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

An 18-year-old New Jersey teenager was arrested for allegedly using Facebook Marketplace to lure victims into robberies, including a March incident where he robbed a buyer of $275 and hit them with his car while fleeing. The investigation revealed a pattern of similar robberies involving fake accounts selling PlayStation 5 consoles across northern New Jersey. Authorities recommend Facebook Marketplace users meet in public, well-lit areas, avoid cash transactions, review seller profiles carefully, and report suspicious activity to police.

New Jersey residents lost $441.2 million to scams in 2023, a 55% increase from 2022, making the state the fifth-highest in total losses nationwide, according to an FBI report. Over 12,000 New Jersey victims fell prey to various scams including phishing, tech support fraud, and personal data breaches, with seniors accounting for more than half of tech scam losses, particularly those ages 60 and older who lost $3.4 billion nationally.

A husband and wife from Burlington County, New Jersey (Martins Friday Inalegwu and Steincy Mathieu), along with a third codefendant, pleaded guilty to tax evasion and unlawful money-transmitting charges for their roles in a romance fraud scheme that defrauded over 100 victims of more than $4.5 million between October 2016 and May 2020. The conspirators, some based in Nigeria, posed as romantic interests on dating sites, built relationships with victims, and requested money for fake emergencies, which they then spent on personal expenses or transferred to overseas accounts without paying taxes.

Three New Jersey residents—married couple Martins Friday Inalegwu and Steincy Mathieu, plus Oluwaseyi Fatolu—pleaded guilty to operating a romance scam from 2016 to 2020 that defrauded over 100 victims of $4.5 million. The defendants posed as romantic interests on dating sites and social media to convince victims to send money for fictitious emergencies, with funds wired to U.S. bank accounts, mailed as checks, or transferred overseas to accomplices in Nigeria and Turkey, while the defendants spent proceeds on personal expenses and cash withdrawals.

A New Jersey married couple, Martins Friday Inalegwu (35) and Steincy Mathieu (27), admitted to stealing at least $4.5 million from over 100 victims through an online romance scam operating from October 2016 to May 2020, using dating websites and social media to build fake relationships before requesting money for fabricated emergencies. The perpetrators received funds via wire transfers, checks, Western Union, MoneyGram, and international bank accounts in Turkey and Nigeria, and also failed to pay taxes on the stolen money. Inalegwu pleaded guilty to money transmitting violations and tax evasion, while Mathieu

Three New Jersey residents pleaded guilty to operating a romance fraud scheme from 2016 to 2020 that defrauded over 100 victims of millions of dollars. Martins Friday Inalegwu and Steincy Mathieu, along with co-conspirator Oluwaseyi Fatolu, worked with accomplices in Nigeria to pose as romantic partners on dating sites, convincing victims to send money while evading taxes on their illegal proceeds. The defendants face charges including unlawful money transmitting, tax evasion, and conspiracy related to the multi-million dollar scheme.

Jewish Family Service of Central New Jersey is hosting a "Senior Scam Prevention" educational program on March 20 at the Lavy House in Westfield, presented by Officer Victoria Smith of the Union County Sheriff's Office. The community event aims to educate attendees of all ages about scams targeting seniors, with light refreshments provided and free registration available by contacting the organization.

A 26-year-old Jersey City man, Sagar Patel, was arrested and extradited to Colorado, where he faces grand theft charges for scamming a 79-year-old woman out of $120,000 in gold bars. Patel was taken into custody in February and now faces 4 to 12 years in prison if convicted.

Six members of a fraud enterprise were arrested between October 2020 and February 2021 for orchestrating business email compromise scams, romance fraud targeting vulnerable elderly victims, and fraudulent COVID-19 relief loan applications, collectively controlling over 45 bank accounts with approximately $55 million in deposits. The defendants used spoofed emails, fake online identities, and fraudulent Small Business Administration loan applications to deceive victims and divert funds to accounts they controlled. Authorities seized luxury vehicles purchased with fraud proceeds, and the defendants face prosecution in federal court by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigations division.

Howell Township Police issued a warning about rising phone scams targeting senior citizens in New Jersey, where scammers typically pose as government agencies (IRS, utilities) or claim relatives need bail or medical money. Police advise seniors never to pay via gift cards or allow strangers to pick up money, and urge victims to report incidents to local law enforcement to help track patterns.

Patricia Linda-Ahono, a nursing director at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in New Jersey, was indicted in July 2025 on charges including aggravated assault, neglect of an elderly or disabled adult, and falsifying records after she allegedly struck a resident with a broom on June 24, 2023, causing bleeding injuries. The incident was recorded on video by a nurse, but Lindo-Ahono allegedly falsified the incident report by claiming the resident had a weapon and misrepresenting the date; she also allegedly instructed staff not to contact police and later attempted to coach a witness to deny knowledge of the event. The charges reflect both the physical assault and the

Patricia Lindo-Ahono, a 59-year-old nursing director at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in New Jersey, was indicted on multiple charges including aggravated assault, neglect of an elderly adult, and tampering with witnesses for allegedly striking an elderly male resident with a broom on June 24, 2023. Video evidence contradicted her incident report, which falsely claimed the assault occurred four days earlier and that the resident had wielded a weapon; she also allegedly attempted to influence a witness's testimony and failed to notify required oversight agencies of the incident as required. If convicted, Lindo-Ahono faces potential prison sentences ranging from 18 months to

Patricia Linda-Ahono, nursing director at Crystal Lake Rehabilitation and Healthcare Center in New Jersey, was indicted in July 2025 on charges including aggravated assault, neglect of an elderly or disabled adult, and falsifying records for physically assaulting a resident with a broom on June 24, 2023. The assault was captured on video, and Ahono allegedly attempted to cover up the incident by filing a false incident report claiming the resident had a weapon and by instructing staff not to contact authorities or notify state agencies as required.

Two men, Danny Piao, 29, of New York City and Chul Paik, 44, of New Jersey, were charged with felony theft for targeting at least 10 elderly residents in Lake County, Illinois through elaborate scams involving fake PayPal and antivirus company emails that tricked victims into withdrawing cash. In one case, an 80-year-old woman lost $17,000, and in another, a Lake Forest resident lost $25,000; investigators used license plate reader technology to identify the suspects' rental vehicle and apprehend them with over $16,000 in cash found in their car. Both suspects were denied pretrial release.

A Privacy Journal research study ranking states by online dating safety—measuring romance scams, fraud, identity theft, violent crime, STDs, and registered sex offenders per 100,000 residents—found that New Jersey ranks 16th safest overall, with particularly low rates of sex offenders, romance scams, and violent crime, though Vermont ranked safest and Nevada most dangerous.

Eight individuals across the U.S. were arrested and charged with defrauding 139 seniors of over $11 million through romance scams, counterfeit checks, gold bar schemes, account hacking, and identity theft. The defendants, operating from New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and Rochester, face charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft, carrying sentences of up to 15-30 years in prison. The arrests were facilitated by Save Our Seniors, a collaborative task force of federal, state, and local authorities formed to investigate elder fraud cases.

Eight individuals from New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and New York were arrested and charged with defrauding 139 seniors of over $11 million through romance scams, counterfeit checks, gold bar schemes, account hacking, and identity theft. The defendants, including Dhruv Patel who defrauded at least 12 victims of over $9.1 million, face charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft carrying sentences of up to 15-30 years in prison. The arrests were coordinated through Save Our Seniors, a working group formed in April to combat elder fraud across state lines.

Eight people from across the U.S. were arrested and charged with defrauding 139 seniors of over $11 million through romance scams, counterfeit checks, gold bar schemes, account hacking, and identity theft. The defendants, operating in New Jersey, Georgia, Florida, Ohio, and New York, face charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and identity theft, with sentences carrying up to 15-30 years in prison. The arrests were facilitated by Save Our Seniors, a working group of federal, state, and local authorities formed to collaborate on elder fraud investigations.

Eight individuals from Georgia, Ohio, Florida, New Jersey, and Western New York were arrested for participating in elder fraud schemes that defrauded over 139 victims nationwide of more than $11 million in actual and attempted fraud. The suspects employed various tactics including romance fraud, customer support scams, impersonation of federal employees, retirement account hacking, counterfeit checks, and identity theft. The arrests were made by the "Save Our Seniors" task force, a collaborative effort between federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies, with one of the arrested individuals, Estermarie Jones, being from Rochester.

Two New Jersey brothers, Abhishek and Tushar Barvalia, were indicted for allegedly defrauding four elderly women aged 76 to 90 out of approximately $400,000 between June 2023 and January 2024. The defendants impersonated government agents, FBI officials, and bank representatives to convince victims their accounts were compromised, instructing them to withdraw funds and transfer money to accounts the perpetrators controlled. The victims, located in Brooklyn, Staten Island, Queens, and Connecticut, were told to keep the transactions confidential, and a total of over $393,000 was stolen through cashier's checks and wire transfers.

During the holiday season, scammers intensify their fraud efforts, costing consumers billions of dollars annually—with victims in Delaware, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania losing over $330 million in the first half of 2024 alone. Common scams include phishing emails and texts about package deliveries, gift card fraud, and impersonators claiming to be family members or banks. To protect yourself, remain skeptical of unsolicited calls and messages, verify requests through official channels before sharing personal information, and remember that legitimate banks will never ask for sensitive details over the phone.

# Article Summary Three individuals—two from New Jersey and one from Washington—have been sentenced to a combined 20 years in prison for orchestrating romance scams that targeted elderly Americans, including a Tennessee man who lost his entire $86,900 life savings and later died by suicide. The scammers impersonated celebrities and government officials online to convince victims they were in romantic relationships, then extorted money by posing as law enforcement claiming investigations were underway. To protect yourself, be extremely cautious of unsolicited romantic advances online, never send money to people you haven't met in person, and verify claims by contacting official organizations directly through their published phone numbers rather than using contact information provided by the scammer.

Three individuals—two from New Jersey and one from Washington—were sentenced to a combined 20 years in prison for orchestrating a romance scam that defrauded a Tennessee victim of nearly $87,000 in 2023, ultimately contributing to his suicide. The scam involved criminals in Nigeria impersonating celebrities and government officials online to trick elderly victims into sending money, with U.S.-based conspirators receiving the funds and using harassment tactics to extract additional payments. To protect yourself, be skeptical of unexpected romantic connections online, never send money to someone you haven't met in person, and report suspicious communications to authorities immediately.

A New Jersey woman named Fanny Singer, accused of impersonating a local Milford resident to fraudulently access their bank accounts as part of a larger fraud ring, has postponed her trial from its original December 2 date. The suspect has been held in Dickinson County Jail while her case proceeds. Residents should be cautious about protecting their personal information and monitor their bank accounts for unauthorized activity, as identity theft and account fraud remain serious threats.

Scammers are using crypto ATMs in a modern twist on classic extortion schemes, with an estimated incident occurring every minute in the United States. A New Jersey woman was targeted by fraudsters posing as a sheriff's lieutenant claiming she missed jury duty and had arrest warrants, keeping her on the phone for two hours under duress before convincing her to withdraw $7,500 from her bank and deposit it into a cryptocurrency ATM. The scheme exploits victims' anxiety and unfamiliarity with crypto technology to quickly move funds beyond recovery.

The FBI and Washington Township Police hosted a fraud awareness seminar at a senior center in Gloucester County, New Jersey, prompted by an incident where a 78-year-old resident nearly lost over $244,000 to scammers. The event aimed to educate seniors about common scam tactics and help prevent fraud in the community.

Washington Township Police Department in New Jersey partnered with the FBI to host an educational seminar teaching seniors and families how to recognize and avoid scams, prompted by recent major fraud cases in their community. Scammers commonly use fear, urgency, and confusion to target seniors through IRS scams, grandparent scams, tax support scams, online banking scams, and EasyPass billing scams, with recent local cases involving losses of $100,000 or more. Police emphasize that recognizing red flags through education is the most effective way to prevent seniors from losing their savings to fraud.

As Spring Break approaches, the Better Business Bureau reports a rise in travel scams targeting people booking vacations and making last-minute reservation changes. Scammers are creating fraudulent websites that mimic legitimate travel companies (such as Royal Caribbean), often using slightly misspelled URLs, and targeting consumers searching for customer service numbers or deals online. Recent reported losses include $444 in Southern California, $1,458 in Orlando, and nearly $88,000 in New Jersey.

Senator Helmy discusses the urgent problem of elder fraud with committee experts, noting that New Jersey seniors reported over $1 million in losses to scams and fraud according to the FBI's IC3 Elder report. He raises concerns about a major data breach at background company National Public Data that exposed approximately 2.9 billion personal records containing names, addresses, and Social Security numbers, which he believes was underreported and could facilitate further fraud targeting vulnerable elderly populations.