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Two Romanian nationals, Andrei Fagaras (35) and Tamas Kolozsvari (30), were indicted in January 2025 on three counts of access device fraud for possessing credit and debit card skimmers at three locations in Louisiana in November 2024. If convicted, each defendant faces up to 15 years imprisonment, supervised release, and fines up to $250,000 per count.

**Summary:** John Sposato, a 73-year-old Mississippi resident, was sentenced to 10 months in prison plus an additional 6 months for violating supervised release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit bank fraud. While on supervised release from a prior conviction, Sposato attempted to deposit a counterfeit $10,000 check drawn on a Florida nonprofit organization's account into a credit union account under his shell company name, Pegasus Consulting, and falsely claimed to probation officers that the check was legitimate consulting compensation.

A Louisiana woman discovered her inherited family property had been fraudulently sold for $45,000 when she attempted to pay taxes on the lot in December; criminals used identity theft with a forged signature, stolen notary stamp, and fake witnesses to impersonate her and transfer the deed to a company. Although the $45,000 payment was frozen and reversed, Batiste continues fighting to restore her legal title to the property, which has been in her family for over 200 years. Investigators believe this case may be connected to an international crime ring, as similar real estate identity theft schemes are becoming increasingly common across the nation.

A 77-year-old blind military veteran in Opelousas, Louisiana was financially exploited by his caregiver, Marvin Washington (63), who illegally collected the victim's $1,408-monthly VA benefits and accessed his financial account without authorization, resulting in the veteran being denied necessary rehabilitation care. Washington was charged with exploitation of the infirmed and access device fraud, while his wife Mary Washington was charged as an accessory after the fact; both suspects turned themselves in on March 10th. The article advises anyone suspecting veteran financial exploitation to report it to the VA Office of Inspector General at (800) 488-8244 and to contact local authorities and Adult Protective Services as

State officials are warning Americans about a surge of "smishing" scams—SMS text messages impersonating toll collection agencies—that attempt to trick recipients into revealing financial information like credit card or bank account details. A cybersecurity firm identified a threat actor who registered over 10,000 domains to conduct these scams across at least 10 U.S. states and Ontario, Canada, with messages falsely claiming unpaid tolls and threatening fines or suspended driving privileges. Authorities advise recipients not to click suspicious links or reply to these texts and to report them to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.

This educational article identifies New Jersey as the safest U.S. state for retirees based on FBI data analysis, citing low violent and property crime rates, minimal senior involvement in fatal accidents, and strong healthcare access. The article also lists nine additional safe states for retirement (New York, Mississippi, Louisiana, Nebraska, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Connecticut, Alabama) and warns against five states with higher risks of elder fraud, property crime, and scams (Colorado, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, New Mexico).

Scammers nationwide are sending text messages claiming recipients owe unpaid tolls through services like E-Z Pass, SunPass, FastTrak, and GeauxPass, directing victims to fraudulent websites that mimic official government sites to steal personal and financial information. This "smishing" scam affects thousands of people including those in states without toll roads, with red flags including suspicious sender phone numbers, misspelled URLs, and threats of late fees or legal action. The Louisiana Department of Transportation advises never clicking links in unsolicited toll texts and instead calling official customer service lines directly to verify account status.

A woman in Baton Rouge, Louisiana lost $1,400 in a phone scam where imposters falsely claimed to be from the East Baton Rouge Parish Sheriff's Office and threatened her with arrest for a missed court appearance, demanding she pay via Bitcoin to avoid immediate arrest. Law enforcement confirmed multiple victims fell for this scheme, with another victim losing nearly $7,000, and officials emphasized that legitimate law enforcement never demands immediate payment over the phone or threatens arrest without proper legal procedures.

A 36-year-old Florida woman pleaded guilty to wire fraud for embezzling approximately $535,751 in customer cash down payments and deposits from a New Orleans car dealership where she worked as a senior accountant between November 2018 and May 2023. She concealed the theft by creating fake journal entries in the dealership's records and agreed to pay full restitution as part of her plea agreement. She faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing scheduled for June 25, 2025.

A 75-year-old Louisiana woman fell victim to a Social Security scam after receiving official-looking mail claiming she needed to submit personal information by a deadline to keep her benefits; the fraudulent letters contained her Social Security number but had telltale signs of forgery including grammatical errors and inconsistent fonts. The Social Security Administration reports that scammers impersonate it more than any other government agency, with over 260,000 fraud reports last year, primarily targeting seniors aged 65 and older through mail and phone calls. Experts advise verifying any SSA correspondence and note that the legitimate SSA will not call or email citizens unsolicited.

A 75-year-old Louisiana woman fell victim to a Social Security Administration impersonation scam after receiving fraudulent mail claiming she needed to submit personal information by March 28 to maintain her benefits. The fake letters, which contained grammatical errors and inconsistent fonts, prompted her sister to warn others after discovering the scam. According to the Better Business Bureau, seniors aged 65+ are frequent targets of these scams, with over 260,000 people reporting Social Security-related fraud last year, making it the most impersonated government agency by scammers.

**Educational Presentation on Elder Fraud Prevention** Sharon Creque of the Louisiana Attorney General's office presented to the Zachary Rotary Club on April 24 about the growing threat of elder fraud, which includes fake IRS calls, Medicare fraud, and identity theft targeting seniors through sophisticated scams. Key prevention measures include never sharing personal or financial information on unsolicited calls, hanging up on suspicious callers, using caller ID to block unknowns, and avoiding unfamiliar email links that may contain malware. The presentation emphasized that many cases go unreported due to victim embarrassment or confusion, and encouraged community awareness and reporting through the state attorney general's office.

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles is alerting residents to a text message scam in which fraudsters impersonate the OMV and claim recipients owe toll penalty fees, with the goal of stealing personal information and charging unauthorized fees. The OMV does not collect toll violations via text or email and recommends residents delete suspicious messages, report them to reportfraud.ftc.gov, and avoid clicking links or sharing personal information with unverified sources. Residents are advised to use only the official OMV website (expresslane.org) for online vehicle services to avoid unofficial sites that may collect personal data and charge excessive fees.

Rachel Watts Sanders, a 40-year-old mail contractor from Louisiana, pleaded guilty to wire fraud and mail theft after stealing over 40 checks from U.S. mail, forging endorsements, and depositing them into her personal bank account. She faces up to 20 years imprisonment for wire fraud and 5 years for mail theft, plus potential fines of up to $250,000 per count. The case was investigated by the U.S. Postal Service Office of the Inspector General.

Kenneth Richmond, a 64-year-old New Orleans resident, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft for a 2022 scheme in which he and an accomplice used fake and stolen personal information to fraudulently purchase vehicles from a local dealership, including financing a Dodge Challenger with a victim's stolen identity. The fraud caused approximately $124,031.41 in losses to the dealership, with several financed loans defaulting. Richmond faces up to 20 years in prison plus a mandatory consecutive 2-year sentence, with sentencing scheduled for August 14, 2025.

A 69-year-old Philadelphia woman nearly fell victim to a sophisticated tech support scam in which fraudsters posed as Norton antivirus, Microsoft, and her bank, threatening her with arrest and claiming hackers had transferred $18,000 to Russian accounts unless she purchased cryptocurrency. She avoided losing money after recalling that a friend had lost $800,000 to a similar scam and hung up the phone. Experts note that artificial intelligence, dark web data access, and lack of federal oversight have made financial scams increasingly believable and effective, with Americans losing between $23.7 billion and $158.3 billion to such schemes in 2023-2024.

Gina Martinez, an outreach representative from the Louisiana Department of Justice, presented to the Bossier City Lions Club on elder fraud targeting seniors in Louisiana, highlighting ten red flags including pressure tactics, requests for personal information, and too-good-to-be-true offers. Martinez warned that scammers are increasingly using sophisticated technology, including AI-powered voice cloning, to impersonate trusted individuals like grandchildren. She emphasized that awareness and education for seniors, families, and community members is the best defense, and encouraged reporting suspected fraud to the Louisiana Department of Justice or local law enforcement.

Tracie L. Mixon of Hammond, Louisiana was sentenced to two years in prison on May 27, 2025, for making false statements to obtain a fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan under the CARES Act. Mixon falsely claimed on an SBA form in February 2021 that she had no prior federal fraud convictions, despite having previously pleaded guilty to student loan fraud and mail fraud involving stolen identities. She was ordered to pay $31,000 in restitution and faces three years of supervised release.

Medicare Fraud Prevention Week (held annually in early June) educates older adults and healthcare providers about common fraud schemes targeting seniors, including romance scams where fraudsters pose as companions and gradually request money, diabetic supply buyback scams advertised on roadsides that endanger victims' health, and phone scams using numbers similar to legitimate healthcare providers. Experts emphasize the importance of removing stigma around fraud victimization so seniors report scams quickly, and warn that legitimate healthcare providers never request financial information over the phone.

Vietnam veteran Leroy Theodore, Sr., a quadriplegic stroke survivor, became the subject of a guardianship dispute after St. Francis Hospital in Tulsa initiated efforts to obtain legal control of his finances and medical decisions in April 2024, despite his daughter Valerie Parks holding power of attorney and having been cleared of neglect allegations by Adult Protective Services in March. The hospital and state denied the family access to Theodore for 1.5 months while competing guardianship claims were filed in two different courts, raising concerns that Theodore's case exemplifies a growing nationwide pattern of guardianship fraud targeting vulnerable elderly patients for financial gain.

Door-to-door solar panel scams in northwest Louisiana have victimized residents with high-pressure sales tactics, leaving some liable for over $40,000 in fraudulent loan repayments for units marketed as "free." Fraud is also evolving to include online scams such as phishing emails, impersonation of law enforcement and government agencies via phone and text, and cryptocurrency and gift card fraud, with Louisiana experiencing nearly $47 million in fraud losses in 2023. Experts recommend protective measures including posting no-soliciting signs and avoiding clicking unknown links, answering unfamiliar calls, or engaging with unrecognized communications.

Jelissa LaCour, age 36, a Jefferson Parish resident, was indicted in June 2025 on two counts of wire fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft for fraudulently obtaining Paycheck Protection Program loans using falsified tax forms and Emergency Rental Assistance Program funds using the identities of purported renters and accomplices. If convicted, LaCour faces up to 20 years imprisonment for each wire fraud count and up to two years for each identity theft count, plus fines up to $250,000 per count.

Louisiana residents lose millions annually to identity theft, with the state ranking eighth nationally at 350 cases per 100,000 residents, costing nearly $47 million in fraud losses in 2023. Common methods include database breaches, phishing, malware, and dumpster diving, though experts recommend setting up fraud alerts, credit freezes, and responding quickly to suspicious activity to prevent theft, particularly during peak spending seasons like summer travel. AARP Louisiana and Georges Media Group are partnering on a June 26 town hall to educate residents about local scams and fraud prevention strategies.

Fraudulent text messages impersonating Louisiana's Office of Motor Vehicles are circulating among state residents, claiming recipients have unpaid traffic tickets and threatening vehicle registration suspension and prosecution. Officials advise recipients not to click links or share personal information via these unsolicited texts, and to report suspected scam messages to reportfraud.ftc.gov.

The Better Business Bureau of South Central Louisiana warns of a rising surge in employment scams involving fraudulent text messages and emails impersonating legitimate companies, which promise quick, flexible, high-paying work to job seekers. Scammers typically request upfront payments or banking information and direct victims to communicate via WhatsApp or Telegram. Job seekers are advised to verify companies through official websites only, never pay upfront fees, and report suspicious offers to the BBB ScamTracker or FTC.

A resurfacing text message scam falsely claims recipients owe Louisiana state traffic ticket fees and directs them to click a suspicious link for payment. The Louisiana State Police and governor's office warn that the state Department of Motor Vehicles never collects fees via text message, and law enforcement agencies across the state are actively sharing alerts about this years-old fraud scheme.

A nationwide health care fraud takedown resulted in 324 defendants charged across the United States for schemes involving over $14.6 billion in false billings and illegal drug diversion, with authorities seizing over $245 million in assets. Four defendants were charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana, including the co-owner of a diagnostic laboratory who allegedly defrauded Medicare of approximately $4.4 million through over $30 million in false genetic testing claims, and a physician who billed Medicare approximately $24 million for medically unnecessary genetic testing. These schemes targeted Medicare and programs serving elderly and disabled populations through kickback schemes and fraudulent billing practices.

Louisiana residents are being targeted by scam text messages impersonating the Office of Motor Vehicles demanding payment for traffic violations, along with increased scam calls falsely claiming to be from law enforcement and the Department of Justice demanding money under threat of arrest. Authorities advise residents not to click links or share personal information in unsolicited messages, to verify communications directly with official sources rather than responding to the message itself, and to be aware that scammers use "spoofing" technology to make fraudulent calls appear legitimate.

Louisiana State Police and the Office of Motor Vehicles warned residents of a fraudulent text message scam claiming recipients have outstanding traffic tickets and must pay fees or face prosecution. The official agencies clarified they do not send threatening text messages or emails and advised recipients to delete suspicious messages, avoid clicking links, and report scams to the FTC rather than providing personal information or payment.

Kenneth G. Akpieyi, 44, from Georgia, was convicted in July 2025 on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud conspiracy, and money laundering for operating a "fake Romeo" romance scam that defrauded multiple women of over $3 million. Operating under the alias "Phillip Anderson," Akpieyi used social media platforms to build fake romantic relationships with victims, then convinced them to send money for fabricated reasons such as charitable work or family emergencies, funneling the funds through his auto brokerage company to obscure their movement. Eight victims testified during trial, with sentencing scheduled for November 2025.

Emmanuel Ugbaja, a 56-year-old Georgia man, was sentenced to 5 years probation with 2 years home confinement for money laundering in connection with internet scams that defrauded two victims of $60,000 in 2018—one through a romance scam and one through an inheritance scam. Ugbaja received the fraudulent funds into his bank account, kept a portion for himself, and sent the remainder to a maritime broker as a vessel down payment. In addition to probation, he was ordered to pay over $97,000 in restitution to the fraud victims and over $135,000 to the Small Business Administration

Kenneth Akpieyi, a 44-year-old from Marietta, Georgia, was convicted of operating romance scams that defrauded at least eight women of over $3 million. The scheme involved posing as wealthy figures on social media, building romantic relationships with victims, and requesting money under false pretenses, with funds routed through his auto brokerage company and sent to accounts internationally. Akpieyi faces decades in prison and substantial fines upon sentencing in November 2025.

Louisiana residents are warned of a summer surge in scams including vacation rental fraud, AI voice cloning impersonations, toll violation/DMV phishing texts, and jury duty scams. Scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics—from fake travel listings requiring upfront wire transfers to AI-generated voices claiming relatives are in emergencies—to steal identities and drain bank accounts. Authorities recommend victims verify requests through official channels, resist immediate action, and never provide personal information to unsolicited contacts.

This article is not about elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. It concerns immigration enforcement and does not fit the scope of an Elderus fraud research database. The story involves an 18-year-old student detained by ICE following a traffic stop, with no fraud or elder abuse elements present.

Daniel Chima Inweregbu, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, pleaded guilty on August 21, 2025, to operating a romance scam that defrauded American victims of over $405,000 between July 2017 and December 2018. Inweregbu and his co-conspirators created fake dating profiles under the alias "Larry Pham" to build romantic relationships with women, then exploited their trust to extract money, which they subsequently laundered through multiple transactions. He faces up to 20 years in prison on the fraud charge and an additional 20 years on money laundering charges, with sentencing scheduled for December 4,

A Nigerian citizen, Daniel Chima Inweregbu, pleaded guilty to operating a romance scam between 2017 and 2018 that defrauded multiple American women of over $405,000 using a fake online persona called "Larry Pham." Inweregbu and his co-conspirators created fake dating profiles to build romantic relationships with middle-aged female victims, then manipulated them into sending money and laundered the proceeds through various financial transactions. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each of two counts plus fines totaling up to $750,000, with sentencing scheduled for December 4, 2025.

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

Daniel Chima Inweregbu, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, pled guilty on August 21, 2025, to orchestrating a romance scam that defrauded American victims of over $405,000 between July 2017 and December 2018. Inweregbu and his co-conspirators created fake online dating profiles under the alias "Larry Pham" to build romantic relationships with middle-aged women, then requested money under various pretexts and laundered the proceeds through intermediaries. He faces up to 20 years in prison on each of two counts, plus fines and mandatory fees, with sentencing scheduled for December 4,

**Summary:** Daniel Chima Inweregbu, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, pleaded guilty in August 2025 to operating a romance scam that defrauded multiple American women of over $405,000 between July 2017 and December 2018. Inweregbu and his co-conspirators created fake social media profiles under the alias "Larry Pham" to build romantic relationships with middle-aged female victims, then solicited money under false pretenses and laundered the proceeds through intermediary accounts. He faces up to 20 years in prison and substantial fines upon sentencing in December 2025.

The "Phantom Hacker" scam has stolen over $1 billion from Americans since 2024, primarily targeting seniors age 60+ in Louisiana and nationwide. The sophisticated three-phase operation uses impersonators posing as tech support, bank officials, and government employees to gain access to victims' computers and financial accounts, often resulting in complete loss of retirement and savings accounts. Scammers now employ AI technology to personalize attacks through social media analysis, making their schemes more convincing.

On June 3, the Terrebonne Parish Government was defrauded of $129,745.16 by a scammer impersonating a Louisiana Department of Transportation Development employee through a targeted phishing email campaign. The attack used social engineering tactics, including forged government documents, a spoofed email address, and fabricated urgency rather than technical exploits, to manipulate employees into authorizing a wire transfer. Authorities arrested one suspect and recovered partial funds, with experts noting this case exemplifies the rising trend of cybercrimes targeting the "human element" rather than system vulnerabilities.

Private investigator Brianne Joseph, owner of Sly Fox Investigations in Louisiana, is featuring in Netflix's "Love Con Revenge" to help romance scam victims pursue recourse against con artists who have defrauded them of thousands of dollars and personal information. Joseph emphasizes that romance fraud cases often go unprioritized by police, allowing perpetrators to evade accountability and target new victims; her firm specializes in investigation and surveillance to help clients obtain payback against their scammers.