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Impostor scams in Ohio surged 47% in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024, with scammers impersonating government and business officials. A Sheffield Lake business owner received a voicemail from someone claiming to be a Lorain County Sheriff's sergeant threatening arrest warrants and demanding payment, but he avoided the scam by contacting law enforcement directly. Law enforcement advises that legitimate government agencies contact residents by mail, not phone, and warns people not to provide personal information or make payments over the phone.

A senior in Windsor was defrauded of $8,500 in a bail scam after a suspect convinced them a relative had been jailed and needed immediate bail money; when the suspect returned the following day demanding additional funds, the victim's refusal led to a home invasion and physical assault. Police are seeking a white male suspect between 18-25 years old and advise seniors to hang up on urgent bail requests and verify claims with trusted family members or authorities.

This educational piece explains why fraud and scam victims deserve compassion rather than shame, contrasting them with armed robbery victims who typically receive community support. The article emphasizes that scams—particularly romance and relationship scams targeting lonely or recently bereaved individuals—are methodical crimes where criminals build trust over time, repeatedly extract money, and compromise personal information that can be exploited for years. Key warning signs include requests to move communication off dating platforms, claims of inability to meet in person, and repeated requests for money, with intervention best approached through trusted third parties when direct intervention may be rejected.

Americans face approximately 100 scam attempts monthly—significantly more than any other surveyed country—encountering roughly 25 separate fraudulent messages weekly through calls, emails, and texts. Only 23% of people feel confident in spotting fraud, with financial scams cited as the top concern by 46% of respondents, while emerging threats like AI-driven phishing, deepfakes, and fake apps pose increasing risks. Experts attribute heightened vulnerability to weak password practices and urge adoption of stronger authentication methods like passkeys to combat the growing "trust nothing era."

A senior in Windsor was defrauded of $8,500 in a bail scam after someone claiming to be related to a jailed family member showed up at their home, and when the victim refused a second demand for money the following day, the suspect forced his way inside and physically assaulted them before fleeing. Police are seeking a white male between 18 and 25 years old and warn that these scams exploit seniors' fear and urgency by falsely claiming a relative needs immediate bail money; victims should verify such claims with family members or contact police directly.

A Windsor senior was defrauded of $8,500 and physically assaulted in a bail scam in which a suspect falsely claimed the victim's relative had been jailed and needed urgent bail money. When the victim refused a second demand for additional funds the following day, the suspect forced his way into the home and assaulted the senior before fleeing. Police are seeking a white male suspect aged 18-25 with a thin build and long brown hair, and advise seniors to hang up on such calls and verify claims with family members or police.

Pennsylvania residents are on track to lose more money to fraud in the current year than in the previous year, with Pennsylvanians having lost approximately $400 million to scams last year and ranking eighth nationally in total fraud losses. Artificial intelligence is enabling increasingly sophisticated scams—including the "grandparent scam" where criminals use AI voice technology to impersonate family members—making traditional detection methods like spotting typos ineffective, and most scams originate from organized networks outside the U.S., making investigation and prosecution difficult. The National Elder Fraud Coordination Center, launched this year with analysts based in Pittsburgh, is working to address this growing epidemic through coordination between private and public sector partners.

The Vandalia CEOS Club held an educational meeting where members learned about scams targeting seniors, including telephone, internet, financial, and homeowner scams, with discussion led by Helen McClain on identifying and avoiding these frauds. Club members shared personal experiences and fraud prevention tips during the session.

Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly Massachusetts residents, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with 59 victims (98% over age 60) losing $18.6 million collectively. The scams typically impersonated family members, government officials, or tech support to convince victims to withdraw cash or gold bars for couriers to collect, with similar schemes causing approximately $186.2 million in losses nationwide during the same period. The FBI recommends victims report fraud immediately to ic3.gov or the DOJ Elder Justice hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 and advises

Bitdefender's October 2025 "They Wear Our Faces" campaign highlights a surge in AI-driven fraud targeting Americans, who reported over $12.5 billion in fraud losses in 2024. The campaign exposes how scammers use deepfake technology, voice cloning, and personalized impersonation across email, SMS, and social media, with the U.S. receiving 37% of global spam between March-September 2025. Top threats include phishing impersonating Microsoft, Amazon, and Costco, along with increasingly sophisticated SMS scams and AI-powered deepfake videos promoting fake cryptocurrency investments.

An 81-year-old Mayfield Heights resident lost $9,600 in a grandparent scam after receiving a call from someone posing as an attorney claiming his granddaughter was in jail following a car crash. The scammers used a black SUV courier to collect cash from his home and then called back demanding an additional $9,600, claiming a pregnant woman had miscarried. The victim discovered the fraud when he contacted family members and learned his granddaughter was safe.

The Horner CEOS club held a meeting on September 17 where member Whitney Ballard presented an educational lesson on scams targeting senior citizens, explaining that seniors are vulnerable targets because scammers exploit their trust and seek access to bank accounts and personal information like Social Security numbers. Ballard advised attendees to remain alert, verify the identities of callers, monitor their grandchildren's whereabouts, and stay informed about scams circulating in their area.

Toronto Police warned of an active "grandparent scam" variant in which fraudsters impersonate family members or acquaintances claiming to be in serious emergencies (car accidents, medical crises) and pressure victims to withdraw large sums of cash and deliver it to a stranger. The scammers keep victims on the phone throughout the transaction to prevent verification of the claim. Police advised the public to hang up immediately on suspicious calls and report them to authorities.

Mesquite Police detectives informed nearly 100 residents of Del Webb Sun City about prevalent scams targeting seniors, including grandparent scams, tech support fraud, romance scams, and investment schemes that exploit trust through calls, emails, and online platforms. Gift card scams are particularly prevalent locally, with thieves using untraceable cards or tampering with physical cards before purchase, while imposter scams involving government agencies and voice-cloning technology also pose significant risks. Residents were advised to verify claims independently, protect personal information, avoid public Wi-Fi, and report suspicious activity to the FTC or their bank immediately.

A Louisville nonprofit called ElderServe held a community workshop to educate seniors on recognizing and preventing scams, as the organization responds to a rise in local fraud targeting older adults, including cases involving home theft, grandparent scams, and credit card fraud. The workshop taught seniors practical defense strategies such as avoiding unknown callers, never saying "yes" on recorded lines, and being cautious of in-person approaches, with participants reporting increased awareness and intention to change their behaviors. ElderServe plans to continue its educational series, emphasizing that awareness is the primary defense against scammers who specifically target seniors.

In June, 73-year-old Karen Pagano from Truro nearly lost $40,000 to scammers who impersonated PayPal fraud specialists, gained remote access to her laptop, and attempted to transfer funds from her bank account while keeping her on the phone. Although police intervention prevented the full loss, Pagano experienced significant disruption including delayed retirement and Social Security payments, and has since received six to eight suspicious calls daily. According to local law enforcement, elder fraud is rampant in the Cape and Islands region, with 393 reports filed over 21 months (January 2023–October 2024) but only 15 resulting in charges, reflecting resource

A Toronto man lost $80,000 to a romance scam after meeting a woman claiming to be from Seattle on social media; she convinced him to invest in cryptocurrency under the promise of tripling his money. According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre, romance scams have already cost 778 Canadians over $54.6 million in 2024, making it one of the most common frauds in Canada. The Canadian Association of Retired Persons is calling for stricter criminal penalties, mandatory fraud prevention measures at banks and telecoms, and greater bank responsibility in preventing large transfers associated with fraud.

Canada's Ontario Securities Commission has identified seven prevalent investment scams targeting victims in autumn, including romance scams (fraudsters gaining trust online before pitching fake investments), cryptocurrency scams (requesting additional funds before allowing withdrawals), affinity fraud (targeting social groups with Ponzi schemes), pump-and-dump schemes (artificially inflating stock prices before selling), boiler room operations (fake trading platforms), AI voice scams (deepfakes impersonating relatives or celebrities), and exempt securities fraud (misrepresenting fraudulent investments as legitimate exclusive opportunities). The advisory emphasizes that common red flags include unsolicited contact about investment tips, requests for money from online contacts never met in person, an

Internet scams have evolved from crude 1990s email cons like Nigerian prince schemes to sophisticated AI-powered deepfakes that can convincingly impersonate voices and faces, with phishing attacks emerging in the early 2000s as online banking adoption grew. Despite technological advances making fraud more convincing and difficult to detect, successful scams continue to rely on exploiting fundamental human emotions—greed, fear, compassion, and loneliness—through predictable psychological manipulation patterns that create urgency and isolate victims from support systems. Understanding how scam tactics have evolved reveals that technological complexity often masks simple psychological manipulation, and recognizing consistent underlying patterns can help potential victims identify manipulation attempts regardless of delivery method.

Hugo Sanchez, a Toronto man in his 40s, lost $80,000 to a romance scam after meeting a woman named "Lina" on social media following his separation. The scammer convinced him to invest in cryptocurrency, falsely promising he would triple his money. Advocates from the Canadian Association of Retired Persons are calling for stricter criminal penalties and mandatory fraud prevention measures at banks and telecoms, noting that romance scams have cost 778 Canadians over $54.6 million so far this year.

Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, a 43-year-old Nigerian national extradited from Poland, faces federal charges for operating a transnational inheritance scam that defrauded American seniors over five years. The scheme involved sending personalized letters claiming victims were entitled to multimillion-dollar inheritances from deceased Spanish relatives, then requesting upfront fees for delivery and taxes; victims sent money through a network of U.S.-based accomplices but never received the promised funds. Nnebocha faces up to 20 years in prison, and two co-defendants have already been sentenced to approximately 8 years each.

Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, 43, a Nigerian national extradited from Poland, faces federal charges for operating a transnational romance/inheritance scam that defrauded American seniors over five years by falsely claiming they had won multimillion-dollar inheritances from Spain and requesting upfront fees. Victims were instructed to send money through a network of U.S.-based former victims who forwarded funds to the defendants, with none of the promised inheritances ever materialized. Nnebocha faces up to 20 years in prison; two co-conspirators have already been sentenced to 97 months each for their roles in the scheme.

Older adults aged 60-plus lost $3.4 billion globally to financial scammers in 2023, with fraudsters targeting this population because they believe older adults have substantial savings and are less likely to report crimes. The article describes five common scams targeting seniors: grandparent scams (emotional manipulation using impersonation), financial services scams (impersonating banks or debt collectors), tech support scams (the most frequently reported type), government impersonation scams (IRS/Social Security threats), and romance scams, all of which exploit trust, fear, or emotion to extract money or personal information.

Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly residents, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with 59 Massachusetts victims losing $18.6 million combined—98% of losses reported by people over 60. The scams typically involved impersonation (grandparent, government, or tech support) to convince victims to either transfer funds to fake government accounts or hand cash and gold bars to couriers; nationally, the FBI documented 1,737 similar instances totaling approximately $186.2 million in losses. The FBI advises the public to discuss these schemes with elderly relatives and warns that the government

The Better Business Bureau of Central Illinois reports a 70% increase in scam reports year-to-date (roughly 100,000 compared to 58,000 last year), with seniors age 65 and older being the hardest hit, experiencing median losses of over $6,000 from romance/friendship scams and sometimes losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. To address this rise, BBB leader Jessica Tharp is launching the Senior Scam Stop 2025 education series to combat the stigma around victimization and empower seniors with knowledge about common scams (including romance plots, grandparent scams, and Medicare fraud) and protective strategies.