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blockonomi.com
· 2025-12-08
U.S. authorities arrested two Chinese nationals, Daren Li and Yicheng Zhang, for orchestrating a transnational money laundering scheme that funneled over $73 million from "pig butchering" cryptocurrency scams through U.S. financial institutions and converted the funds into USDT (Tether) tokens. The defendants directed co-conspirators to establish shell company bank accounts where victims were deceived into depositing millions, which were then dispersed to accounts in the Bahamas and converted to cryptocurrency. If convicted on money laundering charges, each defendant faces up to 140 years in prison.
gigazine.net
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
On May 17, 2024, U.S. authorities arrested two Chinese nationals—Darren Li and Yichen Zhang—for laundering approximately $73 million (11 billion yen) through shell companies connected to "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scams, a romance fraud scheme originating in China where perpetrators build trust with victims before directing them to fraudulent investments. The suspects operated an international syndicate that funneled victim funds through multiple bank accounts and crypto platforms, with cryptocurrency wallets in the scheme containing over $341 million; they face up to 20 years in prison if convicted on money laundering charges.
thehackernews.com
· 2025-12-08
U.S. Department of Justice charged two Chinese nationals, Daren Li and Yicheng Zhang, with orchestrating a "pig butchering" cryptocurrency investment scam that laundered at least $73 million through shell companies and international bank accounts. The victims were deceived into transferring millions to U.S. bank accounts, with funds then routed through the Bahamas and converted to cryptocurrency, and both defendants face up to 20 years in prison per count. Pig butchering scams typically exploit lonely or wealthy targets via social media and dating apps, with the scheme often operating from scam factories in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar where victims are trafficked and coerced into participation
news4sanantonio.com
· 2025-12-08
Texas ranks third in the nation for elder fraud, with 7,035 complaints from seniors over 60 resulting in losses exceeding $278 million in 2023, according to the FBI report. Scams include phishing, romance schemes, investment fraud, and cryptocurrency theft, with one couple in their 80s losing nearly $200,000 through a pop-up computer scam. Experts note that quick reporting is critical for potential fund recovery, though victims like the Shockeys have had limited success retrieving losses.
dlnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Two foreign nationals—Daren Li (41, dual China/St. Kitts and Nevis citizen) and Yicheng Zhang (38, Chinese national in California)—were charged with laundering approximately $73 million in cryptocurrency stolen from victims of pig-butchering scams, which involve fraudsters building trust with victims online before convincing them to invest in fake projects. The defendants operated an international money laundering syndicate that funneled illicit proceeds through shell company bank accounts and crypto platforms to obscure the funds' origins, with one cryptocurrency wallet alone receiving over $341 million in virtual assets.
foxsanantonio.com
· 2025-12-08
Texas ranks third nationally for elder fraud, with 7,035 complaints from people over 60 resulting in losses exceeding $278 million in 2023, involving scams such as phishing, romance schemes, and cryptocurrency fraud. The article features Dennis and Joy Shockey, an elderly couple who lost nearly $170,000 to a pop-up computer scam and recovered only about one-third through crowdfunding, illustrating how swift action is critical for potential fund recovery. Experts note that elderly Texans are particularly vulnerable targets, with scammers often funneling stolen money through fake accounts near the Mexican border.
wionews.com
· 2025-12-08
Indian citizens were lured abroad through social media job scams promising high salaries, only to be trafficked into online fraud operations in Cambodia and neighboring countries. A UN report documented over 100,000 people globally trafficked into these scam centers, with victims like a 41-year-old man who was promised $900/month as a data entry operator but was instead imprisoned, had his passport confiscated, and forced to perpetrate internet fraud. Experts attribute the vulnerability to India's lack of employment opportunities for youth, which scammers exploit by dangling lucrative overseas positions on social platforms.
vindy.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, scams targeting American seniors increased 11% with reported losses reaching $3.4 billion, according to the FBI's Elder Fraud Report. Tech-support scams were the most common type, while investment scams resulted in the largest financial losses; Ohio ranked eighth nationally for senior scam complaints with residents losing over $64 million. The article advises seniors to educate themselves about scams, avoid high-pressure situations involving payments, and consult trusted family members before sending money.
tribtoday.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, scams targeting American seniors increased 11% with reported losses reaching $3.4 billion, according to the FBI's annual Elder Fraud Report. Tech-support scams were the most common type, while investment scams resulted in the largest financial losses; Ohio ranked eighth nationally in senior scam complaints with losses exceeding $64 million. The article recommends seniors educate themselves about common scams, verify suspicious requests with trusted contacts, and avoid high-pressure situations involving gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
secretservice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, in partnership with the FBI, U.S. Secret Service, and FDIC Office of Inspector General, launched the Money Mule Initiative to identify and prosecute individuals who transfer stolen funds from fraud victims to international criminals. The initiative targets money mule networks that facilitate various scams affecting older Americans, including lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams, with some money mules unknowingly recruited as victims themselves or through fake work-at-home job offers. Law enforcement has brought criminal charges against multiple defendants, including cases involving multi-continent money laundering schemes and bank impersonation plots targeting small business owners.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced a Money Mule Initiative in partnership with the FBI, Secret Service, and FDIC-OIG to identify, disrupt, and prosecute networks that facilitate fraud schemes targeting older Americans, including lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams. Money mules—individuals who receive and transfer stolen funds—are recruited either as unwitting victims of scams or through fake work-at-home job offers, and law enforcement is pursuing criminal prosecution against those knowingly assisting fraudsters, with recent cases involving defendants laundering between $1.5 million and $9.5 million in fraud proceeds.
el-observador.com
· 2025-12-08
A California man was sentenced to four years in prison for orchestrating romance scams that defrauded two elderly Arizona women of hundreds of thousands of dollars. AARP Arizona warns that romance scammers exploit victims' desire for companionship through dating apps and other platforms, escalating requests from gift cards to bank account access, with warning signs including early declarations of love, emergency money requests, and broken promises to meet in person. Resources like AARP's Fraud Watch Network (1-877-908-3360) provide free assistance, and experts advise never sending money via wire transfer or cryptocurrency to online contacts.
collins.senate.gov
· 2025-12-08
U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Kyrsten Sinema introduced a bipartisan resolution that unanimously passed the Senate to designate May 15, 2024, as "National Senior Fraud Awareness Day." According to FBI data, seniors lost over $3.4 billion to fraud in 2023—an 11% increase from 2022—through various schemes including tech support, romance, and cryptocurrency scams. The resolution aims to raise awareness and help protect seniors' savings from increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes.
lfpress.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams involve fraudsters posing as romantic interests online to manipulate victims into sending money, personal information, or cryptocurrency, often citing emergencies or investment opportunities. Recent cases in Ontario have resulted in significant losses, including one victim losing over $2 million and a Toronto woman losing $450,000; nationally, nearly 800 Canadians lost almost $42 million to romance scams in 2023, with one in four victims in their 60s. Protection strategies include avoiding sharing personal or banking information with online strangers, refusing to invest in unfamiliar platforms, and being wary of people who confess love quickly or consistently make excuses to avoid meeting in person.
unodc.org
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
In May 2024, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) established an Emergency Response Network (ERN) across Southeast Asia to combat human trafficking for forced criminal activities, particularly romance scams, cryptocurrency fraud, and illegal gambling operations. The network facilitates real-time intelligence sharing and coordinated law enforcement responses among police, cybercrime specialists, and INTERPOL officials from seven countries (Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam) to dismantle scam compounds and rescue victims. The initiative, funded by Japan, addresses the region's escalating transnational organized crime through direct police-to-police communication and planne
highlandcountypress.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Ohio residents lost over $150 million to financial scams, with those age 60 and older accounting for $3.4 billion in losses nationally according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. The Ohio Department of Commerce's Division of Securities highlights rising threats including romance scams, cryptocurrency schemes, and precious metals fraud, advising consumers to investigate investment opportunities thoroughly, verify credentials through third-party sources, and report suspected fraud to local law enforcement and the SEC.
delawarelive.com
· 2025-12-08
Delaware's elderly population lost over $14 million to fraud in 2022, with 305 victims aged 60 and over suffering average losses of $45,977 each, according to FBI data analyzed by cybersecurity experts. The state recorded 106.6 fraud victims per 100,000 elderly residents, with investment scams, business impostor schemes, and romance scams being the most costly types nationally, while those aged 60 and over were 517% more likely to fall victim to tech support scams than younger adults.
wlbt.com
· 2025-12-08
According to the Better Business Bureau's 2023 Scam Tracker Risk Report, online scams accounted for 70% of all fraud reports, with cryptocurrency scams emerging as the riskiest type (median loss of $3,800) and employment scams ranking second (median loss of nearly $2,000). Young adults aged 18-24 reported the highest median dollar losses, while social media scams increased 63.8% and online purchase fraud affected over 80% of victims who lost money.
wflx.com
· 2025-12-08
According to the BBB's 2023 Scam Tracker Risk Report, online scams comprised 70% of all fraud reports, with cryptocurrency scams ranking as the riskiest type with a median loss of $3,800 per victim, followed by employment scams at nearly $2,000 per victim. Social media scams rose 63.8% from 2022-2023, and young adults ages 18-24 reported the highest median dollar losses across all age groups, often due to lack of skepticism about online transactions. The BBB recommends consumers verify legitimacy of websites and investment opportunities before providing payment information and report all suspicious activity to help prevent future victims.
coe.gatech.edu
· 2025-12-08
Researchers Mingxuan Yao and Brendan Saltaformaggio discovered that Ethereum smart contracts are being exploited by cyber criminals on a significantly larger scale than previously documented. Their findings reveal a widespread vulnerability in blockchain-based systems that criminals are actively exploiting. This research highlights an emerging threat in cryptocurrency fraud affecting digital asset security.
tradingview.com
· 2025-12-08
A cryptocurrency investor lost $71 million in Wrapped Bitcoin (WBTC) in a May 3 wallet poisoning scam, where an attacker created a near-identical wallet address and the victim mistakenly transferred funds after only checking the first and last characters. The thief unexpectedly returned all $71 million worth of Ether on May 12, possibly after being identified by on-chain security firms investigating the attack and potentially facing legal consequences based on IP analysis linking them to Hong Kong.
starofmysore.com
· 2025-12-08
A software engineer in Mysuru lost approximately Rs. 90 lakh ($10,800 USD) to a fraudulent online trading scam after receiving a WhatsApp message inviting him to join a platform called "cocoa209" that promised high stock market returns. The scammer used the classic scheme of showing initial small profits (Rs. 9,000 on a Rs. 10,000 investment) to build trust before repeatedly requesting larger deposits, eventually convincing the engineer to invest his entire savings plus Rs. 10 lakh from his son's account. The incident demonstrates how cybercriminals increasingly target highly educated individuals using sophisticated fake trading applications and promises of assured returns.
cybersecuritynews.com
· 2025-12-08
AhnLab's Mobile Analysis Team uncovered sophisticated romance scams that manipulate victims into investing in cryptocurrency through fake exchanges like "CoinB," which fraudsters falsely associate with legitimate platforms like Coinbase. Scammers use social media to build trust with victims over time, then direct them to fake cryptocurrency apps designed to steal financial information and enable identity theft. The scams exploit language barriers and global reach through translation features in messaging apps, making prevention dependent on verifying exchange legitimacy, avoiding pressure to invest quickly, and maintaining skepticism of unsolicited investment opportunities.
kiowacountypress.net
· 2025-12-08
A California man was recently sentenced to four years in prison for orchestrating romance scams that defrauded two elderly Arizona women of hundreds of thousands of dollars. AARP Arizona warns that romance scammers exploit victims' desire for companionship by professing love early, requesting money for emergencies, and using increasingly sophisticated AI-generated photos and videos, with scams often escalating to fraudulent bank account access. AARP recommends never sending money to online contacts and offers free resources through their Fraud Watch Network (1-877-908-3360 or AARP.org/fraudwatchnetwork) to help people identify and report suspected scams.
mymotherlode.com
· 2025-12-08
Canada experiences significant fraud across multiple schemes, including identity theft, phone scams impersonating government officials, and mortgage fraud, with Canadian authorities estimating over $30 million lost since 2014 from RCMP impersonation and tech support scams combined. A survey found 34 percent of Canadians have experienced at least one type of fraud, with experts recommending protective measures such as creating unique passwords, screening calls, shredding personal documents, and using licensed professionals for financial transactions. Mortgage fraud has risen dramatically in Canada due to vulnerabilities in the borrowing process that rely heavily on borrower-provided information, making it easy for fraudsters to submit false details about income, employment, or
ca.movies.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
A study of 644 older adults in the Chicago area found that 16.4% were vulnerable to government imposter scams, falling for a fictitious Social Security and Medicare benefits fraud attempt by providing personal information or Social Security numbers, while an additional 15.1% engaged but remained skeptical. The research, published in JAMA Network Open, revealed that vulnerability to fraud affects many seniors regardless of cognitive status, though those with lower financial literacy and scam awareness were most susceptible. The findings underscore that elder fraud poses significant public health and economic threats, with victimization potentially leading to serious consequences including hospitalization and depression.
businessinsider.com
· 2025-12-08
Hong Kong authorities warned of a scam by groups calling themselves Quantum AI or AI Quantum, which used deepfake videos of Elon Musk to fraudulently promote a fake cryptocurrency trading service across three websites and two Facebook pages. The scammers leveraged AI-generated deepfake technology to convince victims that Musk had developed the service, even conducting video calls with manipulated facial features to impersonate him and enhance credibility. Hong Kong police shut down the operation, though this represents an ongoing trend of deepfake-based fraud; a South Korean woman previously lost $50,000 in a similar Musk deepfake scam in April.
ahwatukee.com
· 2025-12-08
The Better Business Bureau identified the top scams affecting Metro Phoenix residents in March: employment scams where fake employers send fraudulent checks (one victim lost $5,000), online shopping scams featuring artificially low prices and payment app requests (one person lost $1,770 attempting to buy designer bags), and romance scams involving cryptocurrency that have resulted in significant losses (one victim lost $20,000). The article provides warning signs for each scam type and recommends verifying information, using credit cards for online purchases, and consulting trusted contacts before sending money or making investments.
africa.businessinsider.com
· 2025-12-08
Hong Kong authorities warned of a deepfake scam in which a group calling itself Quantum AI or AI Quantum used fabricated videos of Elon Musk to convince investors that he developed their AI-powered cryptocurrency trading service, which was actually a front for virtual asset fraud operated through three websites and two Facebook pages. This is part of a growing trend of scammers using deepfake technology to impersonate celebrities and high-profile figures; a South Korean woman previously lost $50,000 to a similar Musk deepfake scam in April. Hong Kong police shut down the group's online presence after the warning was issued.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
The U.S. Attorney's Office and Department of Justice announced completion of the Money Mule Initiative, a campaign that disrupted transnational fraud networks by taking action against over 3,000 money mules who facilitate scams targeting Americans, particularly elderly victims of lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams. More than 20 individuals were criminally charged, including cases involving $4.5 million laundered from romance scams targeting elderly victims, a grandparent scam operation using couriers to collect cash from seniors, and a tech support fraud scheme that collected approximately $7 million from elderly victims. The initiative combined criminal prosecutions, warning letters to unknowing participants,
shorenewsnetwork.com
· 2025-12-08
Federal law enforcement agencies completed the Money Mule Initiative, an annual campaign that resulted in criminal charges against over 20 individuals and warning letters to approximately 2,970 money mules involved in facilitating fraud schemes. The initiative targeted networks that transmit stolen funds from fraud victims to international fraudsters, with cases including two men accused of laundering $4.5 million from romance scams and business email compromises targeting elderly victims, and five defendants who acted as couriers collecting cash from grandparent scam victims. The agencies emphasized the importance of public education to prevent unknowing individuals from becoming money mules, as many are initially victimized by romance or lottery scams before being manipulated into ass
cryptotimes.io
· 2025-12-08
Forensic Risk Alliance (FRA) was selected by the DOJ to oversee cryptocurrency exchange Binance Holdings Ltd. following its guilty plea to money-laundering and trade sanctions violations, with access to Binance's records and employees to ensure compliance with the plea agreement. The DOJ rejected law firm Sullivan & Cromwell for the role, reportedly due to the firm's prior work with collapsed exchange FTX, though Sullivan & Cromwell remains a candidate for a separate five-year Treasury Department monitorship focused on Binance's suspicious transaction reporting.
cryptotimes.io
· 2025-12-08
A cryptocurrency user lost nearly $68 million in an address poisoning scam but recovered over 96% of the stolen funds after negotiating with the attacker, who agreed to return 22,960 ETH (approximately $65.7 million) in exchange for a 10% fee. The victim's security team identified leads about the attacker's identity, which aided in the negotiation. The incident underscores the importance of verifying wallet addresses before sending cryptocurrency and demonstrates that calm communication can sometimes lead to fund recovery in crypto scams.
cryptotimes.io
· 2025-12-08
Authorities in Austria, Cyprus, and Czech Republic dismantled a cryptocurrency fraud ring that defrauded investors of at least €10 million between December 2017 and February 2018 by promoting a fake initial coin offering (ICO) and non-existent cryptocurrency. The scammers accepted Bitcoin and Ethereum payments while falsely claiming to have proprietary software technology, then shut down all operations after accumulating funds. Six Austrian members were arrested, and authorities seized €500,000 in cryptocurrencies, €250,000 in cash, and luxury assets, though the total number of victims remains undetermined as investigations continue.
marketplace.org
· 2025-12-08
This educational episode of "Marketplace Tech" examines how financial scams work and how to identify them, featuring the experience of Shannon from Minnesota who lost over $80,000 to an impersonation scam. A scammer posing as a sheriff's deputy falsely claimed Shannon missed a federal court appearance and threatened jail time, extracting multiple "bail bond" payments totaling $80,000 through threats and false legal information. The episode explains that scammers use phone number spoofing technology to impersonate legitimate officials and conduct research on targets to create convincing scripts that lend authenticity to their schemes.
tradingview.com
· 2025-12-08
A cryptocurrency whale lost approximately $71 million worth of Wrapped Bitcoin on May 3, 2024, after falling victim to an address poisoning scam, where the fraudster created lookalike addresses to trick the victim into sending funds to wrong accounts. In an unusual turn of events, the scammer began returning the stolen funds, with approximately $34.7 million recovered within days through transfers from multiple addresses, though the motivation behind the return remains unclear. As of the article's writing, over $45 million had been returned, with recovery ongoing due to the funds being distributed across numerous addresses.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Federal law enforcement agencies completed the Money Mule Initiative, taking action against over 3,000 money mules who facilitate fraud schemes by transmitting stolen funds to international fraudsters. The operation resulted in approximately 2,970 warning letters to individuals (many unknowingly recruited through romance or lottery scams) and criminal charges against more than 20 individuals knowingly facilitating fraud. The initiative specifically targets schemes that harm vulnerable populations, including older Americans victimized by lottery fraud, romance scams, and grandparent scams.
thecyberwire.com
· 2025-12-08
This podcast episode discusses job board scams and social engineering tactics targeting job seekers. The hosts highlight techniques scammers use to impersonate legitimate companies and government agencies, including spoofed phone numbers and vague claims about background investigations, and emphasize the importance of verifying caller information independently rather than calling back suspicious numbers directly.
hindustantimes.com
· 2025-12-08
A cryptocurrency trader with wallet "0x1E" lost $68 million in wrapped bitcoin (WBTC) through an address poisoning scam, where a perpetrator replicated the first and last six characters of a legitimate wallet address to trick the victim into sending funds to a fraudulent address. Address poisoning is a sophisticated attack that exploits the similarity of wallet addresses (up to 42 characters long) to deceive users into overlooking differences in the middle characters. The incident was confirmed by security firm Cyvers Alerts.
aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
According to a new AARP survey, 42 percent of American adults have experienced fraud, a dramatic increase from 15 percent a decade ago, with Americans reporting $10 billion stolen in 2023 to the FTC. Adults 50 and older express higher concern about fraud (63 percent worry significantly), and older adults lose more money on average to scams than younger people, with Black Americans experiencing the highest victimization rate at 56 percent. On a positive note, fraud awareness is improving, with 91 percent of Americans now understanding that fraud can happen to anyone and 96 percent recognizing gift card payment requests as scams.
consumerwide.com
· 2025-12-08
Nigeria is a global center for romance scams, particularly targeting foreign victims, with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) reporting 1,129 victims and approximately $14 million in losses in 2021. The EFCC identified rapid growth in cyber-crime among young Nigerians, noting that societal acceptance of these crimes—including parental support of scammers—enables the criminal activity to flourish despite existing laws. Romance scams extend internationally, with documented cases involving Nigerian perpetrators defrauding victims across the US, UK, and Europe, ranging from financial extortion to cases resulting in victim suicides and prison sentences.
wthitv.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans over age 60 are increasingly targeted by sophisticated online scammers who stole $3.4 billion from older Americans in the previous year—an 11% increase from the prior year—with seniors filing over 100,000 complaints to the FBI. Scammers use various schemes including romance scams, investment scams, tech support scams, and cryptocurrency scams, often impersonating legitimate companies or institutions to trick victims into giving away their savings. To protect themselves, older adults should verify unexpected messages, avoid acting under pressure, double-check suspicious requests, and immediately contact trusted contacts or authorities if they suspect fraud.
northjersey.com
· 2025-12-08
U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer introduced bipartisan legislation seeking $60 million in federal funding over six years to help states combat senior scams through enforcement, technology, and education initiatives. The bill comes as seniors lose over $3.4 billion annually to scams involving impersonation, fake deliveries, and social media fraud, with over 2,000 New Jersey seniors reporting scams to the FBI in 2023 alone. Gottheimer also plans to urge social media companies to add warning labels, flag scammers, and improve fraud reporting tools on their platforms.
colorado.edu
· 2025-12-08
An international student was targeted by a job offer scam in which a fraudster posing as a recruiter conducted an interview, sent a fake offer letter, requested the student's passport, and then sent a fraudulent check to be deposited with instructions to purchase work equipment. The article advises job seekers to verify companies online, consult trusted advisors, never pay upfront fees, and be wary of employers requesting check deposits, while victims should immediately contact their financial institutions to report fraud and attempt to reverse transactions.
homelandprepnews.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Americans over 60 lost more than $3.4 billion to fraud—an 11 percent increase from 2022—with tech support scams ($600 million), investment fraud ($1.2 billion), and call center schemes ($770 million) being the most costly. California alone reported over 11,000 complaints totaling $620 million in losses, and the FBI noted that some victims were forced to remortgage homes, deplete retirement accounts, or take their own lives due to financial devastation. The FBI recommends seniors verify contact information independently, avoid quick decisions, never share personal information with suspected scammers, and report fraud immediately to law enforcement
m.economictimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Two investment scam cases involved fraudsters using WhatsApp and Facebook to lure victims into fake trading platforms, with one man losing 60 lakh rupees before being hit with a false 1.71 crore rupee tax demand, and a Faridabad woman losing 7.6 crore rupees after being directed through social media links to fraudulent investment groups. In both cases, victims received initial modest returns to build trust before being prevented from withdrawing funds or facing unexpected demands. Police arrested 16 individuals across multiple Indian cities and determined the scammers were converting stolen funds into cryptocurrency and channeling them to China.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
This article is an educational piece about common banking scams in 2024, reporting that consumers lost over $10 billion to fraud in 2023. It describes seven prevalent scams—including fake bank websites, malicious apps, phishing communications, check washing, check overpayment schemes, money transfer fraud, and account takeover attacks—and provides protective measures for each, such as verifying bank legitimacy through official channels, downloading only reputable apps, and monitoring bank statements regularly.
losalamosreporter.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, 759 New Mexico residents over age 60 lost more than $17.7 million to online fraud, with the costliest schemes being romance scams ($4.9 million), investment scams ($4.6 million), and tech support scams ($3.1 million). The FBI emphasizes that older adults are particularly vulnerable due to financial stability and potential isolation, and urges prevention through awareness and family education, with victims encouraged to report incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
digitalinformationworld.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI reports that cyber scams targeting seniors aged 60 and above caused $3.4 billion in losses in 2023, an 11% increase from the previous year, with common schemes including tech support, investment, romance, and cryptocurrency fraud. Elderly victims averaged $34,000 in losses per person, with Florida and California experiencing particularly high losses ($620 million and $181 million respectively), and seniors are less likely to report these crimes due to embarrassment and underreporting. The FBI recommends seniors verify suspicious offers, avoid unknown contacts, and be wary of deals that seem too good to be true.
westerniowatoday.com
· 2025-12-08
An FBI report found that over 100,000 Americans aged 60 and older lost an average of $34,000 each to computer money scams in 2023, totaling more than $3.4 billion—an 11% increase from the previous year. Tech support scams were the most common fraud type, followed by data breaches, romance scams, non-payment schemes, and investment fraud, with over 12,000 victims reporting cryptocurrency was used to facilitate their scams.