Search
Explore the Archive
Search across 19,276 articles about elder fraud. Filter by fraud type, payment mechanism, or keywords.
4,158 results
in Government Impersonation
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Viraj Patel, a money mule operating in Florida, was sentenced to 3 years and 10 months in federal prison for laundering at least $216,000 in proceeds from government-imposter fraud schemes targeting senior citizens. Patel picked up cash and gold from victims who had been deceived by India-based conspirators into believing their identities were compromised, including one victim who was tricked into surrendering $71,000 and later $50,000 in a single scheme. The court ordered Patel to forfeit $145,000 in traceable fraud proceeds.
bankingjournal.aba.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, older Americans reported $1.9 billion in fraud losses to the FTC, though the actual figure is estimated at $61.5 billion when accounting for underreporting. Adults ages 60 and older experienced higher median losses than younger groups (ranging from $500 for ages 60-69 to $1,450 for ages 80+) and were significantly more vulnerable to tech support scams (5x more likely), sweepstakes scams (3x more likely), and impersonation scams, with investment scams and cryptocurrency payments causing the largest losses.
washingtoninformer.com
· 2025-12-08
The Department of Justice released its annual report detailing over 300 enforcement actions against more than 700 defendants for elder fraud, abuse, and neglect, resulting in nearly $700 million in recoveries and disruption of major transnational schemes. Key cases included convictions of two Pittsburgh-area nursing homes for falsifying compliance records and an investigation into New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes for constitutional rights violations through inadequate care. The DOJ's broader efforts addressed fraud affecting over 225,000 seniors through romance and impersonation scams, blocked $27 million in fraudulent transfers, and handled over 50,000 calls through its National Elder Fraud Hotline while hosting nearly 1
ovc.ojp.gov
· 2025-12-08
From July 2023 to June 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice pursued over 300 enforcement actions against more than 700 defendants charged with stealing nearly $700 million from approximately 225,000 elder fraud victims, while returning over $31 million to survivors. The DOJ expanded its elder protection efforts through initiatives including funding state and tribal coalitions, operating the National Elder Fraud Hotline (which fielded tens of thousands of calls), and supporting a legal fellowship program providing direct services to victims. The Department emphasized its commitment to increasing public awareness about elder fraud, building law enforcement capacity, and supporting victims through continued education and stakeholder coordination.
wham1180.iheart.com
· 2025-12-08
A 79-year-old man named Alfred Mancinelli lost nearly $1 million in retirement savings and his granddaughter's college fund to a fraudster posing as WWE superstar Alexa Bliss between 2018 and the COVID-19 pandemic, believing he was in a romantic relationship with the impostor. The scammer, whom Mancinelli called "Lexi," requested money for hospital treatments and manipulated him emotionally by fabricating stories about humiliation by WWE leadership. Mancinelli's family was unable to convince him of the fraud, and he subsequently died following complications from neck surgery after a fall.
bankingjournal.aba.com
· 2025-12-08
Synthetic identity fraud reached record levels in the first half of 2024, with fraudsters opening accounts using fake identities across auto loans, credit cards, and personal loans, exposing U.S. lenders to $3.2 billion in potential losses—a 7% increase from the prior year. The report found an 18% year-over-year rise in synthetic identity accounts and identified a growing "credit washing" scam where criminals file false identity fraud claims to erase negative credit history. Auto loans faced the highest exposure, with balances roughly double those of the bankcard sector.
ajc.com
· 2025-12-08
Cybercriminals increasingly use phishing emails, text messages, and spoofed delivery notifications to steal personal and financial information from victims of all ages during the holiday season and year-round. The Federal Trade Commission advises avoiding urgency-driven scams by verifying sender identities, researching suspicious messages, not clicking unexpected links, never paying for prizes, and hanging up on callers requesting sensitive information like Social Security numbers or banking details. Taking time to verify legitimacy rather than acting on panic is the most effective protection against financial fraud.
local.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
This article presents educational advice from a Scam Jam event in Richmond, Virginia, where experts from organizations including AARP Virginia and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service provided seniors with strategies to protect themselves against fraud. Speakers described various scams targeting older Americans, including durable medical equipment fraud, mail theft, identity theft, phishing, and AI-powered impersonation calls, and advised attendees to avoid unsolicited contacts, protect personal information, and use secure mailing practices. The event emphasized that fraudsters use both low-tech methods like mail theft and high-tech tactics like voice manipulation, and stressed that seniors should be skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true.
pressdemocrat.com
· 2025-12-08
Alfred Mancinelli, a 79-year-old widower, lost approximately $1 million in retirement savings and his granddaughter's college fund to romance scammers impersonating professional wrestler Alexa Bliss and others over several years. Despite his son Chris's attempts to intervene and protect his assets, Alfred remained convinced he was in a genuine romantic relationship and even sued his son, demonstrating how romance scams isolate victims and make them resistant to help. The case illustrates a broader trend where older Americans are disproportionately targeted for costly online scams, with Americans losing an estimated $652 million to romance and confidence scams in 2023 alone.
states.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
This article covers a "Scam Jam" educational event in Richmond, Virginia organized by AARP Virginia where law enforcement and fraud prevention experts educated about 30 seniors on common scams targeting older adults. Presenters from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Virginia Senior Medicare Patrol discussed various fraud schemes including mail theft, identity theft, durable medical equipment fraud, and AI-powered impersonation scams, while offering practical protective strategies such as mailing checks directly to post offices and shredding personal documents.
journalnow.com
· 2025-12-08
This article provides educational guidance on avoiding romance scams, particularly around Valentine's Day when people are more vulnerable to online dating fraud. According to the Federal Trade Commission, consumers lost $1.3 billion to romance scams in 2022, with scammers typically cultivating relationships for months before requesting money under false pretenses such as emergencies. Experts recommend moving online relationships slowly, being wary of requests to communicate off dating apps, and recognizing red flags such as requests for money or overly fast relationship progression.
weirtondailytimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Utility scams targeting seniors use threatening calls about immediate service shutoffs to extort money through fear and intimidation. The article advises recipients to hang up immediately, call their utility using the legitimate number on their bill, and report the scam to both the utility company and the FTC, emphasizing that real utilities do not operate this way and that money sent to scammers is nearly impossible to recover. According to ABC News and FBI data, people over 65 lost nearly $1 billion to scams in 2020, with seniors representing most of the 23,000 victims, particularly in California, Florida, and Texas.
m.economictimes.com
· 2025-12-08
"Digital arrest" scams have become a widespread fraud in India where perpetrators pose as law enforcement officials via video call, falsely accusing victims of crimes and ordering them to remain isolated at home while transferring money to avoid arrest. Victims reported losing approximately Rs 120.3 crore during the first quarter of 2024 alone, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently warning the public that digital arrests do not legally exist in India and legitimate agencies never request personal information via phone or video call. The scam exploits fear-based social engineering tactics, often initiated with calls about overseas parcels containing drugs, misused identification, or family members in legal trouble.
starofmysore.com
· 2025-12-08
An 82-year-old retired resident in Mysuru lost Rs. 1.06 crore after receiving calls from fraudsters impersonating Mumbai Police officials and a telecommunications authority representative, who claimed his phone number was involved in obscene advertisements and money laundering, then convinced him to transfer funds for "verification" purposes. In a separate incident, a Mysuru-based doctor was defrauded of Rs. 12.11 lakh in a job scam by someone posing as a recruitment company representative offering employment in Qatar. Police advise citizens never to share personal or financial information with unknown callers and to verify such claims directly with local authorities, as genuine officials never request fund transfers
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A woman in her 60s from Noida lost Rs 50,000 in a money transfer scam when a caller impersonating her husband's client convinced her to transfer funds; the scammer deactivated their phone number before she realized the fraud. Money transfer scams exploit trust and urgency through impersonation, emotional manipulation, and complex schemes, with seniors increasingly targeted. Protection strategies include verifying caller identity through independent channels, avoiding urgent payment requests, using strong passwords with two-factor authentication, and reporting suspected fraud to authorities.
wboc.com
· 2025-12-08
The Delaware Judiciary warned the public about phone and text scams in which callers impersonate court officials or law enforcement and demand immediate payment for arrest warrants, fines, jury duty failures, or other court matters, sometimes sending fake arrest orders and directing victims to non-government addresses for cash payments. The state emphasized that legitimate courts and government agencies never demand immediate payment by phone and urged citizens to report such calls to local law enforcement while documenting caller information.
inkfreenews.com
· 2025-12-08
Indiana's older population lost nearly $38 million to fraud in the past year, with imposter scams being the most frequently reported type, including schemes using AI-generated voice cloning and fake charity requests following disasters. The FBI ranks Indiana 25th among the most scammed states, and experts recommend that residents verify suspicious requests through trusted contacts before taking action and report suspected fraud to the FTC.
communityjournal.net
· 2025-12-08
The Department of Justice released its annual report detailing over 300 enforcement actions against more than 700 defendants targeting older adults, recovering nearly $700 million and disrupting major transnational schemes. High-profile cases included convictions of two Pittsburgh nursing homes for falsifying records to hide inadequate care, and investigations into New Jersey veterans' facilities for constitutional rights violations and unsafe conditions. The DOJ also addressed fraud affecting over 225,000 seniors through cases ranging from romance scams to government impersonation schemes, stopped $27 million in fraudulent transfers, and expanded prevention efforts through nearly 1,000 elder justice events and a National Elder Fraud Hotline that received over
live5news.com
· 2025-12-08
Electronic benefit fraud targeting South Carolina's SNAP program has surged dramatically, with reported cases increasing from 302 in August to 1,962 in October, affecting thousands of low-income households who depend on food assistance. North Charleston resident Rawshawn Clark lost $632 in benefits to unauthorized charges, and victims face challenges reclaiming stolen funds and accessing alternative resources while waiting for replacement benefits. The South Carolina Department of Social Services recommends SNAP users download the official Connect EBT app, change their PIN regularly, monitor charges closely, and report fraud within 30 days to the toll-free line (1-800-554-5268) to recover stolen benefits.
ncdoj.gov
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece from the North Carolina Department of Justice warns voters ahead of the November 5, 2024 election about common scams designed to prevent voting or steal personal information, including fraudulent calls claiming polls are closed, fake text/email voting schemes, false absentee ballot offers, and campaign investment pool scams. The article advises eligible voters to verify polling information directly through official sources, never provide personal financial data to unsolicited callers, and report suspected election fraud to the North Carolina State Board of Elections or Consumer Protection Division.
marketech-apac.com
· 2025-12-08
A TransUnion report on Hong Kong fraud reveals that 51% of Gen Z and 41% of Millennials report being targeted by fraud schemes over three months, with Millennials experiencing the highest victimization rate at 7%. Vishing (fraudulent phone calls) and phishing were the most common attack methods, while digital fraud attempts in Hong Kong reached 5.7% of transactions in H1 2024—10% higher than the global average—with the community sector (dating and forum sites) recording the highest fraud rates at 15%.
finrafoundation.org
· 2025-12-08
The FINRA Foundation partners with organizations including the Cybercrime Support Network, Better Business Bureaus, and AARP to educate consumers about financial fraud and support scam survivors through counselor-led peer programs, interactive workshops, and helpline services. The Foundation provides free resources including publications, educational tools, games, and a documentary to help consumers recognize fraud red flags, verify investment professionals, and protect themselves from various scams including romance imposter scams and disaster-related fraud.
bobsullivan.net
· 2025-12-08
A man named Dennis fell victim to a combined crypto and romance scam, losing his life savings and eventually taking his own life after being manipulated into borrowing additional money through an LLC when his initial funds were depleted. His adult children, Laura and Matt, shared their father's story to raise awareness about how scams—which affect people of all ages, not just the elderly—can lead to devastating psychological consequences, including suicide. The piece emphasizes the importance of open, non-judgmental communication with loved ones about online scams and the mental health crisis they can trigger.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A resident of Alambagh, Lucknow fell victim to a digital arrest scam in October 2024, losing Rs 1.24 lakh after receiving a fraudulent WhatsApp call claiming to be from TRAI that falsely linked her Aadhaar to unauthorized numbers involved in money laundering. The victim was subsequently contacted by someone impersonating a Mumbai Police official who instructed her to transfer funds to specified accounts for verification purposes, resulting in losses of Rs 64,000 and Rs 60,000 from her HDFC and Kotak accounts respectively. This was the 40th such digital arrest case reported in Lucknow since January 2024.
infosecurity-magazine.com
· 2025-12-08
Since the announcement of Oasis reunion shows in late August, hundreds of UK fans have been scammed through fake ticket listings, primarily on social media, losing an average of £346 each with some victims losing up to £1,000. Those aged 35-44 were most frequently targeted, and approximately 90% of the scams originated from fake Facebook ads or posts directing victims to pay upfront for non-existent tickets. New regulations taking effect in October will require banks to reimburse APP fraud victims up to £85,000, while Meta has agreed to share threat intelligence with UK banks to help remove fraudulent accounts.
lifehacker.com
· 2025-12-08
Last year saw 2.6 million fraud reports with $10 billion in losses, as scammers employ psychological manipulation tactics to deceive victims. The article identifies three primary techniques scammers use: impersonating authority figures to exploit deference, creating time pressure and artificial scarcity to trigger emotional responses, and using incremental requests (foot-in-the-door) to gradually escalate victim cooperation. Awareness of these tactics—such as recognizing that legitimate authorities welcome verification and that legitimate businesses never demand snap decisions—can help people protect themselves from Romance Scams, Impostor Scams, Delivery Scams, and similar frauds.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Three individuals were sentenced for their roles in a Ghana-based romance scam targeting elderly Americans between March 2019 and March 2022. Sadia Alhassan (18 months prison), Shawn William Smith (1 day prison), and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu (5½ months prison) served as money launderers and intermediaries, receiving funds that victims sent via mail and commercial carriers after being deceived into believing they had romantic relationships with scammers in Ghana. The defendants were ordered to pay $581,261.67 in restitution to their victims.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Andy R. Miqui-Castillo, a 35-year-old from Newark, New Jersey, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud after serving as a courier for a scheme targeting elderly victims. Between October and November 2023, he collected over $550,000 in cash and gold bars from four victims by delivering items to co-conspirators who had falsely claimed to be from financial institutions or government agencies; Miqui-Castillo was arrested while attempting to pick up $196,000 in gold bars from a St. Louis victim and faces up to 20 years in prison at his February 2025 sentencing.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
A 21-year-old South Boston man was indicted for his role in an elder fraud conspiracy that defrauded a 75-year-old Berkshire County victim of approximately $500,000 between February and October 2024. The scheme involved a co-conspirator impersonating a U.S. Treasury Department official who convinced the victim to withdraw cash and hand it to couriers using prearranged passpins; the defendant was arrested while attempting to collect one of the cash boxes. The charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud carries a potential sentence of up to 20 years in prison.
seattlemedium.com
· 2025-12-08
The Department of Justice released its annual report detailing over 300 enforcement actions against more than 700 defendants targeting older adults, resulting in nearly $700 million in recoveries. Notable cases included convictions of two Pittsburgh nursing homes for falsifying Medicare/Medicaid records to hide inadequate care, and findings that New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes violated residents' constitutional rights through poor infection control and medical care. The DOJ also addressed broader elder fraud schemes affecting over 225,000 seniors through romance scams and government impersonation, halting $27 million in fraudulent transfers and handling over 50,000 calls through its National Elder Fraud Hotline, while promoting prevention through nearly
livemint.com
· 2025-12-08
A 63-year-old man from Hyderabad lost ₹50 lakh after being recruited into a fraudulent stock market scheme via WhatsApp, where a scammer posing as financial advisor "Kunal Singh" promised exceptional returns and directed victims to invest through a fake platform called "Skyrim Capital." The article also documents two separate cases in Bengaluru where victims lost money (including ₹19 lakh) after being deceived by deepfake videos featuring prominent business figures promoting fraudulent trading platforms. Authorities advise elderly citizens to avoid joining unverified investment groups on messaging apps and recognize guaranteed high returns as a major red flag.
en.cibercuba.com
· 2025-12-08
A Miami-based TikTok user shared his experience of being scammed by a street vendor who sold him five bottles of counterfeit perfume for $100; the seller posed as a European businessman and showed fake invoices and bank statements to appear legitimate, but the bottles contained only colored water. The video sparked widespread social media engagement, with viewers sharing similar experiences involving fake luxury items like watches and perfumes, and offering advice to avoid street vendors and verify products before purchase.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Police in Telangana's various districts conducted awareness programs alerting senior citizens to rising cybercrime threats, with particular focus on "digital arrest" scams where fraudsters pose as police officers and use video calls to intimidate victims into surrendering money by claiming they or their relatives are in legal trouble. Senior citizens were advised against clicking suspicious links, sharing OTPs, accepting video calls from strangers, and engaging with offers of quick money through jobs, stock trading tips, or fake health/insurance schemes. Authorities emphasized that legitimate police will never conduct "digital arrests" or make unsolicited video calls to residents.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
A 71-year-old Huffman, Texas woman named Marcia Nickette Remedies pleaded guilty to wire fraud for stealing $24,887.75 from a 91-year-old hospice patient she was hired to care for, making unauthorized ATM withdrawals and debit card purchases at casinos and stores between November 2022 and April 2023. Remedies was sentenced to eight months in federal prison and ordered to pay full restitution. The case was investigated by the Hardin County Sheriff's Office and FBI after the victim discovered the unauthorized transactions.
northdallasgazette.com
· 2025-12-08
The Department of Justice released its annual elder fraud report detailing over 300 enforcement actions against more than 700 defendants that resulted in nearly $700 million in recoveries, including high-profile convictions of two Pittsburgh nursing homes for falsifying Medicare compliance records and investigations into New Jersey veterans' facilities for constitutional rights violations. The DOJ's broader anti-fraud initiative addressed over 225,000 seniors affected by romance scams and government impersonation schemes, preventing $27 million in fraudulent transfers and handling over 50,000 calls through its National Elder Fraud Hotline. The department emphasized prevention through nearly 1,000 elder justice events, including a national law enforcement summit bringing together
crypto.news
· 2025-12-08
Coinbase's Chief Information Security Officer identifies social engineering scams as the top threat to crypto users, advising people to ignore unsolicited calls from exchanges, verify contacts through official channels (which can prevent up to 80% of such scams), and avoid sending crypto to unknown individuals. Additional threats include deepfake technology used to impersonate leaders and romance scams exploiting emotional vulnerabilities, with Coinbase addressing these risks through AI-driven fraud detection and machine learning monitoring, while advocating for industry-wide information sharing through initiatives like the Crypto Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
graphic.com.gh
· 2025-12-08
Two Ghanaian nationals and one U.S. resident were convicted for operating a romance scam that defrauded elderly Americans between March 2019 and March 2022 by creating fake romantic relationships and convincing victims to send money. Sadia Alhassan and Mohammed Saaminu Zuberu, along with co-conspirator Shawn William Smith, were sentenced to prison terms and ordered to pay $581,261.67 each in restitution for their roles as money handlers and coordinators funneling victim funds to scammers based in Ghana. The operation involved receiving packages of cash from victims via postal services, converting funds to money orders
republicanherald.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece outlines nine common scam tactics and warning signs, including unsolicited phone calls claiming to be from banks or government agencies, requests for untraceable payment methods (gift cards, prepaid debit cards), poor quality communications with misspellings, upfront payment demands, and pre-checked boxes for recurring donations. The author advises readers to verify caller identity independently, watch for threats or "too good to be true" offers, and report suspected scams to the Pennsylvania Attorney General's office.
ketv.com
· 2025-12-08
The Federal Trade Commission warns that scammers are sending phishing emails directing travelers to fake TSA PreCheck websites to steal enrollment and renewal fees. Travelers can avoid this scam by remembering that first-time TSA PreCheck applications require in-person payment at a TSA enrollment center, while renewals are only conducted online at the official site tsa.gov/precheck.
thehackernews.com
· 2025-12-08
A large-scale phishing campaign dubbed "CopyRh(ight)adamantys" has been active since July 2024, targeting victims in the United States, Europe, East Asia, and South America by impersonating entertainment and technology companies with fake copyright violation notices to distribute the Rhadamanthys information stealer malware (version 0.7). Attackers sent spear-phishing emails from Gmail accounts claiming to be legal representatives, directing recipients to download password-protected files from appspot.com, Dropbox, or Discord that contain the malware disguised alongside decoy documents. Security researchers attribute the campaign to financially motivated cybercriminals using AI-assisted tactics
dispatch.com
· 2025-12-08
Spoofing is when callers or texters falsify their caller ID to hide their identity, often impersonating government agencies or companies to extract personal information—a scam that recently targeted Black Americans with racist text messages using spoofed numbers. The FCC recommends avoiding spoofing scams by not answering unknown numbers, never responding to requests for personal information, verifying calls by hanging up and calling official numbers independently, and using call-blocking tools. While spoofing is illegal under the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2009 and can result in fines up to $10,000, there is no surefire way to prevent your number from being spoofed, though
sdvoice.info
· 2025-12-08
The Department of Justice's annual report documented over 300 enforcement actions against more than 700 defendants targeting older adults, recovering nearly $700 million and disrupting major transnational schemes. Notable cases included convictions of two Pittsburgh nursing homes for falsifying Medicare and Medicaid records to hide inadequate care, and investigations into New Jersey Veterans Memorial Homes finding constitutional rights violations through poor infection control and medical care. The DOJ also addressed broader elder fraud affecting over 225,000 seniors through romance scams and government impersonation schemes, stopped $27 million in fraudulent transfers, and advanced prevention through nearly 1,000 elder justice events and a National Elder Fraud Hotline that handle
wrex.com
· 2025-12-08
The Better Business Bureau warns that scammers target veterans around Veterans Day through phishing, vishing, social media scams, and "gaming fraud" schemes including credit card fraud and account hacking. To protect themselves, veterans should verify charity names carefully, avoid organizations that pressure them for donations, and use free monitoring services like Give.Org before donating.
lawandcrime.com
· 2025-12-08
Franklin Ikechukwu Nwadialo, a 40-year-old Nigerian national, was indicted on 14 counts of wire fraud for operating a romance scam between December 2019 and December 2023, defrauding multiple women out of more than $3 million. Operating under various aliases (Giovanni, Tony Giovanni, David Giovanni, Antoni Giovanni) on dating websites, Nwadialo targeted older, often widowed or divorced women by posing as a U.S. military officer deployed overseas, then requesting money for fabricated expenses such as military fines, funeral costs, and tuition. One victim liquidated her deceased husband's retirement account, took
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Fraud in Utah has increased significantly, costing residents $55.2 million in the first half of 2024 compared to $36.4 million in 2023, with imposter scams ranking among the top fraud schemes in the state. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Utah is prioritizing financial crime prosecutions, recently securing convictions and sentences including a 72-month sentence for a romance scam causing over $6 million in losses and a 50-month sentence for agricultural fraud totaling $1.2 million. Citizens are encouraged to report fraud to the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) at ic3.gov or the FTC at
retail-systems.com
· 2025-12-08
An Indiana woman who lost $1,000 to a gift card scam was denied a class action lawsuit against Google after a federal judge ruled that Google had no legal obligation to refund victims, determining the losses resulted from third-party fraud rather than Google's misconduct. The victim, Judy May, had fallen for a scam in April 2021 in which a fraudster impersonating a relative directed her to purchase Google Play gift cards as supposed upfront costs for federal grant money. The ruling reflects broader concerns about gift card fraud, with Americans losing $217 million to such scams in 2023, though the judge allowed May to refile certain claims within 45 days.
indiatoday.in
· 2025-12-08
Multiple victims in India lost significant sums—including a man from Udupi who lost Rs 14 lakh and a 63-year-old from Hyderabad who lost Rs 50 lakh—after being added to WhatsApp groups by scammers posing as financial advisors offering stock market tips and high returns. The scammers directed victims to download fraudulent investment apps (such as "Causeway" and "Skyrim Capital"), where victims initially saw fake profits but were then locked out when attempting to withdraw funds. The article advises protecting oneself by avoiding unknown contacts online, being wary of guaranteed or extremely high returns (a hallmark of fraud), an
irishtechnews.ie
· 2025-12-08
This educational piece discusses the prevalence and types of online scams targeting seniors, drawing parallels between modern cyber-scammers and historical fraud schemes. In 2023, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre processed 62,365 fraud reports totaling over $554 million in losses, with seniors especially vulnerable due to their trust and familiarity with traditional communication. Common scams include phishing emails, tech support pop-ups, fraudulent government calls threatening legal action, and romance scams, with the article emphasizing that skepticism, verification of requests, and avoiding hasty responses are key protective measures.
mpacorn.com
· 2025-12-08
Debbie Deem, a retired FBI victim specialist, volunteers as a fraud intervention coach in Camarillo, California, providing free counseling and education to community members who have fallen victim to scams and fraud. She emphasizes that fraud disproportionately affects older adults (particularly those aged 70-79) and isolated individuals, with victims in her caseload losing anywhere from $500 to $5 million, and some losing their homes entirely. Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency are making sophisticated scams—including romance investment fraud, charity fraud, and romance scams—increasingly difficult to combat and devastating to victims often living on fixed incomes.
home.barclays
· 2025-12-08
Barclays warns that purchase scams are rising significantly, with 72% originating on social media, and the average claim exceeding £700 in 2024. Despite 55% of Black Friday shoppers expressing concern about scams, only 51% conduct any checks before purchasing and 84% are overconfident they won't be victimized—with 37% citing scam fears as their reason to avoid the sales entirely. The bank recommends shoppers verify retailer legitimacy and reviews before checkout, as the pressure of limited-time deals (FOMO) increases vulnerability to fraud.