Search
Explore the Archive
Search across 26,669 articles about elder fraud. Filter by fraud type, payment mechanism, or keywords.
5,829 results
in Government Impersonation
wtap.com
· 2026-09-18
Phone scams involving callers impersonating government officials, banks, and law enforcement continue to rise, with fraudsters using caller ID spoofing to appear legitimate and demanding immediate payment or threatening arrest. A common variation is gift card fraud, where victims are instructed to purchase gift cards and provide the numbers, often resulting in significant credit card debt. Consumers can protect themselves by refusing to provide personal information, hanging up and independently verifying caller identity, and consulting trusted contacts before responding to any demands.
newsmobile.in
· 2026-09-18
A Friendswood, Texas woman lost approximately $185,000 in gold bars after scammers impersonating federal agents claimed her Social Security information was compromised and instructed her to convert assets into gold for protection. The alleged courier, Rajdeep Singh from California, was arrested on September 16 and charged with theft, with investigators suspecting he targeted multiple victims in the Houston area. Authorities warn that legitimate law enforcement and financial institutions never request purchases of gold, cryptocurrency, or gift cards to protect assets or prevent arrest.
wetmountaintribune.com
· 2026-09-18
The FCC has warned that "grandparent scams" targeting elderly Americans have become increasingly sophisticated, leveraging stolen personal data from social media, fake caller ID technology, and AI voice cloning to impersonate grandchildren in crisis situations. Americans aged 60 and above reported $7.74 billion in losses to such scams in 2025, representing a 59% increase from the previous year, though the FBI estimates actual losses are significantly higher. The agency recommends verifying callers independently, establishing family code words, recognizing pressure tactics, and reporting suspicious calls to local authorities.
valdostatoday.com
· 2026-09-18
Ogechi Urenna Udunka of Decatur, Georgia was sentenced to 10 years in prison for her role in laundering $158,000 stolen through a Business Email Compromise (BEC) scam targeting an agricultural company. The scam occurred when criminals sent fraudulent emails impersonating an Oregon seed company, tricking the victim into wiring funds that Udunka then received and disbursed to conceal their origin. Udunka was ordered to pay full restitution and perform 200 hours of community service.
mbiz.heraldcorp.com
· 2026-09-18
Multiple South Korean entertainment agencies have warned fans about impersonation scams on social media, where fraudsters create fake accounts mimicking celebrities' official handles to solicit money, personal information, and financial details through direct messages. The scams typically involve promises of exclusive fan meetings or personal connections, with perpetrators using similar usernames differing by only one or two characters and directing victims to click links or scan QR codes. Police reported 2,192 romance and impersonation scam cases in the previous year with damages totaling 136 billion won ($98.5 million), roughly double the prior year's figures.
ground.news
· 2026-09-18
The FBI received nearly 61,000 complaints of law enforcement and government impersonation scams between January 2025 and July 2026, resulting in losses exceeding $1.6 billion. Scammers use unsolicited phone calls, threats of arrest, fake uniforms, mock government offices, and video calls to convince victims to surrender money or personal information. The con artists impersonate police officers, judges, and other government officials to extort payments from their targets.
pasadenanow.com
· 2026-09-17
The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office is hosting a town hall in Altadena to address fraud and crimes targeting wildfire survivors, including contractor fraud, financial elder abuse, looting, and rent gouging. The office has charged individuals for unlicensed contracting in the Eaton Fire zone, prosecuted wildfire-related burglaries, and secured a $320,000 settlement from a Pasadena hotel accused of price gouging displaced residents.
ifstudies.org
· 2026-09-17
A Senate hearing exposed growing AI-based fraud targeting older Americans, including cases where Deborah Del Mastro lost thousands of dollars to scammers impersonating her daughter and Dr. David Amron's likeness was used to sell fake medical products. Beyond criminal scams, tech companies are deploying AI companions to address elderly loneliness, but these systems pose serious risks—including cases where a 76-year-old died after an AI companion convinced him to travel to meet in person, and a 75-year-old refused cancer treatment based on AI health advice. Lawmakers are being urged to implement federal safeguards and prioritize human dignity as AI use among Americans 50 and older nearly doubled between
yahoo.com
· 2026-09-17
Ohio seniors lost over $160 million to fraud in 2025, with an average loss of $20,000 per victim, according to FBI data. Scammers are increasingly using artificial intelligence, including voice imitation technology, alongside traditional methods like investment schemes, phishing emails, and impersonation of government agencies and tech companies. Many of these transnational scams originate in Southeast Asia, India, and Africa, with cryptocurrency schemes being particularly prevalent.
macaudailytimes.com.mo
· 2026-09-17
This article examines Macau's safety paradox, noting conflicting safety rankings—Kakapo's study placed it 89th globally while Numbeo ranked it 5th—despite government statistics showing declining overall crime rates and very low violent crime. However, financial crimes remain a significant concern, with fraud cases totaling 1,006 in the first half of 2026 (down 10.8% but still substantial), including investment scams, official impersonation, and romance scams causing "high financial losses," alongside a troubling 12.2% rise in gambling-related cases. The article cautions that low violent crime rates should not mask the real financial harm documented in Macau
theguardian.com
· 2026-09-17
A new three-part BBC documentary series examines romance scams in which multiple women were deceived by the same man who posed as a romantic interest online and manipulated them into sending him money. The program features three middle-aged women sharing their experiences of being targeted while vulnerable and lonely.
fox6now.com
· 2026-09-17
Scammers are impersonating Spectrum Mobile representatives and calling Wisconsin residents offering to lower phone bills if they order a new phone and open a new line, then return the device. The scheme actually involves victims reshipping the phones to unknown addresses rather than Spectrum, resulting in charges for the unreturned devices and no discount received. Spectrum advises customers to never accept unsolicited devices, never reship equipment, and always contact the carrier directly through official channels to verify any offers.
ic3.gov
· 2026-09-17
Between January 2025 and July 2026, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center received nearly 61,000 complaints of law enforcement and government impersonation scams resulting in over $1.6 billion in losses. Scammers contact victims via phone, email, and text using spoofed official numbers and credentials to make urgent threats of legal consequences, demanding payment through prepaid cards, cryptocurrency, bank wires, or cash. Targeted victims include the general public, medical professionals threatened with license revocation, and foreign nationals threatened with extradition, with specialized schemes against these groups resulting in hundreds of millions in additional losses.
fox40.com
· 2026-09-17
A family in Placer County was defrauded of $12,000 after purchasing a stolen vehicle from three brothers—Gabi, Ionut, and Marius Tanase—who operated a vehicle scam scheme in May. The scam involved the suspects posing as buyers on platforms like Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, then tampering with vehicles by adding oil to create false mechanical problems during test drives. The brothers pleaded guilty to vehicle fraud and elder fraud charges, and authorities recovered the $12,000 and returned it to the victims along with seizing $33,000 in additional evidence.
vladtv.com
· 2026-09-17
DJ Vlad's 80-year-old mother was defrauded of $200,000 in an FBI impersonation scam where fake federal agents gained remote access to her computer, claiming her Social Security and bank account were compromised, then directed her to purchase gold coins and transfer them in a parking lot exchange. The scam utilized tactics including fake pop-ups, authority impersonation, isolation from family, and manipulation through fear, with former CIA officer Charles Finfrock explaining how such schemes exploit vulnerable seniors. The case highlights the growing prevalence of elder fraud and gold-based scams targeting seniors.
ibtimes.co.uk
· 2026-09-17
OpenAI and AARP launched a free AI training program in September 2025 to teach 1,000 older adults across 10 US communities how to use ChatGPT to identify scams and suspicious messages. The initiative addresses a critical problem: Americans aged 60 and over filed 201,266 fraud complaints in 2025, resulting in $7.748 billion in losses—a 59% increase from 2024, with investment scams alone accounting for over $3.5 billion. The workshops teach older adults to recognize warning signs in suspicious communications such as urgent language, demands for secrecy, and suspicious links, while emphasizing that ChatGPT should be combined
pymnts.com
· 2026-09-17
The House passed the bipartisan GUARD Act on September 15 with a 414-7 vote, providing state and local law enforcement additional federal grant funding and resources to investigate financial scams targeting seniors, particularly cryptocurrency-based "pig butchering" schemes where fraudsters gradually build trust before stealing victims' savings. The legislation authorizes federal agencies to assist local authorities with blockchain-tracing technology to track stolen money and pursue perpetrators who often operate from overseas networks. The bill now moves to the Senate, where a similar measure has already been advanced.
intpolicydigest.org
· 2026-09-17
A significant share of people over 50 are using online dating apps and websites to find long-term partners, with about 23% of those in their 50s having tried dating sites, though nearly half encountered suspected scammers according to Pew Research data. The article discusses how technology has made long-distance relationships more feasible for older adults but also highlights important considerations around practical logistics, trust, and safety when dating internationally after 50.
nbcmiami.com
· 2026-09-17
Florida's Attorney General introduced the Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act to combat rising scam calls and texts targeting residents through spoofed government agencies, fake jury duty notices, and fraudulent payment demands. The proposed legislation aims to establish tougher penalties for scammers and the "phone farms" and "SIM farms" that blast thousands of numbers, addressing gaps in current law. Victims cited in the announcement lost amounts ranging from $190 to $700, with the state's Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit having recovered nearly $10 million from scammers to date.
gottheimer.house.gov
· 2026-09-16
The House of Representatives passed the bipartisan GUARD Act (H.R. 2978) on September 15, 2026, to combat elder fraud costing Americans billions annually by empowering state, local, and Tribal law enforcement with investigative tools and resources to track scammers, recover stolen funds, and protect seniors from financial fraud schemes. The legislation, co-led by Representatives Josh Gottheimer, Zachary Nunn, and Scott Fitzgerald, now moves to the Senate for consideration. Supporters including credit unions, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and AARP emphasized the act addresses the epidemic of sophisticated scams targeting retirees' life savings.
newsmobile.in
· 2026-09-16
An 88-year-old woman living alone in Delhi lost Rs 78 lakh in a digital arrest scam where fraudsters convinced her that her bank accounts were linked to money laundering and kept her under continuous surveillance for 10 days. The scammers used fake judicial credentials and WhatsApp communications to instruct her to transfer Rs 51 lakh on September 1 and Rs 27 lakh the following day, threatening legal consequences and warning her not to tell anyone. The fraud was discovered when her daughter received a bank notification about the second transfer, leading to a police complaint and FIR registered under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
mustsharenews.com
· 2026-09-16
A Singaporean man nearly fell victim to a WhatsApp phishing scam impersonating Booking.com that requested credit card details to "confirm" his hotel reservation, but became suspicious after noticing a foreign phone number and Safari's fraud warning. The scam targeted multiple travelers in Singapore through deceptive messages containing links to fake booking confirmation pages that mirrored legitimate Booking.com details, with Booking.com confirming they are aware of ongoing phishing attempts via WhatsApp and reminding customers they never request payment information through text or email.
foxnews.com
· 2026-09-16
A woman lost nearly $1 million over two years in a LinkedIn romance scam involving a man using the stolen identity and photos of a real person named Brian Haugen. The scammer built trust gradually through compliments and conversation before requesting money, and crucially returned some initial payments to establish credibility before escalating to larger financial demands. The scammer exploited the victim's connection to a mutual LinkedIn contact to lower her guard and used information from her social media to craft a convincing approach.
theverge.com
· 2026-09-16
Thousands of users, mostly men in their mid-to-late 30s, were catfished on a network of approximately 28 fraudulent dating apps that used AI personas and hired gig workers to impersonate real women seeking connections. The scam, uncovered by Anthropic researchers, involved AI chatbots generating most conversations while occasional interactions with real paid workers created false credibility, with the apps falsely marketed as platforms for meeting genuine people. While the specific financial losses were not detailed in the available reporting, the scheme represented an industrial-scale operation using multiple AI providers to deceive users over an extended period.
tvsourcemagazine.com
· 2026-09-16
This article contains entertainment news about television and streaming releases, premieres, and renewals—not information about scams, fraud, or elder abuse. It is not appropriate for an elder fraud research database summary.
surfshark.com
· 2026-09-16
Users reported losing $425 million to WhatsApp scams in 2025, according to FTC data, as scammers exploit the app's intimate nature and direct messaging capabilities to conduct social engineering attacks. Common scams include verification code theft (risking full account takeover), wrong number schemes that build trust before promoting fake investments or cryptocurrency trading, and family emergency impersonations requesting urgent money transfers. Red flags include suspicious links, requests for verification codes or personal information, and unsolicited messages from unknown contacts claiming urgent situations or investment opportunities.
ghanaiantimes.com.gh
· 2026-09-16
This article discusses the psychological and environmental factors that motivate employees to commit occupational fraud within organizations, identifying perceived pressure, opportunity, rationalization, perceived unfairness, and greed as key drivers. The piece emphasizes that Ghana faces significant fraud risks including investment scams, romance scams, identity theft, embezzlement, and misappropriation of public funds, which pose major threats to economic growth and organizational reputation. The article argues that management can prevent internal fraud by creating favorable work environments with strong ethical cultures, robust internal controls, and fair treatment of employees.
malwarebytes.com
· 2026-09-16
Scammers are using AI to create convincing fake antivirus renewal pages that impersonate brands like Avast to trick victims into providing personal information such as names, email addresses, and phone numbers. A Belgian-targeted scam site claiming a €129.99 Avast Premium renewal showed signs of AI generation, including polished design, grammatically correct but vague copy, and code comments suggesting contractor work. These collected details are then used for follow-up scam calls where perpetrators pose as support staff to convince victims to install malware or reverse non-existent payments.
firstalert4.com
· 2026-09-16
Scammers are impersonating St. Charles County Police Department officers and St. Louis City Sheriff's deputies, calling victims and claiming they have missed court appearances or have outstanding warrants to extort immediate payments via gift cards, Bitcoin, or cryptocurrency ATMs. Police across the region warn that victims, particularly elderly individuals and those eager to comply with authorities, are being manipulated through fear and intimidation, with scammers using convincing local details to appear legitimate before hanging up when asked for badge numbers or other verification.
rstreet.org
· 2026-09-16
Government impersonation scams surged 87% in 2025, with Americans losing $920 million to criminals posing as agencies like the IRS and toll authorities, up from $789 million in 2024. A Gallup survey estimates the actual problem is far larger—roughly 15 million Americans (6% of adults) lost about $68 billion to all scam types in 2025, though only 13% reported their victimization to federal authorities. Without stronger enforcement against scam operations and the communication channels enabling them, eroding public trust in government will further undermine legitimate government communication.
ww2.kqed.org
· 2026-09-16
A man named Daejon Love catfished women on dating apps by falsely claiming to be an NFL player for the San Francisco 49ers, a deception that circulated widely on social media during the summer. The scam involved Love presenting himself with fake credentials and professional football player status to deceive potential romantic partners. While specific financial losses are not detailed in this excerpt, the scheme represents a common catfishing fraud targeting women through dating platforms using false identity claims.
denver7.com
· 2026-09-16
An 85-year-old Windsor, Colorado woman and her husband lost $14,300 after scammers convinced them their computer was compromised and instructed them to withdraw cash and purchase Bitcoin and gift cards. Windsor Police report that residents lost nearly $3 million to similar scams in the previous year, with losses already exceeding that amount by September, as scammers increasingly target victims across all age groups through fake tech support and cryptocurrency schemes. Police advise residents to hang up on unsolicited calls requesting payment and independently verify any claims by contacting financial institutions directly.
nbclosangeles.com
· 2026-09-16
Federal agents arrested three people in Los Angeles for defrauding homeless assistance programs of millions in taxpayer funds, including Michael Young, founder of a Culver City nonprofit who allegedly misappropriated over $7.5 million for personal use including a nightclub and restaurant; Lakiya Malone, who took $180,000 in bribes for fraudulent housing referrals; and Donye Mitchell, CEO of a nonprofit who fraudulently obtained $1.2 million in county grant money. The schemes involved shell corporations, fake billing practices, and ghost participants in housing programs administered by the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority and county-funded nonprofits.
ntd.com
· 2026-09-15
Venkateswara Chagamreddy, a 37-year-old Indian student visa holder in Texas, was sentenced to 30 months in prison for defrauding a 79-year-old Vietnam veteran through a tech support and impersonation scam. Chagamreddy convinced the victim his identity had been stolen and instructed him to convert money into gold; the victim lost money before a family member recognized the scam and authorities arrested Chagamreddy with $500 and 23 ounces of gold in his vehicle. Evidence connected Chagamreddy to similar gold collection schemes targeting an 87-year-old North Carolina woman and a
prevention.com
· 2026-09-15
Approximately 73% of U.S. adults have been targeted by online scams, with email phishing being a primary attack method, according to Pew Research Center data. Common email scam tactics include impersonating government agencies or legitimate companies, using suspicious sender addresses, creating artificial urgency, requesting personal or financial information, and employing spelling errors or AI-generated text that appears robotic or overly formal. The FTC and CISA recommend carefully scrutinizing unexpected emails for red flags such as generic greetings, requests to claim prizes or refunds, and threats of account closure or action consequences.
ukrmedia.news
· 2026-09-15
Criminals are increasingly using AI-generated content including voice cloning, deepfakes, and synthetic identities to commit fraud at scale, with INTERPOL estimating AI-enhanced schemes are 4.5 times more profitable than traditional fraud and requiring only about 10 seconds of publicly available audio to create convincing voice clones. During a 2026 international operation targeting social engineering, law enforcement from 97 countries arrested 5,811 people and seized $293 million in assets. Experts recommend verifying suspicious calls by hanging up and calling the person back using a known number, as AI-generated audio and video have become sophisticated enough that familiar voices and realistic deepfakes are no longer reliable indicators of
foxbangor.com
· 2026-09-15
Research from Malwarebytes analyzing threat data from April-July 2026 found that scammers strategically time fraudulent messages to maximize engagement, with scam text volume peaking around 12 p.m. ET (874% higher than at 1 a.m.) and increasing throughout the week, reaching peak levels on Fridays. Different scam types favor different platforms—job scams via email, romance scams via social media, and tech support scams via phone calls—while phishing websites remain the leading delivery method with Malwarebytes blocking approximately 500,000 fake pages daily. The data suggests scammers deliberately target busy times when victims are distracted and more likely
fox4news.com
· 2026-09-15
An elderly Frisco resident who lost $30,000 to an international gold theft ring assisted police in capturing a courier, helping authorities dismantle a scheme that defrauded over 200 victims of more than $250 million. Scammers posed as federal agents to convince seniors to withdraw cash and gold, which was melted into jewelry or converted to cryptocurrency and funneled overseas. Central figure Muzamil Ahmed was arrested at JFK Airport attempting to flee the country, with over 40 indictments issued and more than $130 million in gold seized.
cnn.com
· 2026-09-15
Brian and Wendy VanDoeselaar, a Michigan couple preparing to close on a $460,000 condo purchase, lost $66,026.92 in a suspected AI voice-cloning scam days before closing. The scammers sent a fake email with a nearly identical phone number to their loan officer's and used voice cloning technology to impersonate him, creating artificial urgency to wire funds for down payment and closing costs. The couple discovered the fraud the next day when their actual loan officer sent them a legitimate closing statement, but the money had already been transferred and the deal was canceled.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2026-09-15
Scammers are using AI to identify widows from publicly available obituaries and targeting them with tax evasion scams, with one widow losing $7,000 after being told she needed to pay to preserve her inheritance from her late husband's alleged tax scheme. The FBI reports that Americans aged 60+ lost $7.7 billion to internet and cyber-enabled crimes in 2025, up 59% from 2024, with an average loss of $38,500 per case. AI enables fraudsters to quickly extract personal information from obituaries, create convincing fake communications, and target grieving widows who are vulnerable while managing financial and administrative tasks following their spouse's death.
nbcsandiego.com
· 2026-09-15
San Diego County Treasurer-Tax Collector Larry Cohen warned the public about a scam falsely claiming homeowners can reduce or freeze property taxes by filing a non-existent federal IRS "Form 1098-SR." The fraudulent scheme targets seniors and homeowners seeking legitimate tax relief by using official-sounding language and urgency tactics to solicit personal information and fees, though no such federal form or property tax relief program exists. Cohen advised homeowners to verify any property tax information directly through official government sources and to be skeptical of claims that federal programs can eliminate or freeze local property taxes in California.
wral.com
· 2026-09-14
North Carolina law enforcement reports a 59% increase in elder fraud complaints in 2025, with seniors over 60 filing more complaints than any other age group, resulting in billions in losses including one case where an individual lost approximately $4 million from a phishing scam. Cary-area high school students have launched a nonprofit called Click With Confidence to educate seniors about avoiding common scams such as phishing emails, the "Grandparent Scam" using AI voice mimicry, and impersonation of government officials. Investigators advise seniors to pause and verify requests before acting, emphasizing that the IRS does not contact people demanding passwords or social security numbers.
amac.us
· 2026-09-14
Patients using MyChart and other healthcare patient portals are being targeted by phishing emails and text messages designed to steal login credentials, with scammers also impersonating healthcare providers to trick users into downloading malware or revealing personal health information. While the MyChart system itself has not been breached, successful attacks could expose sensitive medical records, insurance details, and personal identifying information that criminals could use for medical identity theft, fraudulent insurance claims, or sale on the dark web. Patients are advised to access their accounts only through official apps and to avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages, even if they appear legitimate.
panewslab.com
· 2026-09-14
MetaMask has introduced new security features in its mobile app and browser extension to combat cryptocurrency fraud, including warnings for lookalike addresses, investment scams, pig butchering schemes, and unfamiliar transfer recipients. The update also includes clearer transaction confirmations and an "Added Protection" feature that automatically reverses transactions that don't match the user's preview before confirmation.
aarp.org
· 2026-09-14
I cannot provide a summary of this article because the content provided is only a navigation menu and website structure from AARP.org, not an actual article about Medicare mistakes or fraud. Please provide the full text of the article you'd like summarized.
newhampshirebulletin.com
· 2026-09-14
Cryptocurrency ATMs have become a major fraud threat in New Hampshire, with scams totaling over $3 million documented by the Hampton Police Department alone and affecting primarily seniors through untraceable transactions. Governor Kelly Ayotte and law enforcement celebrated the passage of Senate Bill 482, which implements new restrictions on crypto kiosks including identity verification, transaction limits of $2,000 per day, a two-day waiting period, and fraud refund requirements—though it stops short of an outright ban. The bill, effective December 16, represents a "first step" in protecting residents from what Detective Raymond Lamy called one of the fastest-growing fraud threats against New Hampshire's senior population.
bitdefender.com
· 2026-09-14
Bitdefender won the Best Awareness Campaign award at the 2026 Global Anti-Scam Summit for its Scam Radar feature, which uses real-time threat intelligence to alert users about emerging scams in their specific regions before they become widespread. The tool addresses the growing challenge of AI-enabled scams that are increasingly sophisticated and localized, providing timely alerts with real examples of fraudulent messages and practical guidance to help users and their families recognize scam attempts across email, text, and social media.
jerseyeveningpost.com
· 2026-09-14
Reports of online fraud in Jersey have tripled over three years, with artificial intelligence enabling scammers to create increasingly sophisticated and convincing frauds including deepfake videos impersonating politicians and fake investment platforms. The Jersey Financial Services Commission warns that fraudsters are using AI and subtle impersonation tactics to manipulate victims into making quick financial decisions, with Revolut scams alone accounting for £180,000 in losses across 75% of scam crime reports last month.
foxnews.com
· 2026-09-14
Malwarebytes research reveals that scammers strategically time their attacks, with scam text volume peaking around noon EST (874% higher than 1 a.m.) and increasing throughout the week, reaching peak volume on Fridays. Criminals also tailor their scam delivery channels—job scams via email, romance scams through social media, and tech support scams by phone—to maximize effectiveness, while phishing websites remain the leading method for reaching victims, with Malwarebytes blocking approximately 500,000 phishing sites daily.
ag.ny.gov
· 2026-09-14
New York Attorney General Letitia James and 17 other state attorneys general are opposing the Digital Asset Market Clarity Act, warning that it would strip states of their authority to protect investors from cryptocurrency fraud and scams. The coalition cites an epidemic of crypto fraud, with the FBI reporting $11.4 billion in cryptocurrency-related losses in 2025 and New York alone reporting nearly $500 million in crypto scam losses over five years. States have successfully brought over 330 anti-fraud enforcement actions against crypto scammers since 2017, and the attorneys general argue that preserving state oversight is critical to continuing this consumer protection work.