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Search across 26,669 articles about elder fraud. Filter by fraud type, payment mechanism, or keywords.
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in Robocalls / Phone Scams
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NBC10 Philadelphia
· 2025-08-14
An 86-year-old South Philadelphia woman was defrauded of $6,000 after receiving a call from scammers using AI-generated voice technology to impersonate her granddaughter claiming to be in a car accident and detained by police. A fake lawyer then demanded $10,400 to secure the granddaughter's release, settling for the $6,000 in cash the victim had available. The incident highlights how scammers exploit family emergencies and new technology to manipulate elderly victims into sending money quickly without verification.
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CBS TEXAS
· 2025-08-14
The FBI dismantled an international grandparent scam operation originating from a Dominican Republic call center that defrauded over 400 senior citizens of more than $5 million. Scammers used scripts to convince vulnerable seniors that a grandchild needed immediate financial assistance, while U.S.-based runners collected cash via Uber, until Uber's security team flagged the activity to authorities. Experts recommend families establish code words for phone verification and note that law enforcement never requests money over the phone.
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KPBS Public Media
· 2025-08-11
An 86-year-old San Diego senior named Bob Duff was targeted by a romance scam when someone posing as a 37-year-old South Korean woman named Kalista initiated contact via text, built rapport over two days on the messaging app Telegram, and attempted to establish an emotional connection. The incident illustrates how tech-savvy scammers are increasingly targeting San Diego seniors by exploiting loneliness and using social engineering tactics on digital platforms.
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WREG News Channel 3
· 2025-08-11
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FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul
· 2025-08-05
An expert discusses how scams and fraud are defined as attempts to steal personal information or money through deception. Scammers obtain victims' information from multiple sources including shady websites, data breaches, and purchased lists from legitimate sources like mall registrations, then use this information to target potential victims through unsolicited calls and messages.
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TODAY
· 2025-07-29
Summer scammers exploit seasonal activities by targeting travelers and vacationers through fake rental listings on platforms like Airbnb, Vrbo, and Facebook Marketplace. Key summer scams identified by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners include travel-related fraud, and consumers are advised to be cautious when booking vacation properties and purchasing concert tickets during the season.
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WCHS Eyewitness News
· 2025-07-28
Charleston Police and Chase Bank hosted a workshop to educate seniors on avoiding scams, as phone, text, and email fraud targeting this population is on the rise both nationally and locally. According to the Federal Trade Commission, West Virginians lost more than $27 million to fraud and scams in the past year, primarily from impostor schemes including EasyPass, jury duty, and romance scams. The workshop emphasized the importance of verifying communications directly with companies or agencies rather than responding to urgent-seeming messages.
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KTVN 2 News Nevada
· 2025-07-28
The Lyon County Sheriff's Office is warning of a rising trend in phone and identity scams targeting senior citizens, including scams impersonating law enforcement, government agencies, and family members in distress. Officials recommend that seniors stop and consult with trusted family members or official sources when encountering potential scams to avoid victimization.
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NBC4 Washington
· 2025-07-25
Grey's Anatomy actor Chris Carmack and his wife, musician Aaron Slaver, publicly shared their experience as scam victims to reduce stigma around fraud. Aaron lost $2,000 after purchasing cushions on an online platform (Betsy) that were never delivered and the seller disappeared before the platform could assist them. The couple is part of a McAfee cybersecurity campaign using #mycamstory to encourage others to openly discuss their scam experiences.
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KOAA 5
· 2025-07-25
A Colorado author lost over $100,000 in a combined romance and cryptocurrency investment scam after meeting someone on a dating app who convinced him to invest in what appeared to be a legitimate cryptocurrency opportunity. The incident is part of a larger trend in Colorado, where residents lost more than $240 million to scams in the previous year according to FBI data. The scammer used video calls and seemingly normal conversation tactics to build trust before pivoting to the fraudulent investment scheme.
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11Alive
· 2025-07-02
A Georgia woman lost nearly $30,000 in a "task scam" after responding to a text about a part-time remote job. The scammers posed as a legitimate company, provided fake credentials, paid her for initial training tasks to build trust, then demanded she invest her own money to continue work, ultimately revealing the entire job opportunity was fraudulent. The Federal Trade Commission reports that such schemes are surging, typically starting with text messages promising work like app optimization or product boosting, using small initial payouts to establish credibility before escalating financial demands.
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LEX18
· 2025-06-30
A Lexington woman narrowly avoided a jury duty scam in June when a caller impersonating a county sheriff's deputy contacted her claiming she had failed to appear for jury duty. The scammer used sophisticated tactics including a real deputy's name, local area code, actual county address, and the victim's personal information to establish credibility, though he never requested payment and instead asked her to come to the sheriff's office in person. The woman's skepticism and decision to verify the claim prevented her from becoming a victim of what could have escalated to financial loss or worse.
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FOX 2 St. Louis
· 2025-06-27
A new Better Business Bureau report examines sophisticated business scams where fraudsters impersonate vendors, access computer systems, and obtain sensitive data through breaches. The FBI reports $1.4 billion in losses from data breaches over three years, with IBM estimating average breach costs of nearly $5 million per business in 2024. The BBB recommends businesses implement multi-factor authentication, conduct cybersecurity training for employees, and establish unique passwords across all devices to protect against these increasingly complex attacks.
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News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV
· 2025-06-27
A Jamaican man named Sherwane Benjamin Bellfonte, known as "the Iceman," was extradited to Tucson to face federal prosecution for an elaborate romance and sweepstakes scam targeting an 85-year-old woman from Veil, Arizona, between December 2015 and January 2019. Bellfonte and his co-conspirators defrauded the now-deceased victim of approximately $400,000 by posing as a romantic interest while pressuring her to send money. The FBI reports increasing numbers of similar scams targeting Arizona's elderly population.
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NBC News
· 2025-06-26
A senior couple in Colorado lost $20,000 in a gift card scam after receiving a fraudulent email claiming they owed money for an unauthorized phone purchase. The scammer, posing as a federal agent named Rebecca, convinced them to purchase multiple gift cards and provide PIN codes, with the scammer eventually admitting to the theft when contacted by police. The couple, now in their mid-70s, must rebuild their savings from scratch, highlighting the devastating impact of these scams run by international criminal networks.
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KY3 News - Springfield, Mo.
· 2025-06-23
During Alzheimer's Awareness Month, the Better Business Bureau warns that older adults with Alzheimer's, dementia, and those experiencing loneliness or isolation face elevated scam risk. The BBB recommends that seniors and caregivers familiarize themselves with common scams, establish communication plans for suspicious contacts, never share personal information with strangers, and hang up and independently verify any suspicious calls—especially those from imposters claiming to be government or bank officials who pressure immediate responses.
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Forbes Breaking News
· 2025-06-21
Senator Dick Durbin questioned experts about phone scams targeting seniors, highlighting the growing threat of crypto ATM fraud as a tool used by scammers. An Iowa attorney general investigation found that over 98% of money seniors sent through Bitcoin Depot and 95% through Coinflip involved fraudulent transactions, with victims often deceived into believing they were preventing criminal prosecution. Durbin described seniors crying and distressed while depositing money into crypto ATMs and referenced support for legislation to address this scheme, with the AARP confirming they have witnessed victims being directed to these machines by criminals.
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CP24
· 2025-06-20
Toronto Police are warning the public of a rise in impersonation scams where callers falsely identify themselves as police officers, providing fake investigator names and badge numbers with spoofed legitimate police phone numbers. The scammers claim victims are under investigation and attempt to extract personal and financial information. Police remind the public that legitimate officers never request banking or personal information over the phone.
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Forbes Breaking News
· 2025-06-20
Senator Chuck Grassley questioned law enforcement experts about scam calls targeting elder citizens, focusing on gaps in information sharing between federal, state, and local agencies during elder fraud investigations. An expert testified that fragmented investigations across multiple agencies fail to identify coordinated criminal enterprises, citing San Diego County as an example where 12 independent law enforcement agencies did not share data and missed connections between victims across different cities targeted by the same criminals, and that national coordination is necessary to effectively combat this growing crime.
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WJZ
· 2025-06-16
Maryland state leaders and AARP launched "Protect Week," a public education campaign coinciding with World Elder Abuse Day, to help older adults and families avoid financial exploitation and scams. In Maryland alone, over 3,200 people aged 60+ lost approximately $80 million to scams in the previous year, with fraud often originating from both strangers online and trusted individuals. The campaign emphasizes that scammers exploit elders' vulnerability and trusting nature through increasingly sophisticated schemes that create artificial urgency.
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FOX13 Memphis
· 2025-06-09
Scammers are sending fraudulent text messages to Tennessee residents claiming they have outstanding traffic tickets and threatening license suspension to pressure victims into paying fines immediately. The messages impersonate a nonexistent "Tennessee Department of Vehicles" and warn that unpaid tickets could damage credit scores. To protect yourself, contact law enforcement directly if you believe you have a legitimate ticket, and remember that government agencies send official notices through mail, not text messages.
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WFRV Local 5
· 2025-06-03
The Wisconsin Better Business Bureau warns that investment and cryptocurrency scams are the most prevalent frauds targeting adults 55 and older. The BBB recommends being cautious of phone fraud with spoofed caller IDs, avoiding pressure to act immediately, and verifying unusual claims by calling official sources directly rather than trusting the caller's information.
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The Straits Times
· 2025-06-02
This educational piece for children ages 9-12 explains what scams are and how they work. A scam occurs when someone tricks you into giving them money or personal information by impersonating trusted entities like banks, government agencies, or celebrities, typically through phone calls, messaging apps, or social media while offering fake prizes or credits in return. The article emphasizes that scams affect people of all ages and warns viewers to be cautious about unsolicited offers and requests for personal information.
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CBS Evening News
· 2025-06-01
A 26-year-old U.S. Navy electrician named Thomas Xiao admitted to passing sensitive military documents to a Chinese intelligence officer who posed as an investor and researcher on the Chinese social media app WeChat between 2021 and 2023. Chinese intelligence operatives are increasingly using social media and virtual contact to recruit U.S. military personnel and extract classified information, as traditional in-person espionage has become more difficult.
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NBC10 Boston
· 2025-05-23
Massachusetts consumer protection officials warn residents to stay alert against increasingly common scams, noting that older Americans lost nearly $5 billion to fraud in the past year. Key red flags include social media scams that create urgency, unsolicited phone calls, tech support scams, romance scams, and cryptocurrency schemes, with protective measures including ignoring unknown callers, using two-factor authentication, and regularly changing passwords.
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therhodeshow
· 2025-05-20
This educational segment discusses common senior scams affecting millions of Americans annually, including identity theft schemes, grandparent scams (falsely claiming a relative needs bail money), tech support scams, and romance scams. Key prevention strategies include educating seniors about scam tactics, maintaining regular involvement in their financial affairs, and reporting suspected fraud to state police or adult services, while noting that many scams go unreported due to victim embarrassment.
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FOX5 Las Vegas
· 2025-05-14
Scammers are targeting Medicare patients by posing as durable medical equipment companies or pharmacies and enrolling them in unwanted remote patient monitoring devices and services, often unapproved by the FDA, then billing them monthly fees. Victims may receive no equipment at all, unauthorized equipment, or have their Medicare information stolen for additional fraud. The Department of Health and Human Services advises seniors to consult their doctor before enrolling in any healthcare services, hang up on unsolicited medical device offers, refuse unordered deliveries, and report scams to the HHS hotline.
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Dayton 24/7 Now
· 2025-05-13
Millions of elderly Americans fall victim to financial scams annually, with the most common targeting seniors being investment/cryptocurrency scams, home improvement scams, romance scams, and online purchase scams. Phone fraud is also prevalent, where scammers impersonate government agencies or bank officials, using either polite or threatening tactics to manipulate victims into sending money. To protect seniors, awareness of these common scam types and verification tactics is essential.
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News4JAX The Local Station
· 2025-05-06
The Better Business Bureau warns that scammers frequently target older adults through telemarketing fraud by spoofing caller ID to impersonate trustworthy sources like government agencies or banks. Key red flags include unsolicited calls and pressure to make quick decisions; legitimate agencies will not contact you unexpectedly or rush you into action. To reduce scam calls, seniors should register their phone numbers with the National Do Not Call Registry at donotcall.gov or by calling 1-888-382-1222.
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CBS4 Indy
· 2025-05-05
A Full Stack Academy survey ranks Indiana second nationally for phishing scam victims, with 40% of Hoosiers reporting they've been targeted and 69% lacking confidence in spotting phishing attempts. The most common scam tactic in the state involves impersonating major delivery services (Amazon, USPS, UPS) and payment platforms (PayPal, FedEx) to lure victims into clicking malicious links through fake delivery delay notifications, with email remaining the primary attack vector. Experts recommend independently verifying suspicious messages by navigating directly to company websites or looking up official phone numbers rather than clicking links in unsolicited communications.
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WBNS 10TV
· 2025-04-30
Scammers are increasingly targeting seniors with fake text messages and calls impersonating banks and the FDIC to steal social security numbers and bank account information. Columbus police, Chase Bank, and local housing authorities held an awareness event for seniors to educate them on protecting their identities and money, emphasizing that victims should file police reports to help investigators track patterns and determine if criminals are operating locally or overseas.
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ABC News
· 2025-04-23
The FBI reported that Americans lost a record $16.6 billion to scams last year, a 33% increase from the previous year, with seniors aged 60 and older being disproportionately targeted and losing nearly $5 billion. Scams targeting seniors included impersonation schemes (fake coworkers, tech support), with criminals posing as tech support claiming to remove viruses for a fee. The FBI urged consumers to "check, call, and wait"—verify email addresses and phone numbers, confirm authenticity by calling, and wait before sending money to verify legitimacy.
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CTV News
· 2025-04-15
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre unveiled a proposed crackdown on senior fraud, noting that Canadian seniors are 33% more likely to lose money in scams than other age groups. His proposed measures include requiring banks and telecom providers to detect and block fraud in real-time, implementing 24-hour delays on high-risk transactions from senior accounts, creating new criminal offenses for executives who enable senior scams, and imposing harsher penalties for fraudsters. The proposal responds to thousands of Canadian seniors losing millions to scams in recent years, including phishing texts and robocalls targeting those over 65.
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NBC10 Philadelphia
· 2025-04-11
Scammers are increasingly impersonating government agencies—particularly the Social Security Administration, Health and Human Services, Customs and Border Protection, and the U.S. Postal Service—to steal personal information and money through unsolicited calls. Losses from government impersonation scams rose from $618 million in 2023 to $789 million in 2024, with over 265,000 reports filed, and victims should know that legitimate government agencies never demand money, make threats, or ask people to move funds over the phone.
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KPAX-TV
· 2025-04-11
A Helena, Montana resident nearly fell victim to an impersonation scam when a caller posing as a sheriff's office representative threatened arrest for missed jury duty and demanded $5,000 payment. The victim avoided losing money by contacting his bank, Opportunity Bank of Montana, whose employees verified the scam and confirmed the fraudster had spoofed the sheriff's department's phone number. The transcript emphasizes common tactics scammers use—fear and urgency—and recommends pausing to verify information before responding to suspicious communications.
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11Alive
· 2025-04-10
An Atlanta woman nearly fell victim to an online scam while selling an entertainment center on Nextdoor for $460. The scammer sent her a check for $2,260 instead of the agreed amount, claiming the extra funds were for additional pickups, but the woman became suspicious when the amount didn't match their agreement. After verifying the bank and LLC information appeared legitimate, she deposited the check but ultimately discovered it was fraudulent, avoiding a loss of over $1,500.
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ABC4 Utah
· 2025-04-10
The U.S. Postal Service warns the public about romance scams, where fraudsters pose as romantic interests online to solicit money from victims, emphasizing that people should never send money or valuables to anyone they haven't met in person. The USPS is also working to combat mail carrier robberies by implementing new mailboxes with digital locks to enhance carrier safety and reduce theft risks.
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FOX 4 Now
· 2025-04-09
Tax-related scams are surging during tax season, with cybersecurity firm Guardio reporting a 244% increase in IRS and tax-related spam messages since the beginning of the year. Scammers use increasingly sophisticated AI-powered tactics to impersonate the IRS, targeting sensitive information like bank accounts and social security numbers with urgent messaging. Key protection: the IRS only contacts taxpayers via text if prior permission was given, so unsolicited tax-related texts and calls are typically fraudulent.
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THV11
· 2025-04-08
Modern scammers are using increasingly sophisticated tactics that are difficult to distinguish from legitimate contacts, including impersonating law enforcement and court officials through voicemails claiming victims have missed court dates or been served papers. These emotionally manipulative scams attempt to pressure victims into providing sensitive information or money by creating a false sense of urgency and legal jeopardy. Authorities recommend vigilance in verifying the legitimacy of unexpected calls and texts before responding with personal or financial information.
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NBC10 Boston
· 2025-04-08
The FBI warns of a widespread scam targeting iPhone and Android users in which scammers impersonate law enforcement officials via text messages and voicemails to demand money or personal information under the pretense of a supposed offense. Consumers should be alert to fraudulent messages impersonating legitimate organizations like USPS, banks, and utility providers, which use urgent language and suspicious links to trick recipients into providing personal or financial information.
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Click On Detroit | Local 4 | WDIV
· 2025-04-08
A Macomb County senior citizen lost over $30,000 in a Bitcoin internet service scam after receiving an email about home internet security protection she did not sign up for. When she called to cancel, scammers posing as customer service representatives gained access to her personal and banking information, ultimately tricking her into sending money via Bitcoin. The scam targeted seniors looking to save money and appears to have affected multiple victims in the local area.
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WFRV Local 5
· 2025-04-06
The Fond du Lac County Sheriff's Office received multiple complaints about a jury duty scam in which callers used caller ID spoofing to impersonate the sheriff's office and threatened victims with fines or jail time for allegedly missing jury duty. The sheriff's office clarified that they never solicit personal or financial information by phone, and warned that any call demanding money is likely a scam.
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wpsu
· 2025-04-05
This educational piece outlines two major categories of scams that affect consumers: illegal scams that attempt to steal personal information (like social security numbers and credit card details) to access accounts and money, and predatory scams that are typically legal but equally deceptive and financially damaging. The article advises that legitimate companies never request account information via unsolicited texts, emails, or calls, and viewers should be cautious of suspicious communications and fraudulent links.
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FOX 4 Now
· 2025-04-03
Lee County Sheriff's Office reported approximately 20 fraud cases daily in 2024, with 2,400 total reported cases—60% resulting in losses exceeding $10,000 each. The most common scam involved fraudsters impersonating law enforcement and claiming victims missed court dates, demanding payment via untraceable methods like Bitcoin or gift cards, though recent high-dollar wire fraud cases totaled $395,000, $475,000, and $158,000. Most suspects operate outside the United States, making recovery of stolen funds difficult once money is transferred overseas.
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NEWS CENTER Maine
· 2025-03-30
A woman in Atlanta lost nearly $7,000 after lending her phone to a stranger who claimed to need it for an emergency after losing his phone in an Uber. The scammer used the borrowed phone to transfer funds via Venmo and Cash App without the victim's knowledge. Police departments, the American Bankers Association, and Microsoft warn that phone borrowing scams are ongoing, with scammers typically claiming emergencies like dead batteries or lost devices in public places to gain access to victims' phones and financial accounts.
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5NEWS
· 2025-03-28
The Arkansas Attorney General is warning residents about a resurfacing text messaging scam targeting toll road users. The alert advises residents to be cautious of unsolicited texts claiming to be from toll road operators, which are used to steal personal and financial information.
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WIRED
· 2025-03-28
A WIRED article examines romance scams through the story of a victim who lost $300,000 after meeting someone on the dating app Hinge who posed as a cryptocurrency entrepreneur and convinced her to invest her savings and IRA funds. The piece explores how scammers use dating platforms to build trust over weeks or months before exploiting victims financially, and notes that romance scams are among the most personally and financially damaging online fraud schemes, with perpetrators constantly evolving their tactics.
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11Alive
· 2025-03-27
A woman named Chandler Rogers lent her phone to a stranger claiming he was stranded and needed to contact friends, but the man used the unsecured device to steal nearly $7,000 total from her Venmo and Cash App accounts. The phone borrowing scam, which typically occurs in public places where scammers claim emergencies like dead batteries, also allows criminals access to emails, personal data, and authentication codes; experts warn never to lend phones to strangers and recommend using app security protections.
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CBS Philadelphia
· 2025-03-27
Washington Township Police Department in New Jersey partnered with the FBI to host an educational seminar teaching seniors and families how to recognize and avoid scams, prompted by recent major fraud cases in their community. Scammers commonly use fear, urgency, and confusion to target seniors through IRS scams, grandparent scams, tax support scams, online banking scams, and EasyPass billing scams, with recent local cases involving losses of $100,000 or more. Police emphasize that recognizing red flags through education is the most effective way to prevent seniors from losing their savings to fraud.
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WFSU Public Media
· 2025-03-26
Florida residents, particularly seniors, are experiencing widespread scam calls and text messages, including toll balance fraud and unsolicited calls from unknown numbers. According to board-certified elder law attorney Jana McConna, vulnerable seniors—especially those who are isolated, lonely, recently widowed, or experiencing memory issues—are actively being targeted, with scammers exploiting emotional vulnerability and cognitive decline to financially manipulate victims. McConna emphasizes that isolation and loneliness are key risk factors that make seniors susceptible to fraud schemes.