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A Utah woman received a phishing text claiming she owed a fine to the Utah Department of Transportation, with a URL designed to mimic an official state website. The scam directs victims to a fake UDOT site requesting login credentials or payment information, using a fraudulent domain that closely resembles the legitimate .gov address. The FBI advises verifying domain names carefully, as scammers can create convincing lookalike websites, and legitimate government sites only use official .gov domains.

Scam Jam, an educational event held in Sandy, Utah, brought together FBI and AARP experts to educate residents about common fraud schemes including romance, internet, cryptocurrency, and tech support scams. The event featured a personal testimony from Rita, who lost several thousand dollars to a romance scam impersonating a celebrity, emphasizing the importance of reporting fraud despite the emotional and financial toll. Utah reported over 150,000 fraud cases totaling $61 million in losses, with experts stressing that fraud prevention through awareness and recognizing red flags is more effective than recovery efforts.

Sandy Hunter fell victim to a text message toll scam in January after receiving a fraudulent text requesting payment for tolls from her cross-country trip; she clicked the link and made a payment, resulting in $300 in unauthorized purchases on her credit card in California. The scam exploited her hurried state and emotional response to the threat of driver's license suspension, demonstrating how toll text scams are currently common in Utah. Hunter and FBI officials at a Scam Jam awareness event in Salt Lake City advised victims to verify sender information (checking country codes), avoid using debit cards for online payments, and take time to review websites carefully before entering payment information.

Over 180 Utahns attended a Scam Jam event presented by AARP Utah and the FBI to learn fraud prevention strategies, as Utah residents had lost more than $15.4 million to fraud in 2025, with $12 million of that from people aged 50 and older. The event featured FBI officials, state consumer protection leaders, and media experts who shared real victim stories, including a text scam and a romance scam that cost one woman $90,000, while emphasizing prevention tactics such as scrutinizing email addresses for typos and reporting fraud quickly to authorities.

Utahns lost nearly $115 million to phone call fraud in 2024, with the FTC reporting that scam calls remain prevalent despite technological countermeasures, costing Americans $1 billion nationally. These operations are sophisticated organizations operating from call centers with trained employees using VoIP technology and spoofed local numbers, making them difficult to block or trace, particularly when based overseas. Experts recommend registering with the National DoNotCall Registry, verifying caller identity through official company numbers, and being cautious about sharing personal information over the phone.

Christine Joan Echohawk, 54, of Pawnee, pleaded guilty to five felony charges for laundering approximately $1.5 million obtained through online romance scams targeting four elderly women (ages 64-79) in Florida, Utah, and Texas between September and December 2024. One victim sold her house to send $600,000 to the scammer; Echohawk received the funds through various accounts, converted them to cryptocurrency, and sent payments to an unidentified accomplice using the alias "Maurice Dinero." She was sentenced to 62 years in prison (8 years to serve, 54 suspended) and ordered to pay $621,750 in

Linda Karlinsey, a Utah Medicare beneficiary, was targeted by Almaz Med Supply, a New York-based company that fraudulently billed Medicare over $10,800 for unauthorized medical supplies she never ordered or received, including glucose monitors and wound dressings. While Medicare rejected the initial $2,600 glucose monitor charges, the company successfully frauded the system for $6,300 in wound dressing claims that were paid before detection. The case highlights the importance of Medicare beneficiaries reviewing their statements carefully and reporting suspicious charges, as Medicare fraud costs approximately $60 billion annually.

A 20-year-old Colorado woman was charged in Utah with communications fraud, theft by deception, and impersonating a police officer after stealing approximately $1,800 from a Salt Lake County woman using a jury duty scam. The victim received a call from someone claiming to be a sheriff's deputy, threatening arrest for missed jury duty and demanding a fine, which the victim paid via phone transfer and Apple Pay. Investigators traced the financial accounts back to Lexi Navarrette Johnson, whose phone number and accounts matched those used in the scam.

A 20-year-old Colorado woman, Lexi Navarrette Johnson, was charged in Utah with communications fraud, theft by deception, and impersonating a police officer after stealing approximately $1,800 from a Salt Lake County woman using a jury duty scam. Johnson called the victim claiming to be a sheriff's deputy, falsely stating she had missed jury duty and owed a $2,200 fine, threatening arrest if payment wasn't made immediately. Police traced the fraudulent phone number and associated Apple Pay account back to Johnson through a search warrant.

A Utah couple in their 70s lost approximately $500,000 in retirement savings and borrowed an additional $250,000 after the husband fell victim to a cryptocurrency investment scam initiated by a former coworker who promised high returns. The scammers convinced him to send additional funds to cover supposed fees, leaving the family with no recovery options since cryptocurrency transfers are irreversible; they now work multiple part-time jobs and have taken a reverse mortgage on their home to repay debts. This case reflects a broader trend: Americans 60 and older lost $2.8 billion to cryptocurrency fraud in 2024, making them the hardest-hit age group, as scamm

This article is not about elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. It reports on the death of conservative political activist Charlie Kirk, who was fatally shot on September 10 while speaking at Utah Valley University during a Turning Point USA event. A 22-year-old suspect was arrested and faces seven counts in connection with the shooting. This is a news story about a violent crime and memorial service, not an elder fraud case.

This article is not relevant to the Elderus database. It covers the memorial service for conservative activist Charlie Kirk, who was killed by a 22-year-old assailant, and highlights his widow Erika Kirk's remarks and her new role leading Turning Point USA. This is a news event about a violent crime and political activism, not about elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse.

Scammers are increasingly using text messages and voice-cloning technology to target consumers, particularly the elderly, through sophisticated schemes such as fake toll notices, USPS delivery delays, and grandparent scams where AI-generated voices impersonate relatives claiming to be in jail. According to Utah's Division of Consumer Protection director Katie Hass, artificial intelligence has made scams more convincing by gathering personal information from social media and the web while eliminating typical red flags like spelling errors and poor grammar. To protect themselves, consumers should establish family passwords or safe words, avoid responding to unknown numbers, and take a moment to verify callers' identities before taking action.

Joyce from Utah lost over $1 million in savings to a coordinated tech support and bank impersonation scam that occurred between March and May. The scammers used a fake computer warning to gain her trust, then posed as bank employees and Federal Reserve officials to convince her to liquidate her retirement accounts and purchase cryptocurrency and gold bars, which were then collected by accomplices. The article advises protecting against such scams by shutting down frozen computers rather than calling provided numbers, ignoring unsolicited tech support calls, and recognizing that legitimate companies never ask customers to call numbers displayed in pop-ups.