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in Robocall / Phone Scam
castanet.net
· 2025-12-08
A Kelowna businessman received a phone call from someone impersonating a FortisBC representative claiming his company owed over $900 in unpaid bills, using high-pressure and aggressive tactics to pressure him into immediate payment. Elliott avoided falling for the scam by repeatedly requesting to speak with a manager until the fraudsters hung up on him. FortisBC has confirmed this is a recurring scam where imposters use professional-sounding calls and aggressive pressure tactics to trick victims into paying fake utility bills.
daytondailynews.com
· 2025-12-08
An elder victim in Kettering, Ohio lost over $36,000 after clicking a phishing email and providing personal information to scammers posing as tech support personnel; she made payments totaling $5,000 by mail, $18,000 in cash, and $1,000 was stolen electronically before police arrested suspect Karan Karan during an attempted in-person money collection. The case exemplifies tech support scams, which the FBI reports were the leading type of elder fraud in 2023, causing victims 60+ over $3.4 billion in losses that year with an average loss of $33,915 per victim.
fingerlakesdailynews.com
· 2025-12-08
New York's Attorney General issued a consumer alert about "pig butchering" romance scams, in which fraudsters befriend victims on dating apps, social media, and text messages before directing them to fake investment platforms. Scammers build trust over time, send fake screenshots of trading profits and luxury lifestyle images, then convince victims to invest tens of thousands to over a million dollars in cryptocurrency or foreign currency schemes before cutting off contact and making funds irretrievable. The alert advises New Yorkers to avoid wiring money to unknown contacts, verify identities through reverse image searches, be suspicious of excuses to avoid video calls or requests to use encrypted platforms, and never rush into investments.
wgrz.com
· 2025-12-08
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a warning about rising online romance scams across the state, where fraudsters use dating apps, social media, and text messages to build trust with victims before convincing them to invest money or make purchases—a scheme known as "pig butchering." The Attorney General's office provided guidance to avoid these scams, including not wiring money to unknown persons, researching profiles for signs of fraud or AI-generated images, and being suspicious of individuals who avoid video calls, isolate victims from family, or pressure quick investments. Victims are encouraged to report suspected scams to their state Attorney General's office or law enforcement while preserving all communications as evidence.
fox5ny.com
· 2025-12-08
New York residents lost over $30.2 million to romance scams in 2023, with 819 victims reporting an average loss of $36,931 each, according to a Social Catfish study. Scammers increasingly use artificial intelligence and deepfake technology to conduct convincing video calls while impersonating celebrities or wealthy individuals, often directing victims toward cryptocurrency investments with no recovery options. The study recommends reverse image searches, video chat verification, avoiding rapid declarations of love, and never sending money to online contacts to prevent victimization.
publicnewsservice.org
· 2025-12-08
Medicare fraud costs the nation $60 billion annually, with Michigan experiencing a rise in scams targeting the 22% of its population enrolled in Medicare. Common scams include imposters claiming to be from Medicare calling to verify personal information and healthcare providers billing for unnecessary services; seniors are advised to hang up on any calls claiming to be from Medicare, monitor their Explanation of Benefits monthly, and report suspicious charges. Last year, 23 Michigan home health-care operators were charged with Medicare fraud totaling over $61 million in fraudulent billings.
wfmj.com
· 2025-12-08
An 85-year-old Boardman man was targeted in a grandparent scam where a caller impersonating his grandson claimed to be in jail, and a second caller posing as an attorney requested $9,500 to resolve the situation. The victim withdrew cash and attempted to ship it via UPS to Connecticut before his daughter discovered the fraud and contacted UPS to stop the delivery. This scam is part of a broader pattern tracked by the FBI, which received over 195 grandparent scam complaints from January through September 2023, resulting in at least $1.9 million in losses.
nbcwashington.com
· 2025-12-08
A wave of robocalls impersonating the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office and D.C. Police scammed residents by claiming they needed to report to headquarters or face arrest, then directing victims to pay via cryptocurrency gift cards or mobile apps. At least one person lost hundreds of dollars in the scam, which generated hundreds of reports within 24 hours of beginning mid-week. Law enforcement officials stressed that legitimate police never request payment, cryptocurrency, bank information, or social security numbers, and urged residents to report any similar calls immediately.
wfmd.com
· 2025-12-08
Frederick Police reported 163 fraud cases in the area so far this year, with scammers targeting residents through phishing emails posing as banks and phone calls impersonating law enforcement claiming arrest warrants exist. Authorities advise citizens to avoid clicking suspicious links, never provide personal information, delete fraudulent emails, verify sender identity by calling institutions directly, and report incidents to police, noting that legitimate police never request money or call about warrants.
microsoft.com
· 2025-12-08
Pig butchering scams are romance and cryptocurrency fraud schemes where scammers build trust with victims through fake personas on social media or messaging apps before directing them to invest in fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms. After the victim deposits money into fake investment apps that show fake profits and allow small withdrawals to build confidence, scammers disappear with the funds. To protect against these scams, victims should verify identities through reverse image searches, maintain privacy, avoid discussing finances with new online contacts, and be skeptical of unsolicited investment opportunities.
fox47news.com
· 2025-12-08
A wave of virtual kidnapping scams has targeted international students aged 18-22 in Australia, with at least four confirmed cases since August 2023. Scammers manipulate victims into staged kidnapping scenarios using fake photos and videos, then extort parents with demands exceeding $100,000 in some cases by threatening deportation or imprisonment. The FBI warns these schemes have evolved beyond traditional geographic hotspots and now affect victims across the U.S., exploiting family separation and the difficulty of verifying victims' safety remotely.
wtop.com
· 2025-12-08
Following a severe storm in Montgomery County, Maryland that damaged homes and trees, residents are warned about "storm chaser" scammers—unlicensed contractors who target vulnerable people with inflated repair costs while performing little to no work. The county's Office of Consumer Protection advises residents to verify contractor credentials, obtain multiple estimates, check reviews, and never pay more than one-third of contract costs upfront, as Maryland law requires written contracts and manufacturer warranties.
kwch.com
· 2025-12-08
Phishing scams reached record highs in 2023 and continued rising in 2024, with scammers increasingly using artificial intelligence to eliminate traditional red flags like spelling and grammar errors, making fraudulent messages more convincing and harder to detect. Once victims click malicious links in these deceptive texts or emails, scammers gain access to personal information to open fraudulent credit accounts, take out loans, or sell the data. The Better Business Bureau recommends only trusting account notifications you have explicitly signed up for and watching for red flags such as urgent language, requests for financial information, generic logos paired with suspicious messages, and unexpected account problems.
nbcboston.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI and Identity Theft Resource Center report thousands of toll road scams targeting drivers since March, using text messages claiming small unpaid toll balances and directing victims to fake websites that closely resemble legitimate state toll services. If victims click the links and enter payment information, scammers can steal credit card details and personal information, potentially using credential harvesting to access financial accounts at banks and investment firms. To protect against the scam, consumers should ignore unsolicited toll payment messages, never click suspicious links, use unique passwords for each account, and enable two-factor authentication on financial accounts.
wsbt.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal officials, including the U.S. Marshals Service and FBI, are warning that phone scams are becoming increasingly sophisticated, with scammers using advanced software to spoof local phone numbers and impersonate law enforcement officers, judges, and federal officials to demand money via gift cards, bitcoin, or bank information under threat of arrest. The key prevention strategy emphasized by authorities is public awareness, as reporting suspicious calls to local law enforcement or the FBI helps track scammers, though officials note they can never completely control fraudulent calls and emails.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Vermont, partnering with federal law enforcement agencies, conducted outreach events at senior centers in advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (June 15, 2024) to educate older adults about financial fraud and elder abuse. The outreach highlighted prevalent scams targeting seniors including government imposter schemes, tech support fraud, romance scams, grandparent scams, and lottery schemes, while emphasizing that elder abuse remains often overlooked and underreported.
financial-planning.com
· 2025-12-08
Fraud victims, particularly older adults, face a "double whammy" of financial losses when they liquidate retirement accounts to pay scammers, as they incur both the theft and unexpected IRS tax liabilities on the withdrawn funds. In the past year, 880,418 fraud complaints reported losses exceeding $12.5 billion, with current tax law treating stolen funds as taxable income rather than deductible losses. Lawmakers and advocacy groups like AARP are pushing for legislative changes to allow defrauded taxpayers greater tax deductions, and experts urge brokers and banks to better screen for unusual withdrawal requests that may indicate scam activity.
timesnownews.com
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Romance scammers in Indian metro cities create fake identities on dating apps to build emotional connections with victims before luring them to expensive restaurants or clubs where accomplices present inflated bills ranging from 20,000 to 40,000 rupees. To protect themselves, users should verify identities through reverse image searches and video calls, meet in public places of their own choosing, avoid rushing into emotional commitments, and remain cautious about sharing financial information with online contacts they haven't thoroughly vetted.
patch.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost over $10 billion to scams last year, with organized criminal networks operating from India and Nigeria using US "cash mules" to launder money through untraceable Bitcoin accounts. Seniors with landlines are particularly targeted through various schemes including romance scams (with victims losing up to $2.5 million), fake emergency calls from supposed grandchildren, phishing emails, suspicious text messages, and fake billing notifications. The article advises never sharing personal or financial information with unsolicited callers, texts, or emails, and recommends blocking suspicious contacts, verifying charges directly with banks, and reporting fraud to email service abuse addresses.
nypost.com
· 2025-12-08
New York Attorney General Letitia James warned of rising "pig butchering" romance scams in which fraudsters use dating apps and social media to build fake romantic relationships with victims before pressuring them to invest in cryptocurrency schemes. Victims have lost between tens of thousands and over $1 million, with two-thirds of the Attorney General's cryptocurrency complaints tied to these online crimes. The scammers typically move conversations to encrypted platforms like WhatsApp or WeChat before directing victims to fraudulent investment platforms, often operated by overseas perpetrators.
theguardian.com
· 2025-12-08
This article describes a growing scam involving fraudulent QR codes, where scammers place fake QR codes over legitimate ones—such as on parking meters or in messages—to direct victims to phishing websites designed to steal financial information. The article cites the example of David Birch's sister, who nearly lost money after scanning a malicious QR code at a parking facility but was saved when her bank blocked the fraudulent transactions. The US Federal Trade Commission has issued consumer alerts about QR code scams, which have become increasingly prevalent as the technology spreads and criminals exploit the difficulty in verifying whether codes are legitimate.
troyrecord.com
· 2025-12-08
New York Attorney General Letitia James issued a consumer alert about "pig butchering" romance scams, where fraudsters build romantic relationships with victims on dating apps and social media before convincing them to invest money in fake cryptocurrency or currency schemes. Victims typically deposit tens of thousands to over a million dollars before discovering they cannot withdraw funds or are asked to pay fake fees, at which point the scammers disappear. The Attorney General recommends verifying people's identities, consulting financial advisors before investing, and reporting suspected scams to law enforcement and the relevant platforms.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers used social engineering tactics to trick a Gooding, Idaho city employee into sending $1,092,519 intended for a wastewater project contractor to the criminals' account instead, by impersonating the contractor and providing fraudulent banking information. The small town of approximately 3,700 residents has not yet recovered the funds, and the Gooding Sheriff's Office and FBI are investigating the case. Recovery of the money is expected to be difficult, as banks and law enforcement typically struggle to retrieve funds diverted to scammers' accounts.
wptv.com
· 2025-12-08
The St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office warned residents about an impersonation scam where callers falsely claim to be deputies and demand payment via Bitcoin or gift cards to avoid arrest for alleged outstanding warrants. The scammers use spoofing technology to make calls appear to originate from local numbers or the Sheriff's Office itself, and residents are advised to hang up and not provide personal information or payment. Reports of such calls can be submitted to the Sheriff's Office to help law enforcement track emerging scam patterns.
the-sun.com
· 2025-12-08
"Grief harvesting" scams targeting recently bereaved individuals in the UK exploit publicly available social media data and obituaries to conduct identity theft, impersonate funeral homes and charities, and manipulate grieving families emotionally. Fraudsters harvest personal information from deceased individuals' public profiles and social media accounts to send convincing phishing emails, open fraudulent loans or credit cards in the deceased's name, and solicit donations through fake charities. Cybersecurity experts recommend that people plan ahead for data protection after death, verify charity communications, and adjust Facebook privacy settings, as current data protection regulations leave a legal grey area regarding personal data after death.
elliptic.co
· 2025-12-08
AI-enhanced scams are emerging as a potential threat in the cryptocurrency ecosystem, though not yet widespread. Criminals are exploiting AI technology through deepfake videos of celebrities and public figures to promote fake crypto investment schemes, and by creating fraudulent "AI-related" tokens designed for pump-and-dump schemes and rug-pulls that defraud investors. Elliptic released a horizon scanning report identifying five typologies of AI-enabled crypto crimes and recommends industry stakeholders implement best practices and develop strategies to prevent these threats from becoming mainstream.
wflx.com
· 2025-12-08
Callers impersonating St. Lucie County Sheriff's deputies are using spoofing technology to contact residents and demand payment via Bitcoin or gift cards, claiming they have outstanding warrants to avoid arrest. Law enforcement emphasizes that legitimate officers never demand payment through unconventional methods and advises residents to hang up on such calls and report them to the Sheriff's Office. No specific losses are mentioned, but the scam highlights the importance of verifying caller identity before providing any personal information or payment.
abc.net.au
· 2025-12-08
A scam-baiter named Jim Browning exposed a cryptocurrency investment scam operation based in Georgia, Eastern Europe, that targets victims worldwide by posing as financial advisors and recovery services. The scammers use fake celebrity endorsements and fraudulent websites to lure victims, then display fake cryptocurrency portfolios to convince them their money is growing, with some victims—including an Australian man Browning monitored in real-time—losing thousands of dollars. Australians reported losing over $2.74 billion to scams in the previous year, with attackers particularly targeting older adults with retirement savings.
theintermountain.com
· 2025-12-08
After disasters, scammers target vulnerable survivors through impersonation of government workers, fake aid offers, unlicensed contractors, and fraudulent charity solicitations. FEMA advises residents to verify the legitimacy of disaster assistance contacts by checking official ID badges, calling (800)-621-3362 to confirm personnel, and reporting suspicious activity to the FEMA Disaster Fraud Hotline at (866)-720-5721.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
A 19-year-old California man was indicted for stealing over $20,000 from a 74-year-old Kettering woman through a tech support scam that began with a phishing email. The victim was manipulated into mailing cash and transferring funds through multiple interactions before police arrested the suspect during an attempted in-person money exchange. The case highlights the prevalence of tech support scams targeting seniors, which the FBI identified as the most common elder fraud type in 2023, with victims aged 60+ losing an average of $33,915 each.
sportskeeda.com
· 2025-12-08
A Counter-Strike 2 player lost over $2,000 worth of in-game skins, including a rare Gamma Doppler Falchion Knife, through an API scam that used a phishing link to fraudulently authorize trades without a trade request or Steam Guard notification. API scams in CS2 work by sending fake links that direct victims to fraudulent Steam pages where scammers collect login credentials and execute unauthorized trades. Community responses included filing Steam support tickets, sharing similar experiences, and emphasizing the importance of verifying API pages and avoiding suspicious links to prevent such theft.
mirror.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Russian judge Natalia Larina, 50, died after falling from her Moscow apartment window; authorities are investigating claims she was a victim of a financial scam in which she lost a substantial sum of money after being deceived by telephone scammers posing as bank security officials warning of fraudulent transfers related to Ukraine's armed forces. Larina, known for sentencing political opponents and "traitors" to Kremlin authorities during her 15-year judicial career, reportedly left a note after discovering she had been deceived, though the circumstances of her death remain under investigation.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A Kolkata resident who fell victim to sextortion via Skype in January—where scammers posed as police after obtaining a compromising screenshot—transferred Rs 10 lakh to the fraudsters before police recovered the stolen funds five months later. Though the money was traced and accounts were frozen, the investigation to identify and arrest the perpetrators remains ongoing.
aimamedia.org
· 2025-12-08
Unable to provide a reliable summary. This article lacks clear factual reporting with verifiable details about a specific scam. The text is heavily opinionated, contains unclear allegations against political figures and officials without documented evidence, dollar amounts, or identified victims, and appears to be a political critique rather than a documented case of elder fraud or financial scams affecting seniors.
aimamedia.org
· 2025-12-08
This article alleges that India's State Department of Information and Public Relations (I&PR) engaged in a systematic accreditation scam over five years, where media credentials were sold for Rs. 10,000-20,000 to YSRCP political party workers, supporters, and unqualified individuals instead of legitimate journalists. The scheme reportedly involved high-ranking I&PR officials who granted accreditations at the direction of YSRCP ministers and MLAs, with over 40 accreditations given by one minister alone and more than 1,700 issued in Krishna district, effectively sidelining genuine news organizations.
clareherald.com
· 2025-12-08
Irish police issued a warning about evolving fraud tactics following recent incidents in Clare, including CEO fraud where an employee received a fraudulent email appearing to be from their supervisor requesting voucher purchases, and phone fraud where a victim provided security codes to someone posing as a financial institution representative, resulting in account theft. Police recommend companies implement employee training, clear verification procedures, and mandatory additional confirmation methods such as direct phone calls to senior management to prevent these scams.
thestar.com
· 2025-12-08
Scams involving sensitive personal and financial information are increasingly sophisticated, with Canadians losing over $554 million to fraud in 2023. Experts advise verifying the identity of callers by independently contacting the organization through official channels rather than using provided phone numbers, and warn against sharing personal information like social insurance numbers or clicking suspicious links, as scammers often use urgency and AI-generated voices to deceive victims.
eyeonannapolis.net
· 2025-12-08
Attorney General Anthony G. Brown warns of increasingly sophisticated imposter scams that use AI-generated voices to mimic trusted figures such as government officials, banks, law enforcement, and family members in order to steal money or personal information. Common scam types include government imposters threatening legal action, family/friend imposters claiming emergencies, and tech support scams, which typically involve unsolicited contact, urgency tactics, requests for sensitive data, or payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency. Consumers can protect themselves by hanging up on suspicious calls, independently verifying caller identity through official contact numbers, never sharing personal information, and reporting suspected scams to the Attorney General, FTC, AARP Fraud Watch Network,
businessinsider.com
· 2025-12-08
The city of Fresno lost over $600,000 to a phishing scam in 2020 when criminals sent a fraudulent contractor invoice with the legitimate contractor's letterhead but an incorrect account number. A civil grand jury determined that city officials failed to notice conspicuous red flags, including inadequate approval procedures for large payments and unwritten finance department policies, and that the fraud went undetected until 2022. Mayor Jerry Dyer stated that Fresno has since implemented improved training and updated fraud prevention procedures to prevent similar incidents.
wiscassetnewspaper.com
· 2025-12-08
This AARP awareness piece highlights elder financial exploitation as a multi-billion dollar crime and promotes a free educational event on June 20 featuring Philip Marshall, whose grandmother Brooke Astor (a wealthy New York philanthropist) was isolated, manipulated, and financially exploited by her son in her later years. The article encourages the public to learn scam prevention through AARP's Fraud Watch Network and upcoming speaker programs.
saharareporters.com
· 2025-12-08
Sextortion scams have been linked to over 27 suicides in the US, with 17-year-old Jordan Buta becoming a tragic victim in 2022 after scammers posing as a teenage girl on Instagram manipulated him into sharing explicit photos, then demanded hundreds of pounds while threatening to share the images with his friends. Jordan took his own life six hours after the scam began; the perpetrators, Nigerian brothers Samuel and Samson Ogoshi, were arrested, extradited to the US, and faced child exploitation charges. Jordan's mother, Jennifer Buta, has since become an advocate raising awareness about sextortion through social media, helping other families recognize
9news.com.au
· 2025-12-08
As Australia's financial year closes, authorities warn residents about tax phishing scams, with new Commonwealth Bank research revealing that while 90 percent of Australians are confident in identifying scams, only 69 percent successfully identified all three test examples, and 28 percent fell for a sophisticated MyGov impersonation scam. Around one in four Australians have been exposed to tax-related scams, with the Australian Tax Office receiving over 22,000 reports last year and phishing losses totaling approximately $4.7 million in 2024, averaging $2,000 per victim. The alert emphasizes that phishing scammers impersonate government organizations through fake links
vancouversun.com
· 2025-12-08
The RCMP and B.C. Securities Commission delivered warning letters to 10 suspected "money mules" on May 29 who were allegedly laundering proceeds from offshore investment scams involving hundreds of thousands of dollars through cash and cryptocurrency transfers. The operation targets individuals who may be unwittingly assisting criminals, willfully ignoring the illegal activity, or knowingly participating in money laundering schemes that originate from Eastern Europe, Africa, and Southeast Asia. British Columbians reported $46.4 million in investment scam losses in 2023, though authorities estimate actual losses are significantly higher, with the true figure likely in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
commbank.com.au
· 2025-12-08
One in four Australians have been exposed to tax-related scams, with SMS phishing being the most reported scam type during tax season. Scammers impersonate myGov and the Australian Tax Office to trick recipients into clicking fake links and entering bank card details on fraudulent websites that mimic official pages. Australians are advised to verify suspicious messages by contacting organizations directly using verified phone numbers or official websites rather than following links in unsolicited texts or emails.
moneymarketing.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Fraud affects one in 17 people in the UK and comprises 38% of all crime, according to an Anti-Money Laundering Professionals Forum. The article outlines seven increasingly sophisticated fraud types targeting victims: impersonation fraud (posing as banks or authorities), social media fraud (fake websites and phishing), cryptocurrency investment scams (promising false high returns), courier fraud (impersonating officials to extract money), romance fraud (building fake relationships to steal assets), investment fraud (promoting worthless overseas properties or shares), and payment diversion (using nearly-identical email addresses to redirect payments). Pension providers and authorities must work together to combat these scams through reporting and vigilance.
kait8.com
· 2025-12-08
The Mississippi County Sheriff's Office warned residents of a phone scam in which a caller impersonating Officer Rodney Barnett claims victims have arrest warrants and demands bond payments via Cash App, PayPal, Venmo, or gift cards. The sheriff's office emphasized that legitimate law enforcement never accepts payment through these methods or requests personal information over the phone.
wsaz.com
· 2025-12-08
Following severe weather in Kentucky on April 2, scammers targeted disaster survivors by fraudulently applying for FEMA assistance using stolen personal information including names, addresses, and Social Security numbers. FEMA warned survivors to verify their own applications and contact authorities if they receive unsolicited FEMA correspondence or inspectors, and advised that legitimate FEMA representatives carry official identification, never charge fees, and do not collect banking information. Survivors should report suspected scams to local law enforcement, the Kentucky Attorney General, or FEMA's fraud hotline.
kiiitv.com
· 2025-12-08
A 2023 Better Business Bureau report shows phishing scam reports nearly doubled compared to 2022, with first quarter 2024 numbers on track to exceed last year's totals. U.S. consumers lost over $10 billion to fraud in 2023, with a couple billion attributed to imposter and phishing scams, including losses exceeding $1 million in Corpus Christi alone (though only 3-5% of victims report scams). Experts advise verifying unsolicited contacts by calling official business numbers independently and avoiding urgent pressure tactics and threats commonly used by scammers to extract personal information.
wymt.com
· 2025-12-08
FEMA issued a warning to survivors of April 2 storms in Kentucky about fraudsters using stolen personal information (names, addresses, Social Security numbers) to apply for disaster assistance on their behalf. Officials advise disaster survivors to verify FEMA communication through the official helpline (800-621-3362), avoid anyone demanding payment for disaster grants, and never share banking information with individuals claiming to be FEMA housing inspectors, as legitimate inspectors never request personal financial data.
local12.com
· 2025-12-08
Scams targeting people 60 and older have increased 14 percent, with victims collectively losing $3.4 billion, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. The most common scam involves fraudsters calling or emailing victims claiming they've won a prize or contest, then requesting payment for taxes before disappearing with the money. Protection strategies include being skeptical of unknown callers, consulting trusted contacts before responding, verifying suspicious communications, contacting police if necessary, and using data removal services to reduce exposure of personal information.