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in Tech Support Scam
cyberscoop.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI warned of an ongoing campaign since April targeting current and former U.S. government officials with phishing texts and AI-generated deepfake audio impersonating senior officials to gain access to personal accounts. The advisory highlights the growing use of deepfake technology in fraud schemes, exemplified by a 2024 incident where a political consultant faced a $6 million FCC fine and criminal charges for creating a deepfake of President Biden to suppress votes. The FBI recommends not assuming messages from senior officials are authentic and advises standard security measures including multifactor authentication and identity verification through official phone numbers.
kswo.com
· 2025-12-08
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a National Senior Fraud Awareness Day advisory noting that seniors lose more than $3 billion annually to fraud, including technical support and romance scams. The AG's office provided guidance to protect against fraud, recommending seniors avoid sharing personal information unsolicited, be skeptical of urgent payment demands and email links, monitor bills for unauthorized charges, and report incidents to law enforcement.
oklahoma.gov
· 2025-12-08
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond issued a warning on National Senior Fraud Awareness Day, noting that elder fraud causes seniors over $3 billion in annual losses nationally through schemes including fake lotteries, tech support scams, government impersonation, and romance scams. The advisory recommends protective measures such as never sharing personal information unsolicited, avoiding clicking suspicious links, rejecting high-pressure payment demands, and reporting suspicious activity to financial institutions and law enforcement.
collider.com
· 2025-12-08
ABC News Studios' documentary series "Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" (premiering May 20 on Hulu) follows three women—Annette, Roxy, and Gaby—who were defrauded by an online romance scammer operating under multiple aliases who manipulated them into sending their life savings by posing as a charming suitor. The series highlights the growing epidemic of romance scams, with online scammers stealing a record $16.6 billion in 2024 (a 33% increase from the previous year), and examines how victims are targeted while pursuing connection online.
context.news
· 2025-12-08
A 53-year-old Michigan woman was deceived in a romance scam involving deepfake technology, where a scammer posing as a French man named "Richard" used AI-generated video calls and fake photos to manipulate her into taking out loans totaling $26,000. The scam exemplifies a growing threat, with projections of 8 million deepfakes to be shared globally in 2025—approximately one-fifth of which will be used in romance scams—as scammers increasingly employ artificial intelligence to impersonate romantic interests.
dgepress.com
· 2025-12-08
ABC News Studios announced a new three-part docuseries titled "Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" premiering May 20, 2025, on Hulu, which follows three women (Annette, Roxy, and Gaby) who were defrauded by the same online romance scammer posing as a handsome man. The docuseries highlights how scammers use increasingly sophisticated tactics, including AI and deepfake technology, to exploit vulnerable individuals seeking connection online, in the context of record online scam losses of $16.6 billion in 2024, a 33% increase year-over-year according to FBI data.
en.cibercuba.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2024, Florida's elderly adults lost over $180 million to increasingly sophisticated fraud schemes, with scammers using phone calls, texts, emails, social engineering, artificial intelligence, and identity theft as primary tactics. The most common scams targeting seniors include romance scams, fake investment opportunities (particularly cryptocurrency), and the "grandparent scam" where victims are pressured to send money urgently based on false emergencies. Authorities recommend never answering unknown calls, never providing personal information or money over the phone, and contacting institutions directly through official channels to verify any suspicious requests.
fox23.com
· 2025-12-08
Oklahoma Attorney General Gentner Drummond highlighted precautions against elder fraud on National Senior Fraud Awareness Day, noting that seniors lose over $3 billion annually to scams including fake lotteries, technical support schemes, government impersonation, and romance fraud. The advisory provides ten key protective measures including: not sharing personal information unsolicited, verifying email sources before clicking links, being wary of upfront payment demands, monitoring bank statements, resisting high-pressure tactics, researching offers, and reporting suspected scams to the Attorney General's Office.
arstechnica.com
· 2025-12-08
Since April 2025, the FBI has warned of an ongoing malicious messaging campaign using AI-generated voice deepfakes to impersonate senior U.S. government officials and target current or former federal and state officials and their contacts. The attackers send convincing deepfake audio and text messages to build trust, then trick recipients into clicking malicious links by requesting to continue conversations on alternate messaging platforms, potentially compromising personal accounts and devices. The FBI advises recipients not to assume authenticity of messages from government officials without independent verification.
m.economictimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Impersonation scams are increasingly sophisticated, exploiting digital banking and UPI apps through fraudulent calls and emails that mimic legitimate financial institutions and government agencies. Key warning signs include unsolicited requests for passwords or OTPs, pressure to act quickly, demands for secrecy, and slight variations in sender email addresses—legitimate organizations never request sensitive information via phone or email. Experts recommend never sharing private information, enabling multi-factor authentication, verifying requests by calling contacts directly, and remaining skeptical of offers promising unrealistic returns or urgent money transfers.
laughingplace.com
· 2025-12-08
ABC News Studios is releasing a three-part docuseries titled "Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" on Hulu, following three women—Annette, Roxy, and Gaby—who were each romantically scammed by the same man and lost money in an elaborate fraud scheme before joining forces to identify the perpetrator. The series highlights the growing threat of romance scams, as online scammers stole a record $16.6 billion in 2024, with increasingly sophisticated tactics using AI and deepfake technology to deceive vulnerable people seeking connection online.
thefutoncritic.com
· 2025-12-08
ABC News Studios announced a three-part docuseries titled "Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" premiering May 20 on Hulu, which follows three women—Annette, Roxy, and Gaby—who were defrauded by the same online romance scammer posing as a handsome man. The series documents their discovery of the elaborate scam, their efforts to uncover the scammer's true identity, and their pursuit of justice, highlighting how online scammers stole a record $16.6 billion in 2024 using increasingly sophisticated tactics including AI and deepfake technology to target vulnerable individuals seeking connection.
uk.news.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
**Article:** Elder fraud has reached epidemic proportions – a geriatrician explains what older Americans need to know
Americans age 60 and older lost over $3 billion to scammers in 2023, with elder fraud complaints to the FBI increasing 14% year-over-year, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Older adults are targeted because they tend to be trusting, have financial savings and assets, and may be less comfortable with technology, making them vulnerable to tech-support scams, romance scams, investment fraud, and call-center schemes—with investment scams being the costliest category. Beyond financial losses, fraud victims often experience trauma
ciso.economictimes.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI warns iPhone and Android users that criminals are using AI-generated text messages and voice calls—including cloned voices of family members and government officials—to steal personal information such as banking credentials and private data. Users should watch for red flags like odd pauses in audio, grammar errors, distorted images, and unusual delays, and should verify contacts through separate channels, avoid clicking suspicious links, and use encrypted messaging apps like WhatsApp or Signal. The agency recommends enabling multi-factor authentication and reporting suspicious messages to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center.
nbcnewyork.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI warned of a growing AI-enabled scam where hackers send text messages and voice mails impersonating government officials, using artificially generated voices to intimidate targets into revealing personal information by falsely claiming their Social Security has been hacked or that they owe money. The malicious campaign has accelerated since April, with hackers using AI tools to recreate official voices and pressure victims to switch to separate messaging platforms to extract sensitive data. The FBI recommends verifying caller identity independently, examining messages for imperfections, listening for glitches in AI-generated voices, and contacting official agencies directly rather than responding to unsolicited communications.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
**Elder fraud epidemic:** Americans age 60+ lost over $3 billion to scammers in 2023, with elder fraud complaints to the FBI rising 14% year-over-year. Older adults are targeted due to their financial assets, trust levels, and often limited familiarity with technology, and they experience not only financial losses but also trauma, shame, and mental health consequences from being victimized.
freepressjournal.in
· 2025-12-08
A 38-year-old woman from Jalgaon, India lost Rs 71.52 lakh ($8,500+ USD) to an online rate-and-review fraud scheme that operated between March and April. Scammers gained her trust by initially sending her Rs 19,500, then convinced her to transfer funds across 30 transactions by promising commissions for posting restaurant reviews on a fake website. Police registered a case under cheating and cybercrime statutes after the victim's repeated withdrawal attempts failed and she could not contact the scammers.
mobileidworld.com
· 2025-12-08
The FBI issued an alert in April 2025 about malicious actors using AI-generated voice and text messages to impersonate senior U.S. officials in smishing and vishing attacks targeting government officials and their contacts. Scammers can create nearly indistinguishable voice replications from just seconds of audio and send malicious links under false pretenses, with compromised accounts potentially enabling further fraud against additional officials and associates. The FBI recommends verifying caller identities, examining contact information for inconsistencies, avoiding sharing sensitive information with unknown contacts, and organizations implementing multi-factor authentication and voice biometric systems to detect synthetic speech.
dailyhodl.com
· 2025-12-08
Meta executives acknowledged an "epidemic of scams" growing in scale and sophistication on Facebook and Instagram, with the company experimenting with facial-recognition technology and partnering with banks and tech firms to address the problem. JPMorgan Chase reported that Meta accounted for nearly half of all scams on its Zelle payment platform between summer 2023 and 2024, prompting the bank to block certain transactions originating from Meta platforms. Despite recent improvements, internal documents show Meta has deprioritized scam enforcement and reduced resources allocated to combating fraud.
muddyrivernews.com
· 2025-12-08
The Better Business Bureau warns that scam survivors face heightened risk of additional fraud due to emotional vulnerability, with 12.4% of victims experiencing multiple scams. The article provides practical recovery steps including securing finances through financial institutions, protecting credit through fraud alerts or freezes, changing compromised passwords, avoiding recovery scams, seeking emotional support, and reporting incidents to BBB Scam Tracker to help others avoid similar schemes.
dig.watch
· 2025-12-08
Since April, cybercriminals have used deepfake voice and video technology to impersonate senior US government officials and tech executives in phishing campaigns targeting current and former federal officials, attempting to steal passwords and sensitive data through fake calls and messages. The FBI warns that compromised accounts can be weaponized to target others in victims' networks and recommends verification of identities, avoiding unsolicited links, multifactor authentication, and scrutiny of media for inconsistencies. A separate incident involved deepfake impersonation of Polygon co-founder Sandeep Nailwal and colleagues via Zoom to trick crypto users into installing malicious scripts.
hackread.com
· 2025-12-08
Since April 2025, the FBI has warned of a sophisticated campaign using AI-generated voice and text messages to impersonate senior US officials and deceive their contacts through "vishing" and "smishing" techniques. Perpetrators attempt to gain access to victims' personal accounts by sending malicious links disguised as secure messaging platforms, with the goal of stealing credentials, installing malware, or conducting further social engineering attacks to extort information or funds. The FBI cautions that compromised accounts could create a cascading effect, allowing attackers to target multiple officials and associates, and emphasizes that unsolicited messages claiming to originate from government officials should not be assumed authentic.
cantonrep.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers create fake websites mimicking legitimate streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ to steal login credentials and personal data through lookalike sites or malware downloads. To protect yourself, verify the official URL before entering any information, be skeptical of ads and "free trial" offers, and never provide passwords or payment details on third-party websites. Legitimate streaming service representatives will not request passwords via phone or email.
dig.watch
· 2025-12-08
The FBI warned against a new wave of AI-powered text and voice message scams that use sophisticated deepfake technology to impersonate trusted contacts and officials, making fraudulent messages appear highly convincing to victims. The scams trick users into clicking malicious links by creating a false sense of urgency around official communications. The FBI recommends verifying messages through independent channels, avoiding clicking links from unknown sources, and scrutinizing speech patterns and visual anomalies in received communications.
nasdaq.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article explains why retirees are targeted for financial fraud and describes common scams affecting older adults. Americans over 60 lost more than $3.4 billion to scams in 2023, with victims aged 80+ reporting average losses of $1,450—nearly three times higher than younger victims. The piece identifies key vulnerabilities (accumulated wealth, lower tech familiarity, trusting nature, social isolation) and provides warning signs and protection strategies for imposter scams (posing as IRS, Medicare, Social Security) and tech support scams, emphasizing awareness as the primary defense against financial fraud.
newscentermaine.com
· 2025-12-08
AI-powered voice cloning technology is enabling scammers to create convincing replicas of trusted individuals to perpetrate fraud, with common schemes including family emergency scams targeting relatives and "vishing" attacks on businesses (one case involving a quarter-million dollar theft). Since AI voices are now difficult to distinguish from real ones by ear alone, experts recommend focusing on suspicious situations rather than voice authenticity, verifying callers through independent contact methods, and establishing family verification codes to confirm identity during unexpected calls requesting money.
wisbusiness.com
· 2025-12-08
College students face multiple scams during back-to-school season, including phishing emails impersonating school financial departments that trick students into revealing login credentials and personal information. The Better Business Bureau warns students to be vigilant against common schemes such as fake credit card offers, fraudulent apartment rentals, scholarship scams, ID theft, online shopping fraud, and test preparation blackmail scams that exploit their vulnerability as they prepare for the new academic year.
sportskeeda.com
· 2025-12-08
A Hulu docuseries examines a coordinated romance scam that targeted three women—Annette, Roxy, and Gaby—who were each deceived by the same fraudster using multiple aliases (Scott Donald Hall, James Richards, and Michael Silver) to solicit money under false pretenses including medical emergencies and business crises. The victims lost significant sums, with at least one woman reporting losses exceeding $30,000, and the case illustrates how scammers increasingly employ AI and deepfake technology alongside emotional manipulation to deceive victims across online dating platforms. The series documents how the women eventually discovered they shared the same deceiver and worked together to expose the fraud.
elderlawanswers.com
· 2025-12-08
A phishing scam is targeting Social Security beneficiaries with emails impersonating the Social Security Administration (SSA), tricking recipients into downloading fake Social Security statements that actually contain malware. Once downloaded, the ScreenConnect software gives hackers remote access to victims' computers and sensitive information such as bank account credentials and personal data used for identity theft. Older adults are particularly vulnerable, with Americans aged 60 and older reporting $3.4 billion in total fraud losses in 2023, and recipients should avoid downloading email attachments and verify that legitimate SSA communications come from .gov email addresses.
pioneerpublishers.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Americans over age 60 reported billions in losses to four main types of elder fraud: tech support/government impersonation scams, investment fraud ($1.2 billion in reported losses), romance/confidence schemes ($357 million), and cryptocurrency scams ($1.1 billion). The article advises seniors to recognize these scams, consider having a trusted caregiver or companion to screen communications and spot red flags, and to report suspected fraud immediately to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center and their bank.
unionrayo.com
· 2025-12-08
consumerfed.org
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost over $16 billion to online scams in the past year, with seniors accounting for nearly $5 billion of that total, according to FBI statistics. Losses increased 33% from the previous year, driven by surges in tech support scams (58% increase), extortion (91% increase), phishing (273% increase), and identity theft (38% increase). The report found that generative AI tools—including text, image, voice, and video generation—are enabling scammers to create more convincing and personalized fraud schemes at scale, while underregulated data brokers, payment platforms, and communication tools continue to facilitate scams across multiple points in the fraud pipeline.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-08
SuperCard X is an Android malware distributed via fake bank text messages that uses NFC relay technology to remotely copy card data and conduct unauthorized contactless payments or ATM withdrawals without requiring the physical card or PIN. Victims are tricked into installing a fraudulent security app through social engineering, where attackers impersonate bank representatives and instruct them to tap their card against the infected phone. The malware operates as a Malware-as-a-Service model, targets any cardholder regardless of bank, and remains difficult to detect due to minimal permissions and stealthy design.
en.cibercuba.com
· 2025-12-08
A Cuban woman on TikTok exposed a common advance-fee scam where a fraudster posed as an art client offering to pay $1,000 for a portrait, with the victim expected to receive $300 and send back $700 for materials—a scheme designed to use bounced checks to defraud victims. The scammer operates multiple social media profiles and uses variations of this tactic for jobs, study materials, and vehicle sales; multiple other users reported falling victim or nearly falling victim to similar schemes, with losses ranging up to $8,000. The incident highlights the prevalence of social engineering fraud targeting Spanish-speaking communities across multiple platforms and countries.
tmj4.com
· 2025-12-08
Kenosha, Wisconsin residents are falling victim to a rising cryptocurrency ATM scam where scammers trick victims into depositing cash into bitcoin machines, with three victims losing a combined $60,000 in untraceable funds. Scammers pose as police, banks, or tech support and pressure victims with urgent demands for payment, sometimes instructing them to deposit specific amounts like $9,500 into crypto ATMs. The Kenosha Police Department advises residents to hang up on suspicious calls, refuse urgent money demands, never use crypto ATMs, and is calling for state regulations similar to Minnesota and North Dakota that limit daily crypto ATM deposits to $2,000.
wktn.com
· 2025-12-08
Congressman Bob Latta hosted a "Stopping Senior Scams Workshop" on May 30 in Perrysburg, Ohio, featuring speakers from the FTC and IRS Taxpayer Advocate to educate seniors about common scams and fraud prevention. The event highlighted the growing threat of robocalls, with Ohioans receiving 1.7 billion such calls in 2018 and Americans losing $9.5 billion to robocall scams in 2016, prompting discussion of legislation like the STOP Robocalls Act to give agencies and companies tools to block fraudulent calls.
wgel.com
· 2025-12-08
A St. Louis man, Alen Saric, was sentenced to 87 months in federal prison for his role in a vehicle sale scam that defrauded victims across four Illinois counties from 2018 to 2023 using fake cashier's checks to purchase vehicles on Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist, with the scheme totaling $1.7 million and involving the theft and resale of vehicles before victims discovered the fraud. The case highlights growing concerns about elder fraud, with financial institutions urging seniors to verify cashier's checks directly with banks, avoid acting under pressure, and consult trusted individuals before completing transactions with strangers online.
sportskeeda.com
· 2025-12-08
"Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" is a Hulu documentary series following three women from Connecticut, Ontario, and Frankfurt who were defrauded by the same anonymous romance scammer using stolen photos and multiple fake identities (Scott Donald Hall, James Richards, Michael Silver). The scammer exploited each woman's emotional vulnerability through social media and private messaging, eventually extracting thousands of dollars under false pretenses, with one victim losing over $30,000 and another compromising her Social Security information. Despite the victims' collaborative investigation, the scammer's true identity remains unknown, illustrating how AI technology and deepfakes enable modern romance fraud, which resulted in $16.6
kwch.com
· 2025-12-08
Tom Grauburger of Lakin, Kansas lost $30,000 to a sophisticated tech support scam that used fear tactics and constant phone monitoring to manipulate him over three weeks. The scammers posed as Microsoft Defender and the FTC, falsely claiming illegal activity was occurring on his computer and demanding cash sent to Boston as "proof of assets," while threatening him with a fake non-disclosure agreement to prevent him from telling family members. His bank ultimately prevented a larger loss by flagging a $100,000+ wire transfer attempt to his retirement fund, but Grauburger and his family are still fighting to recover the initial $30,000.
thecut.com
· 2025-12-08
An 82-year-old retired urban planner named Brian Ketcham lost significant money to romance scammers on the dating website Dream Singles, communicating with profiles of women (primarily one named "Vasilisa") who likely did not exist in real life. After his death in 2024, his children discovered hundreds of printed chat transcripts and documented evidence of the scheme, which required him to purchase credits for each message sent to the fake profiles. The article explores how his initial skepticism gradually eroded as the scammers built emotional connections with him, ultimately resulting in financial loss before his death.
easyreadernews.com
· 2025-12-08
**Scam Type:** Grandparent scam using AI voice mimicry and emergency impersonation
**What Happened:** Kayla Smith's grandmother lost $4,000 after receiving a call claiming her son was held hostage and demanding Target gift cards; the caller used AI or similar technology to mimic her son's voice, exploiting her maternal concern. Inspired by this incident and her grandparents' subsequent experiences with other scams, high school student Kayla Smith created SeniorSafe, an educational awareness program to help seniors recognize and avoid fraud targeting their population.
**Key Findings:** Seniors lost $4.9 billion to sc
oysterbaytown.com
· 2025-12-08
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly and Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino partnered to host an educational seminar on June 9th to help seniors and caregivers recognize and combat fraud schemes. The seminar covered common scam tactics, identification strategies, personal information protection, and fraud reporting resources, targeting seniors who face heightened vulnerability due to limited technology familiarity, loneliness, and other risk factors.
koco.com
· 2025-12-08
A scam expert discusses the rising threat of elder fraud, noting that nearly 4 million people have reported scams with average losses of $19,000, with criminals increasingly using AI and voice spoofing technology to impersonate grandchildren and celebrities. Key protective measures recommended include securing mailboxes, installing video doorbells, regularly monitoring financial statements, enabling two-factor verification on accounts, using biometric identification on smartphones, and establishing secret passcodes with family members to verify identities during unexpected calls.
ladailypost.com
· 2025-12-08
A phishing email scam targeting Social Security recipients claims to offer new Social Security statements but actually installs remote access software (ScreenConnect) that gives cybercriminals full control of victims' computers to steal banking details, personal information, and commit identity theft or financial fraud. The emails appear legitimate by using compromised domains and embedding content as images to evade email filters, making them difficult to detect. Users are advised to verify unsolicited emails independently, avoid clicking links, and use updated antivirus software to protect themselves.
dfpi.ca.gov
· 2025-12-08
Scammers increasingly target older adults through technology-based fraud schemes, exploiting their perceived financial stability, trusting nature, and potential unfamiliarity with digital threats. Common scams include phishing/smishing/vishing (deceptive emails, texts, and calls), skimming and shimming (card data theft at terminals), tech support scams (fake computer virus alerts), and grandparent scams (impersonation of family members). Protection strategies include ignoring unsolicited contacts, enabling spam filters, inspecting payment terminals for tampering, using contactless payments, and never granting remote computer access to unknown parties.
sportskeeda.com
· 2025-12-08
"Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" is a documentary series examining how AI and deepfake technology have made romance scams more sophisticated and harder to detect, following three women who were victimized by a scammer using fake personas and stolen photos. The victims suffered significant financial losses (including one woman who wired over $30,000) and psychological harm, while scammers exploit these technologies to create realistic video calls, voice messages, and convincing personas that build trust quickly. The series highlights that romance scams comprised an increasing portion of the $16.6 billion in online fraud losses reported in 2024, and demonstrates how these technologies enable criminals to evade law enforcement identification.
sportskeeda.com
· 2025-12-08
"Hey Beautiful: Anatomy of a Romance Scam" is a three-part docuseries released on Hulu in May 2025 that follows three women—Annette, Roxy, and Gabby—who were defrauded by the same man posing as their online romantic partner. The series explores how scammers exploit emotional vulnerability through psychological manipulation, examines common warning signs and patterns of online romance fraud, and documents the victims' journey from discovering the deception to confronting their perpetrator and seeking accountability.
nationalseniors.com.au
· 2025-12-08
Cybercriminals are increasingly targeting older Australians with "sextortion" scams, which now account for over 30% of personal scams, where perpetrators threaten to release compromising sexual images or videos unless victims pay ransoms in cryptocurrency. These emotionally manipulative schemes use artificial intelligence and personal information from data breaches to personalize threats and appear credible, with victims including seniors who were traditionally not targeted and who often experience profound shame and fear that prevents them from seeking help. Experts recommend protecting oneself by avoiding sharing intimate photos online, being skeptical of unsolicited emails with demands, verifying whether personal details actually indicate device compromise, and reporting incidents to the Australian Cyber Security
ice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Eight individuals with ties to China were indicted for orchestrating a transnational elder fraud scheme that defrauded approximately 300 victims across at least 37 states and Canada, with confirmed losses exceeding $5 million and an additional $16 million in suspected laundered funds. The scheme involved sending fake pop-up messages to seniors' computers impersonating technology companies and government agencies, then convincing victims to transfer funds via wire, cryptocurrency, or cash to protect their assets from alleged fraud or criminal investigations. Victims were also deceived into purchasing gold bars and handing them over to purported government couriers.
nypost.com
· 2025-12-08
Scammers are using AI voice-cloning software to impersonate grandchildren in phone calls to elderly victims on Long Island, claiming emergencies that require immediate money transfers or bail payments. Suffolk County Police report a growing number of cases where victims have lost thousands of dollars, with over 3,000 scams reported in 2023 resulting in $126 million stolen from seniors across Nassau and Suffolk counties. Police recommend establishing family "safe words," verifying caller identity through direct contact, and remaining cautious about emotional money requests involving secrecy.