Search
Explore the Archive
Search across 19,276 articles about elder fraud. Filter by fraud type, payment mechanism, or keywords.
1,275 results
in Grandparent Scam
wealthsolutionsreport.com
· 2025-12-08
Ultra-high net worth (UHNW) individuals face increasingly sophisticated scams that exploit publicly available data, AI technology, and deep social engineering to target them with highly personalized fraud schemes. The article identifies seven major scam types affecting wealthy Americans: whaling (executive phishing), deepfake-driven impersonation and family emergency scams, synthetic identity fraud, tax and authority impersonation scams, and romance scams—each using tailored personal details and urgent requests to extract sensitive information, authorize fraudulent transfers, or manipulate victims into fake investments. Wealth managers and advisors are advised to educate clients on red flags including unusual communication changes, urgent financial requests from trusted sources, and demands
ocalagazette.com
· 2025-12-08
An 82-year-old Ocala woman lost $7,300 in cryptocurrency and nearly lost $160,000 in cash converted to gold in a multi-stage scam involving a fake computer hack, fraudulent bank officer call, and an accomplice attempting to pick up the gold at her home—the plot was foiled by law enforcement and a gold exchange company alert, resulting in the arrest of Jiann Cao. Local agencies report approximately $1 million stolen monthly from elder fraud victims in Marion County, with common scams including tech support fraud, romance scams, and investment schemes; officials recommend verifying the authenticity of unsolicited communications and emphasize education and reporting as key prevention strategies.
oakdaleleader.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, fraud cost Americans an estimated $158.3 billion, with new federal initiatives like the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center launching to combat organized fraud schemes through investigation and prosecution. The article highlights three prevalent scams: fake travel websites that appear in search results, utility company impersonators threatening service shutoff, and increasingly sophisticated grandparent scams enhanced by AI technology that create false emergencies to pressure victims into sending money via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
escalontimes.com
· 2025-12-08
**Fraud Overview & National Response:**
The Federal Trade Commission reported fraud theft reached $158.3 billion in 2023 ($434 million daily), prompting the creation of the National Elder Fraud Coordination Center to investigate and prosecute fraud criminals at scale.
**Common Summer Scams:**
Three prevalent scams target consumers: fake travel websites appearing in search results, utility company impersonators threatening service shutoff and demanding gift cards or wire transfers, and AI-enhanced grandparent scams using realistic voice manipulation to pressure victims into sending money for fabricated emergencies. Protection strategies include researching unfamiliar companies, contacting official numbers directly, and pausing before responding
inkl.com
· 2025-12-08
Modern scams targeting older adults are increasingly sophisticated and personalized, exploiting seniors' trust, digital inexperience, fixed incomes, and desire to help family members. According to the FBI, older adults lost over $3 billion to scams in recent years, with many victims unaware they've been defrauded or too embarrassed to report it. The article identifies 10 warning signs including urgent demands for action, requests for untraceable payments (gift cards, wire transfers, cryptocurrency), instruction to keep the scam secret, too-good-to-be-true offers, callers claiming government authority, and requests for personal information confirmation.
legaltalknetwork.com
· 2025-12-08
This is an educational podcast episode featuring cybersecurity expert Steve Weisman discussing scam prevention and identification strategies. The episode covers various scam types (including VA imposter and "free piano" scams), the role of AI in modern fraud schemes, and protective measures such as a "zero trust" verification approach where all transactions—particularly checks—must be independently confirmed before trusting them.
cbc.ca
· 2025-12-08
A 63-year-old Calgary woman lost approximately $380,000 of her life savings to a romance scam conducted over five years by a man who claimed to work for the U.S. government and promised to relocate to Canada to be with her. She discovered the fraud when she questioned repeated requests for money and became suspicious of a fake photo of a house they were supposedly going to share, ultimately seeking help from an elder support organization. Romance scams affected over 1,030 Canadians who lost $58 million collectively last year, making it an increasingly common form of fraud targeting seniors.
ca.news.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
A Calgary woman lost approximately $380,000 in a romance scam that spanned five years, after selling her deceased father's house and moving into a motel while waiting to relocate to the United States to be with a man named "Gilbert" who claimed to work for the U.S. government. Nelson eventually realized the scam when the man continuously requested money and sent her a photo of their supposed future home that appeared fake, leaving her homeless and dependent only on her pension while seeking affordable housing. Romance scams are an increasingly common form of fraud in Canada, with organizations like Unison at Kerby Centre regularly assisting seniors who have experienced similar financial abuse.
wlrn.org
· 2025-12-08
Senator Rick Scott led a bipartisan effort to introduce the GUARD Act, legislation designed to equip local and state law enforcement with advanced tools—including blockchain tracing technology—to investigate and combat financial scams targeting older Americans. The bill addresses a growing crisis: Americans over 60 lost $4.8 billion to scams in 2024, while those aged 50-59 lost an additional $2.5 billion, with estimates suggesting total fraud losses affecting seniors range from $28.3 billion to $137 billion annually. The legislation aims to expand federal grant programs for specialized training and improve coordination between federal and local agencies to prosecute scammers and recover stolen funds.
cbc.ca
· 2025-12-08
A 63-year-old Calgary woman lost approximately $380,000 over several years in a romance scam after being contacted by a man claiming to work for the U.S. government who promised a future together but repeatedly requested money and never met her in person. The scam left Nelson homeless and living in an elder abuse shelter, unable to recover her life savings that would have allowed her to purchase a home. According to Canada's Anti-Fraud Centre, romance scams affected 1,030 Canadians who collectively lost $58 million last year, with such frauds becoming increasingly common among seniors.
stacker.com
· 2025-12-08
This editorial piece highlights rising scam trends identified in July news coverage, including romance scams (which affected over 70,000 people in 2022 with $1.3 billion in losses), AI-powered impersonation scams (which increased 148% between April 2024 and March 2025), and counterfeit drug schemes. The author emphasizes the value of scam awareness journalism in helping readers protect themselves and vulnerable populations like elderly relatives from evolving fraud threats across technology and dating platforms.
malaysia.news.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Malaysian authorities have warned of a rising trend of AI-generated deepfake voice scams targeting victims by impersonating family members and public figures. Since early 2024, police investigated over 454 cases involving cloned voices requesting urgent money transfers, resulting in approximately RM2.72 million in losses, with scammers also using altered videos of celebrities and political figures to promote fake investment schemes. The scams exploit emotional trust and create false urgency, posing threats to individual safety, media credibility, and national security.
malaysia.news.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Malaysian authorities reported a significant wave of AI-powered scams in 2024, including voice-cloning fraud and deepfake video investment schemes. Voice-cloning scams used AI to impersonate employers, family members, and friends via phone and WhatsApp, with documented victims losing between RM3,000 to RM49,800; police investigated 454 deepfake fraud cases totaling RM2.72 million in losses. Deepfake videos falsely featured prominent figures including the Prime Minister, business leaders, and celebrities endorsing fraudulent investment schemes, with Malaysians losing RM2.11 billion to such scams across 13,956 reporte
kiplinger.com
· 2025-12-08
Identity theft and financial scams have become increasingly sophisticated, with AI-generated emails, deepfakes, and voice-cloning technologies making fraudulent communications difficult to distinguish from legitimate ones. In 2024, consumers lost $27.2 billion to identity fraud (a 19% increase from 2023), with older adults suffering median losses of $1,000 compared to $417 for people in their 20s, despite younger people reporting fraud at higher rates. The article advises protecting sensitive personal information and recognizing common scam tactics, particularly impersonation scams, which were the most reported fraud category with losses reaching $789 million in government impersonation schemes alone.
cityandstateny.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2024, payment scams cost Americans over $12.5 billion, with New York reporting nearly 280,000 fraud cases to the FTC—a 25% increase year-over-year. Seniors are particularly targeted through scams involving impersonation of grandchildren, family members, and government agencies (like fake DMV and toll road warnings), sometimes using AI to replicate voices, resulting in victims losing tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of dollars. A bipartisan group of senators is proposing the TRAPS Act to establish a federal task force coordinating the Treasury, Justice, FTC, and other agencies to investigate and combat these rapidly escalating payment scams.
cbc.ca
· 2025-12-08
Two Winnipeg seniors over 80 lost over $10,000 in a grandparent scam in July after receiving calls from someone impersonating their grandson claiming he needed bail money following a car accident. The victims made two transfers at their TD Bank branch over consecutive days, and the bank's investigation concluded it would not refund the money since the cardholders authorized the transfers, though the daughter—a former banker and investigator—contends the tellers failed to question the suspicious transactions. The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre reports that emergency-based fraud scams resulted in over $819,000 in losses in the first half of 2025 alone, with only 5-10%
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Three Texas men were arrested for defrauding approximately 75 elderly victims of $1.5 million through a loan scheme in which they posed as business representatives offering to reduce utility bills, then fraudulently applied seniors' electronic signatures to 20-year loans ($13,000-$32,500 per victim) without consent. The article notes that elder fraud has become increasingly sophisticated, with 2023 losses exceeding $3.4 billion nationally among seniors aged 60+, now involving investment schemes, cryptocurrency fraud, and AI-enhanced techniques like voice cloning and deepfakes.
morningstar.com
· 2025-12-08
An 80-year-old man nearly lost $40,000 to a sophisticated FTC impersonation scam that began with a text message about a fraudulent Apple Pay charge, which led him to call fake bank representatives who convinced him he owed money and connected him to supposed FTC officials. His daughter-in-law intervened by explaining that banks don't have direct FTC lines, government agencies contact people by mail (not phone), and fraud liability is capped at $50, successfully stopping him from withdrawing cash for prepaid debit cards. The article highlights that seniors are particularly vulnerable to scams due to cognitive decline and isolation, accounting for over $3 billion in annual losses, an
local10.com
· 2025-12-08
U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Rick Scott convened a panel in Miami-Dade County with state leaders, banking institutions, Medicare, and AARP to address escalating scams targeting seniors, particularly "grandparent scams" that use artificial intelligence to mimic family members' voices and fraudulently obtain money. Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz emphasized the need for tougher penalties and specialized law enforcement units to investigate elderly fraud, while Scott announced plans to push for federal legislation to better identify and prosecute criminals targeting seniors.
thepress.net
· 2025-12-08
Fraudsters stole over $12.5 billion from Americans over 55 in 2024, a 25% increase from $10 billion in 2023, according to the FTC's Consumer Sentinel Network report. Seniors are targeted due to limited online experience, accumulated wealth, and social isolation, with common scams including grandparent schemes, romance scams, impersonation of government agencies or utilities, tech support fraud, home repair scams, and cryptocurrency schemes. Experts advise that pressure to act quickly is a hallmark of scams, and legitimate government agencies and corporations typically do not contact people via unsolicited text messages or calls demanding immediate payment.
abc7news.com
· 2025-12-08
The San Mateo Police Department warned of a scam targeting senior citizens at self-checkout lanes, where fraudsters build rapport with elderly shoppers and persuade them to purchase items, then distract them while adding additional merchandise before fleeing. At least two incidents occurred at a Target location in the Bridgepointe Shopping Center. Experts advise seniors to rehearse responses like "no" or reference trusted contacts, emphasizing that it is acceptable to decline requests from strangers.
inkl.com
· 2025-12-08
Seniors are increasingly targeted through crypto ATM scams using seven common tactics: fake tech support calls, grandparent emergency scams, romance fraud, government impersonation, fake investment schemes, utility bill threats, and QR code tricks. These scams exploit the irreversible nature of cryptocurrency transactions and the emotional vulnerability of older adults through urgency, authority, and personal relationships. The article advises seniors to verify requests independently through official channels, avoid sending cryptocurrency for emergencies or payments, and consult trusted contacts before transferring money.
lowincomerelief.com
· 2025-12-08
Social Security recipients face escalating financial fraud, with seniors over 60 losing an estimated $3.4 billion to scams in 2023 alone. The article outlines seven common scam types targeting this vulnerable population: fake government calls (including a new SSA warning about fraudsters posing as federal agencies demanding payment via untraceable methods), Medicare fraud, grandparent scams, financial services impersonation, tech support scams, fake assistance programs, and romance scams. The article provides protective measures for each scam type, emphasizing verification of contacts, use of official phone numbers, and avoidance of unusual payment methods and unsolicited requests for personal information.
forbes.com
· 2025-12-08
Minnesota Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner lost $240,000 in an imposter scam when a caller falsely claiming to be from JP Morgan Chase convinced him to wire funds to protect his account from fraudulent activity. Imposter scams are the second-highest fraud category, accounting for $2.95 billion in losses in 2024, and commonly originate via spoofed text messages that mimic legitimate banks; consumers should independently verify suspicious communications and never wire funds to "protect" accounts, as legitimate banks never request such actions.
states.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
AARP's Fraud Watch Network developed a universal anti-fraud framework called "Pause. Reflect. Protect." to help consumers recognize and avoid scams. The framework identifies three common triggers present in most fraud attempts—unexpected contact, surge of emotion, and urgency—that should prompt an "Active Pause," allowing people to step back and logically evaluate whether a situation makes sense before responding. By recognizing these three elements and engaging critical thinking rather than emotional reaction, consumers can protect themselves from a wide range of scams including tech support, toll road, and grandparent schemes.
stlpr.org
· 2025-12-08
A 31-year-old St. Louis-area man, Chaman Silverio Balbuena, has been indicted as part of a 13-person grandparent scam operation that defrauded over 400 elderly victims of more than $5 million. Balbuena, along with co-conspirators in the Dominican Republic, used fake emergency calls claiming grandchildren needed legal fees for accident-related lawsuits, then employed him as a "runner" to collect cash via rideshare drivers—netting at least $350,000 from 25 victims between November 2022 and February 2023. He faces charges for conspiracy to commit mail and wire frau
boston25news.com
· 2025-12-08
A transnational elder fraud ring operating a call center in Santiago, Dominican Republic, defrauded over 400 elderly victims (average age 84) out of more than $5 million through "grandparent scams," with at least 50 victims in Massachusetts. Thirteen individuals have been charged in connection with the scheme, which involved callers posing as grandchildren in distress and then as attorneys requesting emergency funds; four suspects remain at large while nine are in custody. Federal authorities shut down the operation following a two-year investigation and are urging victims to come forward without shame, noting that such schemes are increasingly sophisticated, sometimes aided by AI.
boston.com
· 2025-12-08
A transnational elder fraud ring based in the Dominican Republic was disrupted after a two-year investigation resulting in nine arrests and four additional charges, with 13 suspects identified in total. The scheme defrauded over 400 victims (average age 84) of more than $5 million across Massachusetts, Florida, California, Maryland, and New York by using bilingual callers posing as distressed grandchildren in accidents or legal trouble, followed by a "closer" impersonating an attorney, then a "runner" collecting cash via rideshare services. Alleged ringleader Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia and associates face charges including conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering,
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Thirteen individuals, led by Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, were charged for operating a transnational "grandparent scam" call center in the Dominican Republic that defrauded over 400 elderly victims (average age 84) across the United States, resulting in more than $5 million in losses, including at least 50 victims in Massachusetts. The scheme involved callers posing as grandchildren in distress or their attorneys, instructing victims to send cash via rideshare drivers or mail, and often requesting additional payments through fabricated stories. The defendants allegedly laundered the illicit proceeds back to the Dominican Republic through money launderers and bank accounts in the United States.
bostonglobe.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal authorities charged 13 people operating a call center in the Dominican Republic with defrauding over 400 U.S. seniors (average age 84) of more than $5 million between May 2022 and April 2024 through a "grandparent scam" in which callers posed as grandchildren in legal or medical distress and accomplices impersonating lawyers extracted additional payments. The sophisticated scheme involved commercial telemarketing software, dark web victim lists, and ride-hail drivers to collect cash, and was dismantled after a two-year FBI investigation initiated when Uber alerted authorities to suspicious activity. Nine of the 13 defendants are in custody,
bostonherald.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal authorities dismantled a transnational "grandparent scam" operation based in the Dominican Republic that defrauded over 400 victims nationwide, including at least 50 in Massachusetts with an average age of 84, stealing more than $5 million. The scheme involved call center employees posing as grandchildren in distress or their attorneys, instructing elderly victims to send cash via rideshare drivers or mail, with some victims targeted multiple times for additional funds. Thirteen individuals were charged, with eleven arrested on Tuesday, after a two-year joint investigation by the FBI and Dominican Republic authorities, and the stolen proceeds were laundered back to the Caribbean.
nbcnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Thirteen Dominican Republic citizens have been charged with operating a sophisticated grandparent scam that defrauded approximately 400 U.S. seniors out of $5 million by posing as their grandchildren in distress and repeatedly extracting money from victims. The victims, averaging 84 years old and located across Massachusetts, California, New York, Florida, and Maryland, were targeted with calls claiming emergencies such as car accidents or arrests, with fraudsters sometimes contacting the same victims multiple times. Nine suspects are in custody while four remain at-large, each facing conspiracy charges for mail fraud, wire fraud, and money laundering with potential sentences up to 20 years in prison.
wcvb.com
· 2025-12-08
Thirteen people were charged in a sophisticated transnational elder fraud ring that operated from call centers in the Dominican Republic and defrauded over 400 Massachusetts senior citizens of approximately $5 million in combined losses. The defendants used a coordinated system of "openers" posing as distressed grandchildren, "closers" impersonating lawyers, and "runners" collecting cash, often making repeated calls to victims to extract additional payments for fabricated emergencies. Alleged mastermind Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia and other defendants used rideshare drivers as unwitting money couriers, with nine suspects arrested, two remaining at large in the U.S., and two at large in the Dominican Republic.
wwnytv.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal investigators charged 13 people operating from Dominican Republic call centers in a grandparents scam that defrauded approximately 400 elderly victims (average age 84) of over $5 million. The scammers impersonated grandchildren requesting emergency funds, then used Uber drivers to transport cash from victims' homes to middlemen and eventually to the Dominican Republic, with ringleader Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia allegedly using stolen money to fund a lavish lifestyle including purchasing a boat. Uber flagged the scheme to the FBI and subsequently implemented driver training changes to prevent similar fraud.
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal prosecutors charged more than a dozen individuals in "grandparent scams" where con artists impersonated grandchildren to solicit emergency money from elderly victims. The scheme defrauded hundreds of grandparents out of over $5 million.
wgal.com
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old woman in Chambersburg lost $18,000 in an AI-powered grandparent scam after receiving calls from someone impersonating her grandson claiming he was in jail following a DUI accident. The scammer used artificial intelligence to recreate the grandson's voice based on videos found on social media, convincing the victim to make two separate bank withdrawals of $9,000 each. Police are investigating and the family advises others to establish a family code word as a verification method to prevent falling victim to this increasingly sophisticated scam.
nbcboston.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal authorities dismantled a transnational elder fraud ring based in the Dominican Republic, charging 13 individuals led by Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia with defrauding over 400 elderly Americans of more than $5 million. The sophisticated scheme employed "openers" who posed as grandchildren in emergencies, "closers" who impersonated lawyers demanding fees, and "runners" in the U.S. who collected cash from victims' homes, with money laundered back to the Dominican Republic. Many victims experienced repeated calls threatening escalating emergencies and suffered emotional trauma, with some too ashamed to report the fraud to their families.
ca.news.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Thirteen individuals were charged with operating grandparent scam call centers based in the Dominican Republic that defrauded approximately 400 older adults (average age 84) of over $5 million across the United States by posing as family members in legal trouble needing bail money. Nine of the defendants are in custody, including ringleader Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, while four remain at large; the perpetrators used dark web data to target victims, employed scripted calls, and laundered proceeds toward luxury purchases and home upgrades.
kcur.org
· 2025-12-08
A 31-year-old St. Louis-area man, Chaman Silverio Balbuena, was indicted as part of a "grandparent scam" network that defrauded over 400 elderly victims of more than $5 million between November 2022 and February 2023. Balbuena and 12 others orchestrated the scheme by having callers in the Dominican Republic impersonate grandchildren claiming to need emergency bail money, then used rideshare drivers to collect at least $350,000 from at least 25 victims. Balbuena faces federal charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and money laundering, an
wgal.com
· 2025-12-08
An elderly couple from Franklin County lost thousands of dollars in a grandparents scam, part of a larger FBI investigation that resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals accused of stealing over $5 million from more than 400 senior citizens using a call center based in the Dominican Republic. The sophisticated fraud ring employed runners in the United States to pick up cash from victims' homes after convincing them via phone calls that a grandchild needed emergency money. Authorities recommend that seniors establish a family code word to verify the identity of callers claiming to be grandchildren in distress.
wamc.org
· 2025-12-08
A transnational grandparent scam operating from the Dominican Republic was dismantled following a two-year investigation, with suspects from New York, Massachusetts, and the Dominican Republic charged after defrauding at least 400 elderly victims of over $5 million. The sophisticated operation used call centers with "openers" posing as grandchildren in emergencies and "closers" impersonating lawyers demanding cash, with unwitting rideshare drivers recruited to transport victims to banks and deliver money; the scheme was uncovered when Uber flagged suspicious rides and alerted federal authorities. At least nine suspects were arrested facing wire fraud, mail fraud, and money laundering charges carrying up to 20
womansworld.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers posing as grandchildren are targeting elderly individuals by claiming emergencies (car accidents, arrests, etc.) and requesting urgent money transfers; thirteen Dominican Republic nationals were recently charged with defrauding approximately 400 U.S. grandparents of nearly $5 million across Massachusetts, California, New York, Florida, and Maryland. To protect themselves, grandparents should verify callers' identities through personal questions or video calls, avoid sharing financial information over the phone, and refrain from sending money immediately even if the caller claims to be a distressed family member.
nbcphiladelphia.com
· 2025-12-08
An 86-year-old grandmother from South Philadelphia fell victim to a grandparent scam in July in which a caller impersonated her granddaughter, claiming she had been in an accident and detained by police, and requested $6,000 in cash that was picked up from her home. The scam highlights the evolving threat of elder fraud, which affected over 147,000 victims in 2024 with losses totaling nearly $4.9 billion, with criminals increasingly using artificial intelligence to clone voices and make impersonations more convincing.
khou.com
· 2025-12-08
Thirteen people were charged in a sophisticated "grandparent scam" operation based in the Dominican Republic that targeted over 400 seniors across the United States, resulting in losses exceeding $5 million. The scheme, led by Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, involved English-speaking call center workers posing as distressed grandchildren or their attorneys to pressure elderly victims (average age 84) into sending cash via runners and mail, with the funds then laundered back to the Dominican Republic. Victims should report suspected fraud to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI or the IC3 Elder Fraud Complaint Center, and experts advise verifying urgent requests directly with family members before sending
lowellsun.com
· 2025-12-08
A transnational grandparent scam operation based in the Dominican Republic defrauded over 400 elderly victims (average age 84) of more than $5 million, with at least 50 victims from Massachusetts, using fake calls claiming grandchildren needed emergency money. Thirteen suspects, including alleged mastermind Oscar Manuel Castanos Garcia, faced charges after a two-year FBI investigation, with the scheme involving "opener" and "closer" call center employees who posed as family members and lawyers, directing victims to hand cash to rideshare drivers for delivery. The operation highlights the emotional and financial devastation of elder fraud and the importance of bank scrutiny for unusual senior withdrawals
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
An off-duty police officer in Waltham, Massachusetts prevented an elderly man from losing $12,000 to a Bitcoin scam after recognizing a fraudulent caller impersonating Apple Customer Support and the FTC who instructed him to deposit money into a Bitcoin machine. The incident highlights a broader problem, as federal investigators recently charged 13 people involved in a separate scam targeting hundreds of elderly victims with an average age of 84, who were deceived by callers posing as grandchildren.
cantonrep.com
· 2025-12-08
Sheriff Eric Weisburn outlines four key warning signs of scams—impersonation of trusted organizations, creation of false problems or prizes, pressure to act immediately, and demands for untraceable payment methods like gift cards or cryptocurrency—to help Stark County residents protect themselves. The article emphasizes that legitimate organizations never demand money or personal information unsolicited via phone, text, or email, and advises people to pause, verify through trusted contacts, and report suspected scams to local authorities or the FTC. Residents are encouraged to share their experiences to help prevent others from becoming victims.
cnycentral.com
· 2025-12-08
A married elderly couple in Throop, New York lost nearly $25,000 in a grandparent scam after receiving a call claiming their grandchild was in trouble; the couple's local case was part of a larger federal investigation that charged 13 people involved in a transnational elder fraud scheme operating from the Dominican Republic that defrauded over 400 victims of approximately $5 million nationwide, with at least 50 victims in Massachusetts averaging 84 years old. Local deputies arrested three suspects and recovered the couple's money, while federal authorities determined the scammers used call centers in the Dominican Republic and unsuspecting rideshare drivers as intermediaries to funnel stolen funds
cnycentral.com
· 2025-12-08
A married elderly couple from Throop, New York lost nearly $25,000 in a grandparent scam where callers impersonated their grandchild in distress; three local suspects were arrested in February 2023 and all funds were recovered. The Department of Justice charged 13 people involved in a sophisticated transnational elder fraud scheme that defrauded over 400 victims nationwide of $5 million total, with operations run from Dominican Republic call centers specifically designed to target elderly Americans, particularly those over 80 years old.
roughdraftatlanta.com
· 2025-12-08
Fulton County Department of Senior Services launched Avoid Cyber Threats (A.C.T.), a free online training program in August targeting residents aged 55 and older to help them recognize and avoid cyber scams including phishing, voice cloning, and impersonation schemes. The initiative responds to a 60 percent rise in scams targeting seniors over five years, with Americans aged 60+ losing nearly $4.9 billion to fraud in 2024 and Georgia ranking seventh nationally for senior fraud losses; the program aims to train 2,000 seniors by December, with research showing trained seniors are 80 percent more likely to recognize and avoid scams.