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Affinity fraud and friendship scams represent an evolving variation of romance scams where criminals build false bonds with victims by claiming shared interests—such as hobbies, support groups, or online gaming—rather than romantic attraction, exploiting the trust that develops from perceived commonality. Recent victims reported to the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline lost $10,000 and over $100,000 respectively after scammers posed as friends and requested loans via Cash App, Bitcoin, and gift cards with no intent to repay. The scams typically begin with unsolicited contact on social media, friendship apps, or through wrong-number texts, after which perpetrators quickly attempt to establish rapport an

Ana María Núñez, a 68-year-old woman with at least 16 prior fraud convictions, is on trial for defrauding a 78-year-old terminally ill woman in Doral of over $430,000 by posing as her daughter and obtaining power of attorney to transfer the victim's home and savings. Núñez and her son allegedly exploited the victim as her health declined from cancer; she faces multiple additional pending charges for other scams dating back to at least 1996, including a $105,000 investment fraud and another elderly victim scheme yielding $437,107. Authorities suspect the actual number of victims exceeds those documente

An organized gang in Agra, Uttar Pradesh was arrested for systematically blackmailing young men through dating apps and social media, using female accomplices to lure victims into compromising situations that were recorded and used for extortion. In one case, a victim was coerced to pay 200,000 rupees after being recorded at a hotel under false pretenses, with the gang continuing demands even after partial payments. Police emphasize awareness and caution as safeguards, while national data shows a 28% increase in online sexual exploitation and blackmail crimes in India in 2022.

Jack Watkin, a 26-year-old Instagram influencer from Cheshire, was jailed for six years after defrauding victims of over £200,000 through a fake designer handbag investment scheme. Watkin claimed to have exclusive access to luxury Hermès handbags and convinced victims they could profit from resale, but delivered no bags or returns while using their money to fund a lavish lifestyle including hotel stays and luxury goods. The scheme unraveled when one victim contacted police in 2022, leading to the discovery of multiple victims; Watkin was also convicted of possessing and creating indecent images of children.

Internet scams have evolved from crude 1990s email cons like Nigerian prince schemes to sophisticated AI-powered deepfakes that can convincingly impersonate voices and faces, with phishing attacks emerging in the early 2000s as online banking adoption grew. Despite technological advances making fraud more convincing and difficult to detect, successful scams continue to rely on exploiting fundamental human emotions—greed, fear, compassion, and loneliness—through predictable psychological manipulation patterns that create urgency and isolate victims from support systems. Understanding how scam tactics have evolved reveals that technological complexity often masks simple psychological manipulation, and recognizing consistent underlying patterns can help potential victims identify manipulation attempts regardless of delivery method.

The Better Business Bureau of Central Illinois reports a 70% increase in scam reports year-to-date (roughly 100,000 compared to 58,000 last year), with seniors age 65 and older being the hardest hit, experiencing median losses of over $6,000 from romance/friendship scams and sometimes losing hundreds of thousands of dollars. To address this rise, BBB leader Jessica Tharp is launching the Senior Scam Stop 2025 education series to combat the stigma around victimization and empower seniors with knowledge about common scams (including romance plots, grandparent scams, and Medicare fraud) and protective strategies.