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The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs warns consumers about four types of summer scams: fake toll charge texts claiming overdue payments, travel scams including fraudulent vacation offers and hijacked rental listings, disaster relief scams where imposters pose as repair workers or FEMA employees, and job scams requesting cryptocurrency payments or personal information. The agency advises consumers to verify contacts independently, never pay for free services or government relief, avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages, and be wary of unannounced repair workers or unsolicited job offers.

A suspected scammer using the alias "Steve Phillips" targeted small businesses in Horry County, South Carolina, by posing as a magazine salesman offering cheap advertisements ($20-$100) in a non-existent publication called "The Golf Reporter." At least eight businesses across North Carolina and South Carolina fell victim to the scam, losing between $20 to $100 each, while others like Inlet Fencing and Signature Custom Signs became suspicious and declined the offer after recognizing red flags in his sales pitch.

During summer vacation season, scammers are actively targeting travelers and job seekers with three prevalent schemes: fake toll charges via text messages claiming overdue payments, travel scams offering free vacations or fake rental listings, and job scams requesting cryptocurrency payments to unlock employment opportunities. The South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs warns consumers to protect their bank accounts as carefully as their skin from the sun and is offering a free webinar on July 3 to discuss these scams and prevention strategies.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a warning about rising impersonation scams targeting senior citizens in South Carolina, where fraudsters pose as government officials (IRS, Social Security Administration, Medicare) to steal personal information and money. Scammers use tactics such as caller ID spoofing, fabricated urgent debts or prize claims, threats of arrest or deportation, and demands for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to pressure victims into immediate action. The warning is part of broader World Elder Abuse Awareness Day efforts and the IRS's ongoing Security Summit partnership to educate seniors and protect them from these schemes.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a warning about rising impersonation scams targeting seniors in South Carolina, where fraudsters pose as IRS or other government officials to steal personal information and money through phone calls, emails, and texts. Scammers use tactics including spoofed caller IDs, false claims of tax debts or prizes, pressure for immediate payment via gift cards or wire transfers, and threats of arrest or deportation. The IRS advises that it does not initiate contact via phone, email, or text about tax issues, and victims should hang up immediately and verify communications by calling 800-829-1040.

The Internal Revenue Service issued a warning about rising impersonation scams targeting seniors in South Carolina, where fraudsters pose as IRS or other government agency representatives to steal personal information and money through phone calls, emails, and text messages. Scammers use tactics such as caller ID spoofing, fabricated urgent scenarios (false tax debts or refunds), threats of arrest or deportation, and demands for payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to pressure victims into immediate action. The IRS advises that legitimate tax issues are initiated by mail, and anyone receiving unexpected calls from alleged IRS agents should hang up immediately and report the incident.

The Internal Revenue Service warned South Carolina seniors about a rising trend of impersonation scams targeting older adults who are deceived by fraudsters posing as government officials or IRS agents. Scammers use manipulated caller IDs, fabricated claims of tax debts or lottery winnings, and pressure tactics demanding immediate payment through gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency to steal personal information and money. The IRS advises recipients of suspicious calls to hang up immediately and verify legitimacy by calling official IRS customer service at 800-829-1040 rather than returning the scammer's call.

The IRS has issued a warning about rising impersonation scams targeting South Carolina seniors, in which fraudsters pose as government officials (IRS, Social Security Administration, Medicare) or businesses to steal personal information and money through phone calls, emails, and text messages. Scammers use tactics including caller ID spoofing, fabricated claims of debts or prizes, pressure for immediate action with threats of arrest or deportation, and demands for payment through cryptocurrency, wire transfers, gift cards, or payment apps. The IRS advises recipients of unexpected calls to hang up immediately, avoid returning calls to provided numbers, verify communications directly with the IRS at 800-829-1040, and report suspected sc

Peach State Federal Credit Union launched community outreach initiatives to educate seniors about fraud prevention, holding free seminars at senior centers in Summerville and Toccoa with plans to expand across their service area. The credit union, which serves over 70,000 members in Georgia and South Carolina, provides fraud prevention resources through seminars, social media, and their website to help seniors and families identify and avoid financial exploitation. Membership is not required to attend the free educational sessions.

A Privacy Journal study analyzing FBI, FTC, and CDC data ranked states by online dating safety risks, including romance scams, identity theft, STIs, violent crime, and registered sex offenders per 100,000 people. South Carolina ranked among the 10 most dangerous states for online dating, alongside Nevada, Alaska, Georgia, and Florida, while Vermont and Maine were identified as safest. The study notes that while dating apps facilitate connections (with 1 in 4 couples meeting online), users should avoid money requests, meet in public locations, and refrain from sharing personal information until after meeting someone in person.

In 2022, elder fraud cost North Carolina and South Carolina consumers approximately $100 million combined, with North Carolina seniors losing $63 million (averaging $32,000 per victim) and South Carolina seniors losing $35 million (averaging $27,000 per victim), according to analysis of FBI and FTC data by cybersecurity company VPNPro. Despite these significant losses, both states ranked better than at least half of the country in elder fraud victimization.

Scammers in South Carolina are using AI-generated text messages designed to mimic legitimate bank communications to trick people into clicking malicious links that grant access to their bank accounts. The Better Business Bureau warns consumers to be vigilant about unsolicited texts from unfamiliar numbers, suspicious URLs with extra characters, and to never click links in messages unless they can verify the source is their actual bank.

Georgia resident Malachi Mullings received a 10-year prison sentence for laundering $4.5 million in proceeds from business email compromise (BEC) attacks targeting healthcare providers and romance scams targeting individuals, including numerous elderly victims, between 2019 and July 2021. Mullings used multiple bank accounts under his company name to conceal the fraud, purchasing luxury items including a Ferrari with stolen funds; one romance scam victim alone lost $260,000. He pleaded guilty to eight charges including money laundering and conspiracy to commit money laundering as part of a larger scheme involving nine other suspects across Georgia, South Carolina, and Virginia that defrauded state Medicaid programs

A 92-year-old South Carolina woman combated relentless scam callers by responding to their pitches with absurd nonsense—including claims she would be "raptured" and requests for senior discounts—which repeatedly frustrated the scammers into hanging up. Her granddaughter documented these interactions in videos, showcasing how humor and distraction can be an effective defense against fraud attempts, though the article notes that elderly people remain particularly vulnerable to scams, with nearly 70,000 people losing $1.3 billion to romance scams alone in 2022.

A mother in Dacusville, South Carolina, received threatening texts and videos from scammers after losing her iPhone, with messages containing personal information about her family and demands to disable tracking on her old device or face physical harm and threats to sell her data on the black market. Upon investigation, she discovered multiple victims had reported similar scam messages online. The victim is warning others, particularly elderly individuals, to be aware of this threatening video and text-based scam targeting iPhone users.

A class action lawsuit filed in South Carolina in April 2024 alleges that Bitcoin Depot and Circle K Stores knowingly failed to implement adequate safeguards against cryptocurrency ATM scams targeting elderly consumers, despite awareness that their machines are commonly used to facilitate elder fraud and money laundering. The defendants allegedly maintained minimal anti-fraud measures because they profit substantially from charging inflated markups on Bitcoin transactions, with the FTC reporting over 46,000 cryptocurrency scam victims losing more than $1 billion between January 2021 and June 2022, primarily through Bitcoin.

This opinion piece highlights multiple types of elder and consumer fraud affecting South Carolina residents, including gift card scams, cryptocurrency schemes, the "grandparent" impersonation scam, and account takeovers, with documented losses ranging from $30,000 to $39,000. The author provides red flags to recognize scams (requests for gift cards or cryptocurrency, unsolicited requests for personal information, phishing emails) and recommends protective measures such as using strong passwords, utilizing password managers, and paying with credit cards rather than debit cards to limit liability. The piece emphasizes that while individuals have limited recourse, large institutions continue to suffer major data breaches that put personal information into criminals' hands.

AARP South Carolina is launching a fraud prevention education initiative to help members protect themselves from financial exploitation. The organization offers resources on preventing elder abuse, identifying Medicare and veterans scams, and evaluating suspicious calls at aarp.org/scfraud, along with a series of upcoming fraud prevention events featuring former prosecutor Paul Greenwood, who specializes in elder fraud cases.

The Botetourt County Sheriff's Office warned residents about traveling door-to-door home improvement scams involving driveway paving, sealing, and barn roof painting, typically perpetrated by groups from South Carolina and Georgia who target elderly homeowners with diluted, poor-quality materials and low prices. The scammers often work in groups to distract homeowners while stealing valuables, and investigators recommend only hiring contractors you know or have researched, verifying solicitor permits, and never allowing unsupervised access to your home.

The FBI warned South Carolina residents about escalating romance scams that target vulnerable populations, particularly elderly individuals, through social media, email, and text messaging by building trust over weeks or months before requesting money. Losses from these scams in South Carolina increased dramatically from $5 million in 2016 to $59 million in 2023, with 2024 projections exceeding that figure. The FBI advised potential victims to pause contact, consult trusted friends or family, and reconsider why they trust the person reaching out.

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A 73-year-old South Carolina woman lost $30,000 after scammers posing as her bank instructed her to deposit cash into a Bitcoin ATM at a Circle K gas station, with the funds routed to the criminals instead. She filed a lawsuit against Bitcoin Depot and Circle K under a 2021 South Carolina law allowing civil claims against financial institutions that aid the exploitation of vulnerable adults, arguing the companies failed to prevent the fraud despite profiting over $7,500 from the transactions at inflated markups. The case is part of a broader pattern of elder fraud, with people over 60 losing more than $1.6 billion to fraud in 2022

South Carolina state Rep. Brandon Guffey's teenage son Gavin died by suicide after falling victim to a sextortion scam in which criminals posing as a young female on social media demanded money after he sent explicit photos. Guffey filed an 81-page wrongful death lawsuit against Meta, alleging the company failed to prevent the scam and contributed to mental health crises among young people, while the FBI reports sextortion cases in Georgia increased 700% since 2021. In response to his son's death, Guffey passed "Gavin's Law," making it a felony to target minors or at-risk adults in sextortion schemes.

Donna Kendall from Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, lost over $1 million to a romance scam after becoming lonely following her husband's dementia diagnosis in 2022. She was deceived by someone claiming to be a wealthy businessman named Martin Erickson who posed as a romantic interest and requested money for shipping equipment, leading her to make multiple wire transfers and eventually sell her home. The scam strained her relationship with her son Ken Martasin, who was unable to convince her of the fraud despite intervention from specialists and authorities, and she died at a hotel shortly after the incident.

A fraudulent email scam circulating Jasper County, South Carolina targeted residents by sending fake invoices allegedly from Jasper County and requesting wire transfers for inflated amounts. The Jasper County Sheriff's Office alerted the public that the county's Planning & Zoning Department does not send invoices via email and will never request wire transfers, advising residents to verify the legitimacy of any invoice before sending payment.

A DC-area jet pilot's identity has been stolen and used in a decade-long romance scam affecting hundreds of victims across multiple states, with losses now estimated in the millions of dollars. Criminals created fake dating profiles using the real Pat Marsh's name, details, and photos to build trust with women and extract money through fabricated emergencies and requests, with individual losses ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. A South Carolina detective is now investigating over 60 cases using the "Patrick Marsh" persona, noting that victims over 60 lose an average of $83,000 compared to the overall romance scam average of $19,000.

A DC-area jet pilot's identity has been stolen and used in a sophisticated romance scam that has victimized hundreds of women across multiple states since at least the mid-2010s. Criminals created fake dating profiles using the real Pat Marsh's name, details, and photos to gain victims' trust and manipulate them into sending money, with losses ranging from thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars per victim; a South Carolina detective is currently investigating over 60 cases using the "Patrick Marsh" persona with estimated damages in the millions. The FBI estimates romance scams overall have caused over $1 billion in losses, with victims over 60 averaging $83,000 in losses compared to the

Elderly individuals are increasingly targeted by sophisticated cryptocurrency scams, with Beaufort County, South Carolina reporting $3.1 million in crypto-related losses in 2024 and Minnesota experiencing over $189 million in losses from crypto kiosk fraud in 2023, using tactics such as voice cloning, fake websites, QR codes, and emotional manipulation. A prominent councilman was released without charge during an investigation into one such scam, highlighting authorities' challenges in tracing funds through irreversible cryptocurrency transactions. Experts recommend seniors protect themselves through education, using trusted platforms with two-factor authentication, discussing large transactions with family members, and promptly reporting incidents to law enforcement and the FTC

Privacy Journal's 2025 study comparing 100 U.S. cities across six safety metrics found Vermont to be the safest state for online dating, while Nevada ranks as the most dangerous due to high rates of identity theft, romance scams, and violent crime. Arizona reports the highest number of romance scam cases, while South Carolina and North Carolina rank among the riskiest states overall, driven by elevated rates across multiple risk factors including STD incidence, violent crime, and fraud reports.

South Carolina ranks disproportionately high in scam calls and texts compared to other states and previous months, according to TrueCaller's monthly data tracking. Scam activity shows seasonality patterns, with increased fraud attempts during severe weather events like hurricanes and coastal damage. The caller ID and spam-blocking service provider attributes the targeting to both predictable seasonal trends and state-specific vulnerabilities.

Phishing scams are increasing across South Carolina, with criminals impersonating trusted entities like banks, government agencies, and delivery services to trick people into clicking malicious links, downloading malware, or sharing personal information and banking details. The scams target people of all ages using seemingly urgent scenarios such as unpaid traffic tickets, medical bills, locked accounts, and Medicare issues. If victimized, individuals should immediately contact the institution being impersonated and report the scam to relevant authorities.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center reported over 850,000 suspected internet crime complaints nationally, with South Carolina experiencing $146 million in losses—a $27 million increase from the prior year. The top cybercrimes in South Carolina were extortion, phishing, spoofing, and personal data breaches, with cryptocurrency scams particularly targeting retirees through phishing schemes that use advanced AI monitoring techniques.

During the holiday season, scammers increase their fraudulent activities by posing as charities, delivery services, and government agencies to prey on people's generosity and inattention. Common tactics include using localized phone numbers and names of trusted community figures, along with fake offers, urgent payment demands, and prize promises to trick victims into revealing personal information or money. South Carolina residents should be aware of prevalent scams including purchase fraud, warrant scams, lottery/sweepstakes schemes, tech support scams, debt collection fraud, service repair scams, job scams, subscription fraud, loan scams, and warranty scams.

Senator Tim Scott discusses South Carolina's fraud prevention efforts with an expert, highlighting a partnership between the state and the Department of Aging that distributes scam prevention education materials alongside meal deliveries to seniors, a program that began in 2015. The initiative represents an innovative approach to reaching vulnerable populations, particularly homebound seniors, with financial literacy and scam awareness information during a time when they are most receptive to learning.

This article is not related to elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. It is a human interest story about a Gaston County teenager named Bailey Griggs (performing as Bailey Marie) who was expelled from Cramerton Christian Academy for performing at venues that serve alcohol, but has since been added to the lineup for the Field and Stream Music Festival in South Carolina, where she will perform alongside established artists.

The FBI warned South Carolinians about romance scams after 277 victims lost over $11 million in the previous year, though only 29 cases were reported to the State Department of Consumer Affairs. One victim, Sandra Sheely, was contacted on Facebook by a scammer who developed a fabricated relationship using photos and videos before defrauding her, and she continues working to repay the losses. The FBI emphasized the need for increased reporting of romance and confidence fraud, which are becoming an increasing threat in South Carolina.