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finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Chester Frilich of Concord, California lost over $200,000 to scammers posing as Xfinity and FTC agents who claimed he was under investigation for wire fraud and convinced him to transfer funds through couriers and UPS. By withdrawing money from Certificate of Deposit and IRA accounts to pay the scammers, Frilich incurred approximately $30,000 in early withdrawal penalties and taxes, which the IRS now threatens to collect through a lien on his home. The article explains how early withdrawals from tax-advantaged accounts can create additional financial liability beyond the fraud itself.
ketv.com
· 2025-12-08
**Type:** Publishers Clearing House Scam / Elder Fraud
**Victim:** Monty Thompson, Iowa resident
**Outcome:** Monty lost over $8,000 in two months and died by suicide on July 24th after being scammed.
Monty Thompson was targeted by offshore scammers claiming he had won millions of dollars and a Ford F-150 from Publishers Clearing House, but was required to pay taxes and fees upfront before receiving his prize. After losing over $8,000 and facing continued contact from the scammers (who called over 20 times), Monty took his own life. The Iowa Attorney
forbes.com
· 2025-12-08
A 52-year-old North Carolina musician named Michael Smith was arrested and charged with fraud for allegedly using artificial intelligence to create hundreds of thousands of songs, then streaming them through bot accounts on platforms including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube Music to fraudulently generate over $10 million in royalty payments between 2017 and 2024. Federal authorities describe the scheme as "brazen fraud" and the first of its kind involving artificially inflated music streaming, with Smith working alongside unnamed co-conspirators including an AI music company CEO and music promoter. The scam diverted millions in royalties that should have been paid to legitimate musicians and rights holders.
flaglerlive.com
· 2025-12-08
An 83-year-old Maryland woman named Mae fell victim to tech support fraud when she clicked on a fake Safari warning, which led scammers to manipulate her into purchasing gift cards worth thousands of dollars over 10 hours. The case illustrates a broader problem: an estimated $8 billion is stolen annually from seniors age 60 and older through stranger fraud, with gift cards becoming an increasingly common payment method for criminals because they lack consumer protections similar to credit and debit cards. The article reveals systemic failures in federal regulation, inadequate retailer safeguards, and the profitable role that technology companies and retailers play in the gift card fraud ecosystem, where "everybody but the victim makes money."
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A woman in Chandigarh was defrauded of Rs 2.3 lakh by online scammers who promised her a job after she found their contact number on Google; police registered a case. The article also highlights similar online job scams affecting other victims, including a man who lost Rs 49.33 lakh to fraudsters posing as UK company recruiters, and a woman arrested for defrauding over 50 people of Rs 3 crore with false promises of healthcare jobs in Ireland.
mybuckhannon.com
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for West Virginia launched an educational outreach campaign to protect seniors from financial fraud, with U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld conducting awareness events at senior living communities across the Northern District. The initiative addresses the prevalence of elder fraud in West Virginia, including scams by both strangers and trusted individuals like family members and caretakers, emphasizing that seniors' trustworthiness and accumulated savings make them vulnerable targets. Additional educational events are planned at assisted living facilities and senior communities as part of the Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative.
gantnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Rep. Mike Armanini partnered with the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities to host two Senior Scam Jam educational events in the 75th District designed to teach older adults how to identify and avoid common scams that lead to identity theft and financial fraud. The interactive seminars took place on September 17-18 in DuBois and Ridgway, with support from local district attorneys' offices, and covered red flags for spotting scams and procedures for reporting suspected fraud.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Department of Justice distributed $18.5 million from forfeited Western Union funds to approximately 3,000 fraud victims, representing the sixth distribution under the Western Union Remission Fund. Through two phases, the fund has now distributed over $420 million to more than 175,000 victims who received full compensation for losses caused by fraud schemes that Western Union aided and abetted, including grandparent scams and lottery/sweepstakes schemes targeting seniors. Western Union agreed to forfeit $586 million total following a 2017 deferred prosecution agreement for violations including the Bank Secrecy Act and wire fraud facilitation.
coindesk.com
· 2025-12-08
Investors lost a record $5.6 billion to crypto scams in 2023, a 45% increase from 2022, with investment fraud schemes accounting for $4 billion of losses, according to FBI data. While crypto complaints represented only 10% of total fraud reports, they comprised nearly half of all financial losses; victims over age 60 reported the highest losses at $1.24 billion. The FBI warned that many scammers operating these "pig butchering" schemes are human trafficking victims forced to conduct fraud operations from compounds in Southeast Asia.
bankinfosecurity.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, cryptocurrency scams surged dramatically in the United States, with victims reporting $5.6 billion in losses—a 45% increase from 2022—across more than 69,000 complaints to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. While seniors over 60 were most frequently targeted, people aged 30-39 also experienced significant losses, with investment scams involving bitcoin and other virtual currencies accounting for nearly 71% of total losses; fraudsters typically built rapport with victims through social media and email before moving conversations to encrypted platforms. Cryptocurrency kiosks were increasingly exploited in fraud schemes, with over 5,500 complaints involving $189 million in losses
cbc.ca
· 2025-12-08
Scammers in Lethbridge, Alberta used AI voice-changing software to impersonate grandchildren in fraud calls, convincing victims to send money for emergencies; two men were arrested after allegedly collecting funds as local couriers for the scheme. The technology requires only a three-second audio clip from social media to recreate a victim's loved one's voice, making the scam more convincing and harder to detect than traditional grandparent schemes. Police note that organized criminals quickly adopt new technologies, and law enforcement struggles to keep pace with rapidly evolving cyber tools, though tracking financial transfers remains an effective investigative approach.
vice.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost more than $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, representing 45 percent increase from 2022 and nearly half of all financial fraud losses that year, according to an FBI report. Investment scams accounted for nearly 71 percent of crypto losses ($4 billion), with fraudsters also using call centers, government impersonation, and dating sites to target victims; notably, people over 60 filed nearly 17,000 complaints and lost $1.6 billion, making them the most victimized age group despite crypto's popularity with younger generations. The FBI attributes crypto scams' prevalence to the technology's decentralized nature, irrevers
news.slashdot.org
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency fraud schemes in 2023, with the FBI receiving nearly 70,000 complaints involving bitcoin, ether, and other digital currencies. Investment fraud was the most prevalent scheme, accounting for $3.96 billion of the total losses, and the decentralized nature of cryptocurrency combined with irreversible transactions makes recovery of stolen funds extremely challenging.
wrcbtv.com
· 2025-12-08
Karl Hampton, a 65-year-old Chattanooga man, was sentenced to 60 months in prison for defrauding an 86-year-old widow with dementia of over $1.2 million between 2018 and 2020. After meeting the victim while working as an exterminator, Hampton gained her trust, obtained Power of Attorney, and systematically drained her bank accounts, took out a $500,000 line of credit in her name, and used her credit cards to purchase luxury items including vehicles and jewelry. Hampton was ordered to pay $1.2 million in restitution, and his wife Deborah pleaded guilty to money laun
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Tosha Lantz, 31, of Texas was sentenced to 6 months in federal prison for defrauding an elderly West Virginia man of $32,400 through unauthorized bank transfers and fraudulent credit card openings using his personal information. Lantz will also serve three years of supervised release following her incarceration.
infosecurity-magazine.com
· 2025-12-08
Approximately 3,000 international victims of fraud facilitated by Western Union will receive a second distribution of $18.5 million in reimbursements, bringing the total compensation to over $420 million for more than 175,000 victims since the fund's establishment. The frauds, stemming from a 2017 deferred prosecution agreement, involved grandparent scams, lottery/sweepstakes scams, and romance scams, with Western Union having agreed to forfeit $586 million total after acknowledging it aided and abetted these schemes through complicit employees who failed to prevent fraudster activity. The Justice Department anticipates additional distributions in the coming months as it works
chicago.suntimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Shalender Singh lost nearly $20,000 in an investment scam after a stranger contacted him on WhatsApp claiming to represent a legitimate investment firm and promising 30% returns through cryptocurrency. The scammer built trust over months by providing accurate market advice initially, added Singh to investor chat groups, and showed fake growth on a fraudulent app, but blocked him when he attempted to withdraw funds. According to the Better Business Bureau, investment scams are surging—particularly cryptocurrency and romance-based schemes—with reported losses reaching a median of $4,000 in 2023 and nearly $6,000 by mid-2024, with 80% of victims losing money and scammers
nbcnews.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, U.S. victims reported $5.6 billion in losses to cryptocurrency scams, with people aged 60 and older filing over 16,000 complaints accounting for $1.6 billion of those losses. The majority of losses ($4 billion, a 53% increase from 2022) came from "pig butchering" investment scams, where fraudsters build fake romantic or friendship relationships with victims before convincing them to invest in bogus cryptocurrency platforms, often using crypto ATMs. Older adults are disproportionately targeted because they typically hold more wealth and are less familiar with cryptocurrency technology, according to the FBI and AARP.
hindustantimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A 37-year-old Mumbai lawyer was robbed of ₹5 lakh by two men posing as crime branch officials who approached him at an ATM and forced him into a car after inspecting his bag. The Khar police have registered a case against the unidentified perpetrators, who used the pretense of conducting an investigation to extract the money that the lawyer was carrying to deposit into customer accounts for his family's tourism business. This incident mirrors a similar scam where an IT professional from Vasai lost ₹1.41 crore to fake law enforcement officers using "digital arrest" tactics.
observer-reporter.com
· 2025-12-08
Older adults are frequent targets of financial exploitation through both remote scams and personal relationships. A Fayette County case exemplified the risks of power of attorney arrangements: a woman was charged with over 1,600 felony counts for allegedly stealing more than $690,000 from an elderly dementia patient over several years after being granted power of attorney in 2015. Experts recommend carefully vetting who receives power of attorney, monitoring financial accounts regularly when mentally capable, and remaining vigilant against "romance scams," which cause the largest monetary losses to older adults, typically through internet-based schemes using false personas.
hampshirereview.com
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office in West Virginia launched an educational outreach campaign to inform seniors about financial fraud risks, with U.S. Attorney William Ihlenfeld conducting the first event at a Morgantown senior living community. The initiative, part of the Department of Justice's Elder Justice Initiative, aims to raise awareness about common scams targeting older adults—both from strangers and trusted individuals like family members and caretakers—and provide protective strategies. Additional events are planned across Northern District senior facilities, with fraud reporting available at 304-234-0100.
fox56.com
· 2025-12-08
Representative Mike Cabell is hosting a free educational seminar in Dallas, Pennsylvania on October 7 to help seniors recognize and protect themselves from financial fraud schemes. The event, led by David Shallcross from the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, will cover safety tips and current holiday scams targeting older residents. Reservations are required by September 30 by calling 570-675-6000.
heraldstandard.com
· 2025-12-08
Older adults are frequent targets of financial exploitation, both through remote scams and by trusted individuals with power of attorney. In one notable Fayette County case, a woman was charged with over 1,600 felony counts for allegedly stealing more than $690,000 from an elderly dementia patient over several years after being granted power of attorney. Experts recommend careful selection of financial agents, maintaining oversight of accounts, and awareness of common scams like "romance scams," which cause the greatest monetary losses to seniors.
nasdaq.com
· 2025-12-08
Cristine Petitfrere from Florida pleaded guilty to operating romance scams that defrauded victims of millions of dollars; she laundered over $2.7 million and earned hundreds of thousands in fees with a co-conspirator, facing up to ten years in prison at sentencing. The case highlights the widespread impact of romance scams, which caused Americans $1.14 billion in losses in 2023, often targeting elderly individuals with both severe financial and emotional harm. Additionally, a Nevada man was convicted of fraudulently obtaining $11.2 million in COVID-19 relief funds through fake Paycheck Protection Program loan applications.
news.trendmicro.com
· 2025-12-08
Security experts warn of an evolving sextortion scam that uses victims' home addresses and photos sourced from Google Maps to increase psychological pressure and extract Bitcoin payments of $2,000-$2,200. The emails falsely claim the sender has compromised the victim's computer and recorded them via webcam, threatening to release fabricated videos to their contacts within 24 hours unless ransom is paid. The FBI recommends victims not comply with demands, avoid sending compromising images, cover webcams, and report incidents to law enforcement at 1-800-CALL-FBI or tips.fbi.gov.
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, cryptocurrency scams cost Marylanders nearly $94 million, with the state ranking 13th worst hit nationally among approximately 58,000 U.S. complaints, according to an FBI report. These scams frequently use emotional manipulation and romance tactics to lure victims into fraudulent investment schemes, with perpetrators collecting personal and financial data to facilitate theft. Experts recommend verifying online contacts, protecting cryptocurrency wallets, and remaining cautious of quick-return investment pitches, particularly when emotionally vulnerable.
therecord.media
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Treasury Department sanctioned Cambodian billionaire Ly Yong Phat and his businesses for alleged human trafficking and forced labor at online scam centers that defraud unsuspecting individuals, including Americans, through romance scams and cryptocurrency schemes. Hundreds of victims from multiple countries were rescued from compounds including the O-Smach Resort, where workers were forced to labor up to 15 hours daily under threats of violence, beatings, and sexual trafficking. The sanctions target the infrastructure supporting these scam operations while highlighting widespread corruption and official complicity in Cambodia that has enabled traffickers to operate with impunity.
bankrate.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers employ multiple tactics to steal credit card information, particularly capitalizing on economic changes like potential Federal Reserve rate cuts. Common scams include interest rate reduction schemes, student loan forgiveness offers, grandparent emergencies, and fake charity websites—all designed to pressure victims into providing payment information. To protect yourself, contact your lender or issuer directly rather than responding to unsolicited offers, verify website URLs carefully, and be skeptical of guaranteed results and limited-time offers.
kisselpaso.com
· 2025-12-08
A viral TikTok trend in Texas encouraged users to exploit what was falsely claimed to be a Chase Bank ATM "glitch" by depositing bad checks and withdrawing cash before they were flagged—a practice known as check-kiting. Chase Bank froze thousands of accounts involved in the scam, left many customers with substantial negative balances, and referred cases to law enforcement, exposing participants to potential criminal charges including fines and up to one year in prison for misdemeanor check fraud.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Roslyn Weems, a 52-year-old Mississippi woman previously employed in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, pleaded guilty to wire fraud for stealing approximately $52,000 in rental income from her employer's luxury coastal Maine property in July 2021. Weems intercepted rental payments by diverting them to accounts under her control rather than the property owner's account and used the funds for personal benefit. She faces sentencing on December 19, 2024, with potential penalties including up to 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and mandatory restitution.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Five men were indicted in federal court in Brooklyn for defrauding approximately $60 million from investors in Max Infinity Management LLC and related funds through false claims about fees, track record, and SEC registration, while diverting roughly $27 million for personal use including luxury purchases. The defendants—John Cangialosi, Peter Girgis, Gene Sarabella, Enrico Carini, and Caner Otar—charged undisclosed markups exceeding 95% on pre-IPO stock investments and lied about having no upfront fees and prior successful returns. The scheme involved misrepresentations about the fund's operations, fabricate
theintermountain.com
· 2025-12-08
Tosha Lantz, 31, was sentenced to six months in federal prison for mail fraud involving an elderly man's bank accounts and identity information, stealing a total of $32,400. Lantz transferred funds without authorization and opened credit cards in the victim's name for her personal use while residing in Randolph County. She will also serve three years of supervised release following her prison term.
13newsnow.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Virginians lost $265 million to scams, with the FBI's Norfolk office receiving approximately 2,700 elder fraud complaints that year alone. Common schemes include investment scams targeting seniors, jury duty scams impersonating law enforcement, romance scams (the top locally reported type with 17,000 national incidents in 2023), and business email compromise attacks. The FBI advises victims and the public to verify suspicious requests, avoid clicking suspicious links, maintain open communication with vulnerable relatives, and report incidents to IC3.gov or local FBI offices.
abc11.com
· 2025-12-08
More than $500,000 was stolen from North Carolina's Food and Nutrition Services program in late August and early September 2024 through phishing scams and credit card fraud targeting EBT cards, with over $2.7 million reported stolen through similar schemes since October 2022. The theft particularly impacts vulnerable families with children and seniors who depend on these benefits for grocery purchases. Authorities recommend FNS participants check balances frequently, use strong PINs, monitor accounts for suspicious activity, and contact their local county social services to request replacement benefits if compromised.
banking.senate.gov
· 2025-12-08
Senator Sherrod Brown testified before the Senate Banking Committee on the escalating problem of scams and fraud targeting Americans, particularly seniors. In 2023, Americans lost at least $10 billion to reported fraud—an increase of over $1 billion from the previous year—with Ohio alone experiencing $126 million in losses; scammers employ increasingly sophisticated tactics including AI voice mimicry, fake bank calls, and romance schemes to target retirees' savings. Brown emphasized that seniors, who represented more than half of fraud losses in Ohio, often hesitate to report crimes due to shame and self-blame, allowing criminals to continue victimizing others.
miningjournal.net
· 2025-12-08
This article describes three common scams targeting elderly people: grandparent scams (where callers pose as distressed relatives or law enforcement to solicit wire transfers), IRS scams (where fraudsters impersonate tax agents to steal money or personal information), and sweepstakes scams (where victims are promised prizes to encourage purchases or payments). The article emphasizes that geographic location offers no protection against these schemes and advises seniors and their families to recognize warning signs such as urgent requests for wire transfers, threats of arrest, and demands for sensitive personal information.
the420.in
· 2025-12-08
Dr. Ruby Thomas, a doctor in Lucknow, fell victim to an elaborate digital arrest scam in which fraudsters impersonated Mumbai Police and CBI officials via WhatsApp and video calls, falsely accusing her of involvement in the Naresh Goyal scam and threatening execution if she didn't cooperate. After holding her in a five-hour digital hostage situation with fake arrest warrants and fabricated evidence, the scammers extracted Rs 90,000 from her before disconnecting. Similar cases targeting other high-profile professionals, including Dr. Satvika Rathore (Rs 50,000 extorted), reveal a growing trend of cyber extortion
thebee.news
· 2025-12-08
Scammers are impersonating Mohave County Deputies and calling citizens claiming they have outstanding warrants and must pay fines or face arrest. Law enforcement agencies do not conduct business via phone calls regarding warrants or fines, and citizens should hang up immediately and avoid sharing personal information with these callers.
1043wowcountry.com
· 2025-12-08
Law enforcement in North Central Washington is warning residents about three prevalent scams: fake prize claims (where a woman lost thousands after being told she won a truck), grandparent scams claiming a relative needs bail money, and jury duty scams threatening arrest for failure to report unless a fine is paid. Authorities advise victims to hang up immediately, avoid sharing personal information or sending money, and contact their local county court with any questions rather than engaging with callers.
cnbc.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost over $5.6 billion to cryptocurrency scams in 2023, a 45% increase from 2022, with investment scams accounting for $4 billion of those losses, according to an FBI report. Fraudsters typically build trust with victims through dating apps and social media before directing them to fake websites that display false investment growth, then prevent withdrawals or demand fees. The FBI recommends verifying messages independently, scrutinizing websites for misspellings or character substitutions in domain names, and remaining skeptical of promises to earn quick profits with minimal risk.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Brandon Dean Guffey, 41, was convicted on four felony counts including elder abuse and theft for defrauding two Wichita residents in their 90s between 2020 and 2022 through a tree-trimming scam, stealing approximately $5,600 combined by altering checks and falsely claiming work remained unpaid. This is Guffey's second conviction for similar yard-work fraud targeting elderly victims with diminished cognitive capacity; he previously pleaded guilty to related crimes in 2014, including convincing an 86-year-old woman to pay $8,800 for a $400 job.
silive.com
· 2025-12-08
A 32-year-old man from Queens was convicted of grand larceny for defrauding a senior woman on Staten Island of $35,000 in August 2023. The scam involved a fake phone call claiming the victim's bank account was compromised, after which a person (the defendant) posed as a bank employee and collected cash from her home. Om Parkash pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced in October to one to three years in prison with a restitution order to repay the victim.
cuyahogacounty.gov
· 2025-12-08
Director of Consumer Affairs Sheryl Harris testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs about sophisticated scams targeting Ohio residents, particularly older adults who comprise the majority of scam reports in Cuyahoga County. Harris described how scammers use psychological manipulation tactics—creating false urgency through threats of arrest or asset seizure, isolating victims from help, and establishing false authority—to route victims' money to fraudsters. The hearing highlighted the need for stronger regulations and corporate accountability from tech and financial companies to protect consumers from increasingly complex fraud schemes.
cleveland.com
· 2025-12-08
**Scam Losses in Cuyahoga County, Ohio More Than Double; Nationwide Fraud Crisis Escalates**
Reported scam losses in Cuyahoga County jumped from $1.2 million in 2023 to $2.7 million in 2024, with fraudsters using spoofed caller IDs, stolen personal data, and cryptocurrency to steal larger amounts in shorter timeframes. A particularly dangerous trend involves scammers posing as federal agents claiming victims' bank accounts are involved in drug trafficking, convincing them to move savings to crypto "wallets" and in some cases obtaining house sale proceeds—with national fraud losses reaching $
cw34.com
· 2025-12-08
Christine Petitfrere, a 30-year-old Miramar woman, was convicted of laundering over $2.7 million in stolen money from romance scams orchestrated by overseas conspirators, keeping hundreds of thousands of dollars for herself. Romance scams typically involve criminals creating fake online accounts to build trust with victims—often elderly—before stealing their money, with victims losing approximately $1.14 million in a single year. Petitfrere faces up to 10 years in prison at her December sentencing.
cbs8.com
· 2025-12-08
Albert Gietzen, a Vista resident, lost $12,000 in a gift card scam after a fake Microsoft pop-up alert convinced him his computer was compromised and his bank account had been hacked. He withdrew the money, purchased twelve $1,000 Home Depot gift cards, and provided the card numbers to the scammer before being stopped by sheriff's deputies; though Home Depot initially claimed the cards were cancelled, the company later refused a refund, prompting a lawsuit and media attention. After CBS 8 contacted Home Depot, the company agreed to refund Gietzen's $12,000 and settle a portion of his legal fees.
goldrushcam.com
· 2025-12-08
At a September 2024 Senate Banking Committee hearing, Senator Elizabeth Warren highlighted the severe impact of romance and cryptocurrency investment scams on older Americans, noting that Massachusetts residents alone lost over $85 million to these schemes in 2023. Testimony revealed that scammers use extended emotional manipulation through dating apps before gradually coercing victims to deposit funds into fake trading accounts that show false profits, ultimately draining their entire savings; crypto scam losses nationally increased tenfold from 2020-2023 to over $110 million, with adults over 60 being three times more likely to lose money in such schemes. Senator Warren advocated for her bipartisan Digital Asset Anti-Money Laundering
wsbtv.com
· 2025-12-08
Billions of dollars are lost annually to scams targeting older Americans, with the FBI reporting over $3 billion in losses in 2023 alone, including devastating cases such as romance scams, sextortion schemes, and AI-enabled impersonations that have cost some seniors their entire life savings. The AARP Fraud Watch Network receives more than 100,000 calls yearly from affected seniors, and experts testified before U.S. Congress emphasizing that criminals continue to evolve their tactics with increasing sophistication. Lawmakers are responding with bipartisan legislation and recommendations for education, public outreach, and federal efforts to combat spoofing and robocalls as key strategies to protect vulnerable seniors.
longisland.com
· 2025-12-08
A 51-year-old New Jersey man was arrested on September 13, 2024, for defrauding a 69-year-old woman in New Hyde Park through an elder scam in which he posed as a Walmart employee and convinced her that her social security number had been compromised. The victim withdrew $20,000 and handed it to the suspect in a parking lot on September 9, 2024, believing he would safeguard the funds; the suspect was apprehended when he attempted to solicit additional money from the victim days later. Tejas Kapur was charged with Grand Larceny 3rd Degree and Attempted Grand Larceny 3
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Erika DeMask lost over $1 million of her life savings in a "pig butchering" scam, where a man she met online posed as a romantic interest and gradually built trust before requesting money for fake emergencies and investment opportunities. These scams involve fraudsters establishing prolonged digital relationships to gain victims' trust before stealing their money, with the FBI reporting over $3.5 billion in losses and 40,000 U.S. victims in 2023 alone. DeMask now must sell her home to repay debts and has only $400 remaining.