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A Doylestown, Pennsylvania woman lost $45,000 in a dealership cloning scam after finding what appeared to be a legitimate Lexus listing on CARFAX that was attributed to a real Nebraska dealership owner, Jim Woods, but was actually perpetrated by scammers using a fake website and stolen listings. The criminals impersonated Woods, provided fabricated vehicle videos, and disappeared after receiving wire payment, with at least one other victim losing $18,000 in the same scheme. CARFAX declined to provide details on its vetting process for sellers but stated it investigates and removes fraudulent listings when identified, though experts recommend using escrow services for sight-unseen

An 83-year-old Lincoln woman lost more than $14,000 in a "smishing" scam (fraudulent text messages), according to Lincoln Police. The article highlights this incident as a notable case of elder fraud that received limited public attention in Nebraska.

An 83-year-old Nebraska woman lost over $14,000 in a "smishing" (text message scam), exemplifying a growing crisis where Americans aged 60+ lost $4.9 billion to scams in 2024, averaging $83,000 per case. Social isolation significantly increases seniors' vulnerability to fraud, as those with limited in-person contact are more likely to conduct transactions online and engage with scammers. The Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance recommends preventing financial exploitation through regular contact with older relatives, educating seniors about common fraud tactics, and reporting suspected fraud to authorities through their "Make Cents Make Sense" initiative.

The Lincoln Police Department and several Nebraska counties are warning residents of a text message scam in which scammers impersonate the Nebraska Department of Motor Vehicles and threaten license revocation due to unpaid traffic fines. The scam uses urgency and fear tactics to trick recipients into clicking suspicious links or paying money, and police advise victims to report such messages to the FTC, FBI, or their phone carrier, while independently verifying any claims directly through official agency websites rather than through information provided in the suspicious text.

A Northeast Nebraska woman was scammed out of $100 on Facebook Marketplace while attempting to purchase a Ford Mustang replacement part; she became suspicious when the seller refused PayPal and requested additional funds before revealing the listing was fraudulent. Online shopping scams rank as the second most common fraud type in Nebraska for 2024, and authorities recommend researching sellers, comparing prices, paying by credit card for dispute protection, and never sending cash or money transfers.

Sheriff Paul Vrbka of York County, Nebraska is directing senior citizens to the Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative website (justice.gov/elderjustice) to help them protect themselves against scams. The website provides current information about the latest scam tactics, which scammers continuously update and often deliberately target older people. Sheriff Vrbka emphasizes the resource helps seniors recognize warning signs and avoid becoming victims.

Reports of AI-enabled scams surged 456 percent between May 2024 and April 2025, with predicted generative AI-driven fraud losses in the US potentially exceeding $40 billion by 2027. Dr. Victor Winter, a computer science expert at the University of Nebraska Omaha, explains that AI now enables attackers to conduct sophisticated, personalized phishing attacks at scale—including voice duplication and deepfake videos—making scams harder to detect. Key protective measures include never clicking links or responding to calls without independently confirming the sender's identity, and using "safe words" or personal information that AI cannot access to verify legitimate contacts.

Recent CDC data indicates that approximately 1 in 10 Americans aged 60+ experience elder abuse annually. A comprehensive analysis of senior safety across U.S. states, measuring scam reports, homicide rates, violent death rates, and quality of life, ranked Massachusetts as the safest state for seniors (score: 89.96), followed by Minnesota (89.03) and Nebraska (88.78), with scam rates against seniors ranging from 95.5 to 141.1 reports per 100,000 people depending on the state.

Broken Bow Public Schools in Nebraska fell victim to a sophisticated phishing scam in spring 2025, resulting in a fraudulent $1.8 million ACH transfer intended for a construction contractor to an illegitimate account. The district has recovered approximately $700,000 with assistance from the FBI, Nebraska State Patrol, and U.S. Secret Service, and has implemented new financial safeguards to prevent future incidents. The construction project will continue without interruption or tax increases, and the district remains in a strong financial position.

A retired US Army lieutenant colonel pleaded guilty to sharing classified military information with someone posing as a Ukrainian woman on a foreign dating site in 2022, in what appears to be a romance scam. The 64-year-old Franklin David Slater, who worked as a civilian contractor for US Strategic Command, disclosed defense secrets regarding military targets and Russia's capabilities after being emotionally manipulated by the scammer, who called him her "secret agent" and asked leading questions about NATO plans. Slater faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, highlighting how romance-based social engineering can exploit emotional vulnerabilities regardless of professional experience or security clearance.

Broken Bow Public Schools in Nebraska lost $1.8 million in spring 2024 when staff members were deceived by a sophisticated phishing email containing false payment instructions that appeared to come from a trusted vendor, causing a contractor payment to be redirected to a fraudulent account. Federal law enforcement agencies (FBI, Nebraska State Patrol, and U.S. Secret Service) assisted in recovering approximately $700,000, with the district pursuing recovery of the remaining $1.1 million through insurance and ongoing investigations. Since the incident, the district has implemented new financial transaction protocols and safeguards, with no plans for a tax increase to cover the shortfall.

A Douglas County, Nebraska senior citizen targeted by a computer scam became the unwitting star of a law enforcement sting operation after a bank employee flagged a suspicious $30,000 cash withdrawal request. Though the victim had been previously scammed for thousands of dollars, alert banking staff and the Sheriff's Office fraud investigator coordinated an undercover operation using counterfeit money to catch the courier, but the suspect discovered the setup before arrest. The case highlights the importance of banking red flags—such as requests for large cash withdrawals with instructions not to disclose the purpose—in preventing elder fraud losses.

Nebraska residents lost a reported $42.5 million to scams in 2024—tripling over four years—with experts attributing the increase to more accessible and affordable artificial intelligence technology that enables scammers to operate at scale and create increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes, including voice cloning and realistic chatbot-generated scams. Peter Hines, a 76-year-old Fremont insurance business owner, lost $936 to a Facebook ad lead scam and was unable to recover the money due to the company's out-of-state location and legal protections in his agreement, highlighting the difficulty of prosecution when scammers operate overseas or across state lines. Authorities recommend limiting online presence,