud schemes including artificial intelligence scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and romance scams through expert speakers and safety tips. The next session is scheduled for Friday, October 25 at noon and can be accessed via Zoom by registering at events.aarp.org/FightFraudOct.

A 79-year-old Narragansett man lost $35,000 in cash and $135,000 in gold bars to an online scam in which fraudsters falsely claimed he was under investigation for child pornography and money laundering, then physically collected the assets from his home. Two men—Jirui Liu of Canada and Kush J. Patel of Connecticut—were arrested and charged with wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy; Liu was caught attempting to collect a final $160,000 payment when police intervened, while Patel separately defrauded a 72-year-old victim of nearly $300,000 in gold bars

Two individuals were charged in federal court for operating online scams targeting Rhode Island seniors. Jirui Liu, 22, of Canada, defrauded a 79-year-old man of $35,000 in cash and $130,000 in gold bars through a scheme involving fake pop-up warnings and impersonation of federal authorities; Kush J. Patel, 22, of Connecticut, defrauded a 72-year-old victim of approximately $363,000 in gold bullion using similar tactics. Both perpetrators were ordered detained and face charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiracy to commit money laundering

Two men—22-year-old Jirui Liu of Ontario and 22-year-old Kush J. Patel of Connecticut—have been charged with wire fraud and money laundering for running online scams targeting Rhode Island seniors. Liu's scheme defrauded a 79-year-old man of $35,000 in cash and $130,000 in gold bars, while Patel's scam victimized another Rhode Islander of approximately $200,000. Both defendants have been detained and appeared in court.

Kush J. Patel, 22, of Connecticut and Jirui Liu, 22, of Canada face federal charges for orchestrating online scams targeting Rhode Island senior citizens, defrauding victims of approximately $200,000 and $165,000 respectively through fake pop-up messages and impersonation of federal agents. The scammers falsely claimed the victims' identities were compromised and directed them to purchase gold bullion as a means to "secure" their assets, with law enforcement ultimately arresting both suspects during undercover delivery operations.

Two young adults—Jirui Liu, 22, of Canada and Kush J. Patel, 22, of Connecticut—were arrested on federal charges for operating separate online fraud schemes targeting elderly Rhode Island residents. Liu defrauded a 79-year-old victim of $35,000 in cash and $130,000 in gold bars through a fake child pornography investigation pop-up, while Patel scammed a 72-year-old victim of nearly $200,000 using false claims about computer viruses and identity theft; both cases involved impersonation of federal agents and prompted law enforcement intervention to recover assets. Authorities encourage elder fraud reporting via the

Two individuals were arrested and ordered detained for their roles in online scams targeting Rhode Island seniors. Jirui Liu, 22, of Canada, was charged in a scheme that defrauded a 79-year-old Narragansett man of approximately $165,000 (cash and gold bars) after a pop-up falsely claimed he was under investigation for child pornography and money laundering; Kush J. Patel, 22, of Connecticut, was charged in a separate scheme where a 72-year-old Tiverton man was defrauded of nearly $200,000 through similar tactics involving a fake FTC agent. Both perpetrators

A 31-year-old New York man was arrested in Branford, Connecticut after operating as a courier in a text message scam scheme that initiates contact with unsuspecting victims through unsolicited "Hello" messages to build fake relationships and extract money. The suspect, Wenije He, was apprehended while attempting to collect a large cash sum believed destined for criminal enterprise and faces larceny and phone fraud charges with a $200,000 bond. Police warn residents to ignore unsolicited texts from unknown numbers, never send money or personal information to unknown contacts, and report suspicious activity to local authorities.

At least six U.S. states—Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Connecticut, Maine, and Delaware—are enacting legislation to empower banks to identify and block suspicious transactions targeting seniors, as cyber fraud against older adults rises with seniors losing $3.4 billion in 2023 alone, largely through impersonation scams. These state-level efforts aim to fill federal protection gaps, though they create varying liability standards for financial institutions and may complicate compliance across different jurisdictions. Florida has already signed nine bills into law effective January 2024, while Pennsylvania's House Bill 2064 and similar measures in other states would allow banks to delay or refuse fraudulent transactions and face reimbursement liability

At least six U.S. states (Pennsylvania, Florida, California, Connecticut, Maine, and Delaware) are enacting legislation to give banks new tools to identify and block suspicious transactions targeting seniors, as cyber fraud against older adults rises and the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau remains inactive. In 2023, impersonation scams alone caused $1.3 billion in losses with nearly half of victims over 60, and seniors filed over 101,000 complaints totaling $3.4 billion in losses. The state bills vary in their approach and liability provisions for financial institutions, though all aim to empower banks to halt or delay transactions suspected of elder financial exploitation.

A new extortion email scam has been circulating in Westchester County and Connecticut, wherein scammers send threatening messages containing victims' home addresses, names, and Google Maps images of their residences, claiming to have hacked their devices and possess embarrassing information, then demanding payment via Bitcoin. Police advise recipients to delete such emails without scanning the Bitcoin QR code or sending money, and to file complaints with the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong will visit the Berlin Senior Center on September 10 to discuss elder justice issues with local seniors, including scams, fraud, elder abuse, neglect, and workplace discrimination. The free program runs from 1-2 p.m. and requires advance registration by calling 860-628-7006 or signing up at the senior center's front desk.

The Town of Plymouth, Connecticut lost over $200,000 in a social engineering scam where fraudsters hacked a vendor, gained access to project information, and sent fake invoices with incorrect payment instructions to the Finance Department; two payments totaling $104,150 were sent before the scheme was discovered. The town's Finance Director resigned following the incident, and the matter was reported to local police, the FBI, and the town's insurance company. The mayor confirmed there is no suspicion of criminal activity by town employees and stated that insurance coverage will offset any losses.

The Town of Plymouth, Connecticut fell victim to a social engineering scam in which fraudsters, after hacking a town vendor's email account, sent fake invoices with incorrect payment instructions to the Finance Department, resulting in two unauthorized payments of $104,150 each totaling $208,300. The town's finance director resigned, and the incident has been reported to local police, the FBI, and the town's insurance company, which is expected to cover the loss.

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.

Following devastating storms and flash flooding in Connecticut, the Department of Consumer Protection warned residents to beware of disaster recovery scams, including fraudulent contractors offering low-cost repairs without contracts and fake charities soliciting donations. State officials advised homeowners to verify contractor credentials, insurance, and identification before hiring, research charities before donating, and watch for signs of water damage when purchasing vehicles, as scammers commonly exploit disaster survivors' urgency and vulnerability.

A trio of thieves in Connecticut stole $479,000 from a retired woman through a complicated check scheme, with authorities indicating the perpetrators attempted to extract a total of $624,818.28 from the victim's bank account. The case involved multiple participants working together to defraud the elderly victim.

A Connecticut resident lost over $68,000 in a phishing scam involving unsolicited cryptocurrency token offers in April, but state police recovered more than $60,000 using blockchain analytics to trace the stolen funds to the suspect's wallet. The investigation identified multiple victims across the country in this ongoing scheme. Connecticut State Police advise residents to avoid unsolicited investment offers and never share personal or financial information with unknown contacts via text, phone, email, or social media.

Connecticut police have warned consumers about "shimming," an evolved fraud technique where criminals insert paper-thin devices into chip card readers to steal payment information and PINs for fraudulent purchases. The Connecticut Better Business Bureau recommends protecting yourself by monitoring accounts regularly, using contactless payment methods like Apple Pay or tap-and-go features, being alert for card readers with unusual resistance, and using ATMs located inside banks rather than standalone machines.

Following a global IT outage, Connecticut's Department of Consumer Protection warned the public that scammers exploit such disruptions by sending phishing emails and texts impersonating IT teams and software companies like CrowdStrike and Microsoft to steal sensitive information. The department advised people to be suspicious of emails with incorrect addresses, typos, unknown links, or requests for passwords, and to report suspected phishing attempts to the FTC, Anti-Phishing Working Group, or via text to SPAM (7726).

Following a global IT outage caused by a CrowdStrike software update in July 2024, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection warned the public of increased phishing, imposter, and scam risks as criminals exploited the situation to target vulnerable users. Officials cautioned people to watch for suspicious emails, text messages, and phone calls impersonating IT teams or tech company support, which may contain malicious links or requests for sensitive information. The department urged consumers to verify sender email addresses, avoid clicking unknown links, and report suspected phishing attempts to the FTC or Anti-Phishing Working Group.

Sextortion, a cyber-based sex crime involving extortion for money, is rapidly increasing across the U.S. and Connecticut, with officials warning of its dangers. The scheme has been linked to the deaths of more than a dozen children who were targeted victims. Authorities are raising awareness about this growing threat to protect vulnerable populations from this form of exploitation.

Connecticut residents should be aware of common summertime scams, including utility company impostor scams where scammers pose as employees to obtain banking information through fake home energy audits, paving scams involving large deposits for driveway work that is never completed or is substandard, and vacation rental fraud where properties advertised online do not exist. To protect themselves, consumers should verify utility company visits by calling the company directly, research contractors thoroughly, use credit cards for unfamiliar vendors, and avoid payment apps like CashApp outside official platforms like Airbnb or Vrbo.

Phishing reports doubled in 2023, with the Better Business Bureau receiving a record 9,238 reports, while Connecticut specifically saw phishing complaints rise from 58 in 2022 to 84 in 2023. Scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence to create more convincing phishing messages via email, text, and voicemail to trick people into divulging personal information. To protect themselves, people should be suspicious of unexpected messages with urgent subject lines and avoid responding to anything that appears suspicious.

A "smishing" scam targeting Connecticut drivers falsely claims they owe outstanding tolls and directs them via text message to fraudulent websites designed to steal login credentials. The FBI reports over 10,000 complaints nationwide about this scam, which exploits reused passwords to gain access to victims' financial accounts and banking information. Consumers are advised to ignore suspicious texts, verify toll balances directly through official websites, use unique passwords, and enable two-factor authentication on financial accounts.

An 85-year-old Boardman man was targeted in a grandparent scam where a caller impersonating his grandson claimed to be in jail, and a second caller posing as an attorney requested $9,500 to resolve the situation. The victim withdrew cash and attempted to ship it via UPS to Connecticut before his daughter discovered the fraud and contacted UPS to stop the delivery. This scam is part of a broader pattern tracked by the FBI, which received over 195 grandparent scam complaints from January through September 2023, resulting in at least $1.9 million in losses.

Connecticut Attorney General William Tong reports that Connecticut consumers lost over $70 million to fraud in 2023, with older Americans particularly targeted not because of generational differences but because they have accumulated savings and steady income sources like Social Security. Tong emphasizes that fraud affects everyone regardless of education or profession, and highlights romance scams as the largest threat to people over 60, where criminals use social media research to build fake relationships before requesting money for emergencies. His office partners with AARP and fellow state attorneys general to combat fraud through public awareness campaigns, though scammers continuously develop new schemes faster than they can be stopped.

Real estate scams are surging, with the FBI's IC3 receiving 9,521 complaints in 2023 resulting in $145.2 million in losses, primarily through business email compromise (BEC) schemes targeting homebuyers and sellers. Notable cases include a Connecticut homebuyer who nearly lost $426,000 after receiving a spoofed email posing as their attorney, and a Texas realtor who identified a fraudulent property listing scheme. Common tactics include fake closing/wire fraud emails, rental listing scams, and home warranty schemes, with scammers exploiting the busy March-June real estate season by impersonating attorneys, lenders, and property owners to steal money

Federal officials recovered more than $2 million that had been stolen through email scams targeting the City of New Haven and a New Haven-based healthcare company. The funds were seized and returned to the victims as part of the federal investigation into the email fraud scheme.

A 73-year-old Connecticut man lost $20,000 in a romance scam after developing an emotional connection to a woman on Facebook who posed as his girlfriend and convinced him the money was for taxes on a supposed windfall. Connecticut implemented a new law effective July 1 that authorizes banks to place temporary holds (up to 45 days) on suspicious transactions for customers 60 and older, allowing time for investigation and potentially preventing financial exploitation before funds are transferred.

East Haven, Connecticut residents were warned about a lottery scam sent via mail claiming they won $500,000 from "Global Link Lottery Inc." and enclosing a fraudulent $6,985 check supposedly for taxes and fees. The scam instructed recipients to call a number to claim their winnings, but police warned that the check is fraudulent and cashing it would make the recipient liable for the lost funds, while calling the number could result in identity theft.

Cryptocurrency investment fraud grew 53% in 2023 to $4.5 billion (potentially $75 billion since 2021), primarily driven by "pig butchering" scams where fraudsters build trust with victims through dating apps and social media before directing them to fake investment platforms. Once victims see fabricated profits, scammers pressure them to invest more before disappearing with the funds; the Connecticut State Police recovered nearly $4 million in 2023, though this represents a fraction of total losses. Key warning signs include unsolicited contact, promises of guaranteed high returns, pressure to invest quickly, unregistered investments, and requests for personal information or unconventional payment methods like cryptocurrency

Transnational criminal organizations are conducting "pig butchering" investment scams targeting Americans, with older Connecticut residents at particular risk. These scams involve fraudsters building trust with victims through dating apps and social media before directing them to fake trading platforms promising high returns on cryptocurrency or forex investments; cryptocurrency fraud alone reached approximately $4.5 billion in 2023, though total losses since 2021 may exceed $75 billion. Connecticut State Police recovered nearly $4 million in assets for victims in 2023, and residents are advised to watch for warning signs including unsolicited contact, promises of guaranteed returns, pressure to invest quickly, and requests for personal information.

State police are warning the public about "pig butchering" scams, where fraudsters build trust with victims through dating apps and social media over weeks or months before luring them into fake cryptocurrency or investment schemes that result in financial loss. Cryptocurrency investment fraud grew over 53% in 2023 to approximately $4.5 billion, and Connecticut's Cryptocurrency Working Group recovered nearly $4 million in assets for victims in 2023. Authorities advise people to be cautious of unsolicited investment advice from online contacts, verify that investment companies are registered with regulatory bodies, watch for pressure to invest quickly, and never use unconventional payment methods like wire transfers or cryptocurrency without proper verification.

Connecticut's Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz held a press conference on March 7 at the Newington Senior & Disabled Center to alert residents about potential scams during National "Slam the Scam" Day. The awareness event, part of National Consumer Protection Week, focused on government imposter scams—a widespread fraud scheme designated by Social Security's Office of the Inspector General as a particular threat to the public.

Fei Liang, 39, of Flushing, Queens, was arrested and charged with scamming over $628,000 from six seniors across the United States between October 2022 and March 2023. Working with a co-conspirator, Liang used spoofed calls impersonating Social Security Administration officials, banks, Microsoft, Amazon, and other entities to trick victims into wiring money to bogus corporate bank accounts he opened in Queens; the stolen funds were then transferred to accounts in Hong Kong and China, with some proceeds allegedly used for gambling. The victims ranged from Connecticut to California and lost between $48,000 and $190,000 each

The Connecticut legislature's Aging Committee is considering three bills to protect elderly residents, including House Bill 5210, which would establish an elder justice unit within the Division of Criminal Justice to investigate and prosecute crimes against seniors, with $2 million in requested funding. The committee also heard testimony on Senate Bill 156, which would require nursing homes to allocate 80% of state Medicaid reimbursements to direct resident care, and a third bill addressing nursing home quality of life issues. While advocates like AARP Connecticut support the elder justice unit—citing a recent case where perpetrators stole nearly $480,000 from an elderly victim—Chief State's Attorney Patrick Griffin expressed concerns about current funding an

AARP Connecticut is launching a new educational series to address the growing complexity of scams targeting older adults, with 400 different scam types reported in 2022. Seniors are frequently targeted because they tend to have more financial resources, and losses can range from hundreds to hundreds of thousands of dollars, with emotional and psychological impacts extending beyond financial harm. The free online series will cover topics including artificial intelligence and voice cloning scams, with a Connecticut man recently indicted for defrauding Wisconsin seniors of $200,000 through grandparent impersonation scams.

Connecticut State Police are investigating multiple bail bond scams across East Haddam, Somers, and other towns where a man (described as approximately 6'3", late 20s) posed as a bail bondsman representative and collected cash directly from residents' homes after convincing them a family member needed bail money. At least three incidents occurred within one week, with victims withdrawing cash from their banks before someone arrived at their homes to pick up the money in person. State police advise residents to verify claims about family members in custody by contacting relatives directly and to be alert for warning signs such as being told not to discuss the request with others.

Connecticut State Police are investigating multiple "bail scams" in which victims received phone calls falsely claiming a family member was arrested and needed bail money, with a person posing as a bail bondsman collecting cash in person. At least three incidents have been reported in East Haddam and Somers, with police seeking a Black male in his late 20s, approximately 6'3", described as the person of interest. State police warn that bail scams often target seniors but can affect anyone, and advise never providing personal or financial information without verifying the request's legitimacy.

Robert Tobey, a Connecticut man with early-stage dementia, lost at least $5,000 to phone scammers between late 2018 and early 2019 who posed as friends, manipulating him into sending gift cards and money transfers and compromising his Social Security account. The article reports that scams affecting Cape Cod residents include romance scams, government impersonation schemes, sweepstakes scams, and grandchild-in-jail scams, with the National Council on Aging estimating five million older Americans lose $36.5 billion annually to fraud. Law enforcement warns that scams are constantly evolving and advise victims to hang up on suspicious calls