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Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown warned residents of an escalating AI-powered imposter scam targeting Prince George's County residents, where scammers mimicked sheriff's voices to demand $500-$5,000 via cash app, wire transfer, or gift cards by claiming victims had outstanding arrest warrants. The scammers used officials' real names and created false urgency to pressure victims into quick payments, exploiting AI technology's ability to replicate government and law enforcement voices convincingly. Brown recommends verifying unexpected official contacts through independent phone numbers, avoiding payment requests via gift cards or wire transfers, and reporting suspected scams to the Attorney General, FTC, or FBI.

Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown warned consumers about the rising threat of imposter scams that use sophisticated technologies, including AI-generated voices, to impersonate trusted figures such as government officials, bank representatives, law enforcement, and family members in order to steal money or personal information. Common scam types include government imposters threatening fines or arrest, family/friend imposters claiming emergencies, and tech support scams demanding payment for unnecessary repairs. To protect yourself, verify callers' identities by contacting organizations directly using official numbers, establish code words with family members, avoid sharing personal information, and report suspected scams to the Attorney General's Consumer Protection Division, FTC, or AARP Fraud Watch

In 2022, Maryland residents age 60 and older lost $63.6 million to fraud, with online scams being the most common method. Common schemes targeting older adults include grandparent scams (requesting emergency money), romance and investment scams, and impersonation of law enforcement, often facilitated through information gathered on social media. Red flags to watch for include unexpected emails or calls with misspellings, suspicious URLs, and unsolicited requests for money or personal information; protective measures include enabling multi-factor authentication on accounts, verifying caller identity through official channels, and reporting suspected fraud to local law enforcement or the Federal Trade Commission.

The Rockville Volunteer Fire Department lost $220,000 in a fraud scheme where a scammer impersonated their ambulance vendor and redirected the down payment to an overseas account. At least two other fire departments were victimized by the same fraudster around the same time; the department recovered $100,000 through their bank and is pursuing fundraising efforts to replace the lost funds, with Montgomery County police and the FBI investigating.

In May 2024, Dolapo Lawal, 33, of Baltimore, Maryland, pleaded guilty to access device fraud and aggravated identity theft for orchestrating a stolen identity tax refund scheme targeting elderly victims. Lawal fraudulently obtained over $3 million in tax refunds using elderly victims' identities, loaded the funds onto debit cards opened in their names, and withdrew more than $80,000 in cash at ATMs for personal use, including payments on his Mercedes and credit card debt. Law enforcement recovered approximately 24 fraudulent debit cards with $200,000 in stolen refunds during an April 2022 traffic stop, and later discovere

A former Nigerian romance scammer named Christopher, who operated fake dating profiles from 2016 to defraud women of large sums of money, was arrested and has since reformed by working for an anti-scam company and sharing his story to raise awareness. Romance scams are a widespread federal crime affecting tens of thousands of Americans annually, with cases often involving multiple victims and complex schemes that are difficult to prosecute; U.S. Attorney Erek Barron's office in Maryland has made scam and fraud cases a top priority through participation in the Justice Department's "Elder Justice Strike Force" and partnerships with organizations like AARP to prevent future victimization.

This article is not relevant to the Elderus elder fraud database. It reports a shooting incident involving five teenagers (ages 16-18) at a Maryland park during a senior skip day gathering, not a scam, fraud, or elder abuse case. Please provide an article related to elder fraud, scams targeting seniors, or elder abuse for summarization.

Gift card draining—a scam where fraudsters obtain card codes from retail displays, reseal the packaging, and drain the balance once consumers load money—resulted in $217 million in losses in 2023 as part of a broader $10 billion fraud crisis. States including New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island have enacted laws requiring retailer warnings and employee training, while Maryland recently approved legislation mandating secure packaging to conceal activation information, though retailers and manufacturers have resisted such regulations.

A 34-year-old California man was arrested for his role in a government-imposter gold bar scam that defrauded an elderly Leisure World resident of over $700,000 in Montgomery County, Maryland. The scammer impersonated FTC and FBI officials, falsely claiming the victim was an identity theft victim requiring protective measures, and instructed her to purchase gold bars from an online retailer; the victim wired approximately $788,000 in two transactions and handed over the gold bars to couriers in parking lots before realizing the theft. This represents one of a dozen similar incidents reported in Montgomery County over six months, targeting vulnerable seniors in the community.

A 75-year-old Maryland woman lost $86,000 in a tech support scam that began with a fake iPad security alert. After being directed to call a fake "Apple Support" number, scammers convinced her that her bank accounts were compromised and persuaded her to withdraw cash and purchase gift cards to "secure" her money. The scam was interrupted when a bank security officer at F&M Trust recognized the suspicious $62,500 withdrawal and alerted authorities, leading to the arrest of two New York men who arrived at her home to collect the cash.

The Montgomery County Office of Consumer Protection warns homeowners about unlicensed driveway-paving scammers who typically target residents in spring, using tactics like unsolicited offers, pressure for cash deposits, and claims of leftover materials to defraud victims. These scammers either abandon projects midway, leave properties damaged, or complete substandard work at inflated prices with no warranty protection, potentially resulting in civil or criminal charges including fraud and property destruction. Homeowners should verify contractors have a Maryland Home Improvement Commission (MHIC) license, obtain written contracts, and avoid cash-only deals or unsolicited offers with pressure for quick decisions.

Linda Laird, 59, and her father James Blizzard, 80, of Cordova, Maryland, were indicted on charges including Social Security fraud, mail fraud, wire fraud, and financial exploitation of an elderly person. Beginning in November 2017, the defendants fraudulently obtained guardianship and conservatorship of an 81-year-old cognitively impaired nursing home resident, then diverted over $21,000 in Social Security benefits and $85,000 from the victim's bank account for their personal use instead of applying the funds toward her care. Both defendants were released pending trial in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

A California man was arrested in Montgomery County, Maryland for defrauding a 64-year-old woman out of $800,000 by posing as a federal investigator and convincing her to convert her assets into gold bars for supposed identity theft protection, then stealing the gold from a parking lot. The FBI reports this cash-to-gold scam resulted in over $55 million in losses nationwide from May to December of the previous year, with at least 12 victims identified in Montgomery County alone, as scammers exploit the lack of transaction scrutiny from gold bullion websites compared to traditional banking institutions.

A 64-year-old woman in Leisure World, Maryland was defrauded of nearly $800,000 after a caller posing as a federal investigator convinced her to convert her savings into gold bars under the guise of protecting her from identity thieves. The suspect, Wenhui Sun, collected the gold bars in multiple parking lot exchanges before fleeing with the stolen assets. This cash-to-gold scam has affected at least a dozen seniors in Montgomery County, though police arrested Sun after setting up a sting operation with a decoy victim and $376,000 in gold bars.

The Maryland Attorney General's Office issued guidance warning residents to beware of sports betting scams and fraudulent platforms as March Madness approaches, advising consumers to verify legitimacy through the Better Business Bureau and the Attorney General's office before placing bets. Recommendations include reviewing promotion terms carefully, using only licensed betting programs through the Maryland Lottery and Gaming Control Agency, avoiding unsolicited communications, and reporting suspected fraud to authorities or the FBI. The office also noted that gambling carries financial risks and directed those needing help to contact the Maryland Alliance for Responsible Gambling at 1-800-Gambler.

Noel Chimezuru Agoha, a 40-year-old Maryland man, was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison in February 2019 for leading multiple fraud schemes that defrauded victims of over $1.5 million between 2015 and 2018. Agoha and his co-conspirators executed business email compromise scams by impersonating legitimate business contacts to trick victims into transferring money to fraudulent accounts, and operated romance scams on dating websites using fake profiles to extract money and property from victims. The court ordered Agoha to pay $1 million in restitution for his role in the conspiracy.

The "Phantom Hacker" scam has cost Marylanders millions of dollars through a multi-layered scheme where scammers pose as government officials (CIA, FBI, Treasury, etc.) and convince victims their identities have been stolen and accounts compromised. Victims are instructed to withdraw large sums of cash or purchase precious metals to "protect" their assets, which are then handed over to couriers; between May and December 2023, the FBI's IC3 received reports of over $55 million in losses nationwide, including $3.8 million from 7 Maryland victims, with one individual losing over $2 million.

A financial planner in Prince George's County, Maryland, warned about tax season fraud scams, noting that scammers impersonate the IRS by phone to steal money, and that the IRS flagged over one million tax returns for identity fraud last year with 12,617 confirmed identity theft cases. Key advice includes protecting Social Security numbers and sensitive information, filing taxes early to prevent identity theft, organizing tax forms in advance, and verifying dependent eligibility before filing to avoid losing credits.

Reality television personalities Wendy and Edward Osefo from Real Housewives of Potomac were arrested in Maryland on October 9 and charged with 16 counts of fraud, including seven felonies, allegedly involving insurance fraud totaling $300. Both were released on $50,000 bonds each and are cooperating with authorities. The arrests resulted in a delayed broadcast of their scheduled appearance on Wife Swap: The Real Housewives Edition.

Two former Maryland police officers, Philip James Dupree and Mark Ross Johnson Jr., were convicted of arson, wire fraud, and bank fraud for orchestrating multiple schemes between 2018-2019. The officers fabricated a vehicle arson claim that netted over $68,000 from an insurance company and coordinated false debit card theft reports to three banks to obtain fraudulent reimbursements. Both face up to 20 years in federal prison, with sentencing scheduled for February 2026.

A Maryland man named James Smith, 30, of Gaithersburg was arrested after scamming a 90-year-old Culpeper, Virginia woman out of $26,000 in a sophisticated scheme involving impersonation of U.S. Treasury Department agents who threatened her with criminal charges unless she provided cash. Smith was charged with money laundering, conspiracy to commit felony, and obtaining money by false pretenses, and is being held without bond.

An 80-year-old Gaithersburg resident lost over $26,000 in a government impersonation scam where fraudsters falsely claimed to be U.S. Treasury Department agents demanding payment to avoid criminal charges. James Smith, 30, of Gaithersburg, Maryland, was arrested in Culpeper County when he arrived to collect an additional $10,000 that authorities had arranged as part of an undercover operation, and he was charged with money laundering, conspiracy to commit a felony, and obtaining money by false pretenses. Authorities indicate the scheme was part of a larger operation intended to send collected funds overseas and warn residents to report suspicious demands for money

Two women—Kimberly VanKline of Maryland and Rhonda Brown-Moore of New York—pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy for creating and submitting falsified documents to fraudulently obtain COVID-19 relief funds, including Paycheck Protection Program loans for a West Virginia resident, with both defendants profiting from the scheme. They each face up to 20 years in federal prison, with sentencing to be determined by a federal judge.

The Albuquerque Police Department warned the public about officer impersonation scams in which fraudsters posed as APD lieutenants and convinced victims to purchase gift cards totaling $500 and $200 respectively to pay off alleged debts. APD traced one call to a Maryland business and emphasized that legitimate officers never request payment via gift cards, cash, or prepaid cards over the phone or in person. Residents should refuse such requests, avoid sharing personal information or access codes, and report suspicious calls to police immediately.

Nadeem Gul, 54, was sentenced to 15 months in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud for defrauding three companies out of $257,000 total. Gul impersonated executives of fake wholesale distribution companies (operating under names like Mega Liquidations Group) and convinced victims in Maryland, Arizona, and Texas to submit purchase orders and wire payments between June and November 2021, none of whom received any merchandise. The court ordered Gul to repay his victims.

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.

Cryptocurrency scams cost Maryland residents nearly $94 million in 2023, according to an FBI report, with romance-based schemes being particularly prevalent. Though representing only 10% of financial fraud complaints to the FBI, cryptocurrency scams account for 50% of total money stolen, with approximately 1,400 Maryland complaints among nearly 58,000 nationwide. The scams exploit emotional manipulation and leverage the online nature of cryptocurrency to easily access victims' financial and personal information.

Five fraudsters were arrested in Maryland for operating a nationwide scam that has stolen at least $84 million over the past year. The scammers used fake popup ads claiming stolen personal data, then impersonated federal authorities to pressure victims into purchasing gold bars, sending couriers to collect cash; in Maryland alone, seven victims lost nearly $3 million. Authorities recommend not answering calls from unrecognized numbers and avoiding clicking on suspicious popup ads to protect against this fraud.

Five people have been charged in Maryland for operating a "gold bar" scam that tricked senior citizens into converting their assets into gold, with seven identified victims in Montgomery County alone losing over $7 million. Police report that millions of dollars have been lost to this scam nationwide, though their prevention efforts have stopped over $3 million in additional losses. Authorities recommend not answering calls from unknown numbers, avoiding popup ads, and have partnered with local pawn shops to educate merchants on identifying suspicious bulk gold purchases.

Maryland authorities arrested five people for operating a gold bar scam that targeted elderly residents in Montgomery County, with at least 20 victims losing millions of dollars combined. Notable victims include an 81-year-old woman who lost over $900,000 and a 74-year-old man who lost $240,000, with some victims now at risk of losing their homes. Law enforcement believes this organized criminal enterprise has affected many more cases beyond those identified so far.