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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.
foxsportsradionewjersey.com
· 2025-12-08
A woman working in cybersecurity fell victim to an elaborate phone scam impersonating a Homeland Security officer who claimed she was involved in drug smuggling and threatened her with up to 9 years in prison, though she avoided revealing personal identifying information. The scammer obtained her phone number, home address, thirty-year address history, and banking information, leaving her vulnerable to follow-up fraud attempts; the article also warns that scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated and commonly target seniors and other vulnerable populations through impersonating government agencies like the IRS and Homeland Security.
larongenow.com
· 2025-12-08
Between January and July 2024, Saskatchewan residents lost over $3.4 million to cryptocurrency fraud across 116 reported cases to the RCMP. One notable case involved a business employee who received a call from a scammer impersonating senior management, attempting to manipulate the victim into cryptocurrency transfers. The RCMP continues to investigate cryptocurrency fraud schemes targeting provincial residents.
postbulletin.com
· 2025-12-08
This 2010 opinion article alleges that Republican political leaders used misleading marketing tactics targeting seniors during the healthcare reform debate, spreading false claims about "death panels" and government rationing to discourage support for the Affordable Care Act. The piece argues that Republican messaging exploited seniors' fears about healthcare changes despite the proposed reforms actually including benefits like closing the prescription drug "doughnut hole" and extending Medicare's solvency. While this is political commentary rather than reporting on an actual financial scam, it characterizes the political campaign as a "marketing scam" that used fearmongering to manipulate elderly voters.
huntingdondailynews.com
· 2025-12-08
I cannot provide a summary of this content. This appears to be a list of countries and territories rather than an article about elder fraud, scams, or abuse.
Please provide an actual news article, transcript, or educational piece related to elder fraud or scams for me to summarize according to the Elderus database guidelines.
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
publishedreporter.com
· 2025-12-08
Cristine Petitfrere, 30, of Miramar, Florida, pleaded guilty to money laundering approximately $2.7 million obtained from elderly victims of romance scams, earning hundreds of thousands in fees by routing victim funds to foreign co-conspirators. Romance scams, which involve fraudsters creating fake online personas to manipulate victims into sending money, cost Americans $1.14 billion in 2023 according to the Federal Trade Commission. Petitfrere faces up to ten years in prison at her December 11 sentencing in the Southern District of Florida.
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
keysnews.com
· 2025-12-08
A California financial advisor, Paul Horton Smith, was convicted in January for operating a $24 million Ponzi scheme called "Northstar" from 2000 to 2020, defrauding hundreds of elderly victims who believed they were investing in annuities or real estate. The case exemplifies a broader trend of rising elder fraud nationally, with FBI data showing a 14% increase in reported elder fraud cases in 2023 and losses exceeding $3 billion annually, exploited through scams ranging from fake prizes and romance schemes to AI-generated voice impersonations. Financial experts recommend victims verify advisor credentials through free tools like BrokerCheck and the IAPD
newindianexpress.com
· 2025-12-08
Kochi residents, including a renowned music composer who nearly lost Rs 3 lakh, have been targeted by cyber fraudsters posing as Central agency officers who use video call "interrogations" and threats of virtual arrest to coerce victims into transferring money to private accounts. The scammers exploit fear and psychological manipulation, successfully defrauding even highly educated and tech-savvy individuals, with one software company owner losing Rs 7 crore in a foreign exchange scam. Police warn that government agencies never request money transfers to private accounts and urge victims to report fraud immediately to the toll-free number 1930 within two hours for potential fund recovery.
independent.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Romance cryptocurrency scams are rising significantly, with the FBI reporting over 70,000 complaints and $5.6 billion in losses in 2023, often targeting educated and affluent victims. A 68-year-old woman was defrauded of $58,000 after meeting a man posing as a wealthy businessman on an elite dating app who gradually manipulated her into sending funds for fake business emergencies, later revealing the money was funneled into cryptocurrency investments. Investment fraud is the most common type of cryptocurrency scam, accounting for 71 percent of complaints and $3.96 billion in losses in 2023.
publishedreporter.com
· 2025-12-08
A 30-year-old woman from Miramar, Florida pleaded guilty to money laundering involving millions of dollars stolen from elderly romance scam victims and transferred to foreign co-conspirators. Petitfrere used bank accounts to facilitate the transfer of fraud proceeds obtained through romance scams targeting seniors.
citizensvoice.com
· 2025-12-08
State Rep. Mike Cabell hosted a free educational seminar on October 7 for seniors to learn about financial fraud schemes and protection strategies, led by Pennsylvania's Office of Attorney General director David Shallcross. The event covered safety tips and current scam tactics, emphasizing that seniors are frequent targets of evolving fraud schemes designed to steal their money.
cantonrep.com
· 2025-12-08
Perry Township police held an educational session for approximately 80 seniors to warn about prevalent scams costing consumers over $10 billion annually in 2023. Detectives outlined multiple fraud schemes targeting seniors, including "pig butchering" (investment scams where one victim lost nearly $200,000), grandparent scams (one local case involved a $15,000 loss), AI voice cloning, Social Security benefit threats, and Facebook account hacking. Police emphasized warning signs such as pressure tactics, requests for non-credit card payments, and threats, while advising seniors to establish family passwords, verify callers independently, and never share personal information with unsolicited contacts.
the-review.com
· 2025-12-08
Perry Township police held an educational session for approximately 80 seniors to raise awareness about common scams targeting older adults, which cost consumers over $10 billion in 2023 according to the FTC. Police detectives outlined major fraud schemes including "pig butchering" (romance/investment scams where victims lose substantial sums), grandparent scams (fake bail requests), and Social Security benefit threats, with local examples showing losses ranging from $15,000 to nearly $200,000. The presentation covered warning signs of fraud and protective measures, such as establishing family passwords to combat AI voice impersonation and never sharing personal information with unsolicited callers.
pcpatriot.com
· 2025-12-08
Virginia State Police report an uptick in financial scams targeting older adults and vulnerable individuals, including anti-virus software scams (one victim lost $36,000), "grandparent scams" using AI voices to impersonate grandchildren in distress, and cryptocurrency fraud (one woman scammed out of $160,000 in Bitcoin). Police recommend independently verifying requests before responding, establishing a trusted "buddy system," and remembering that legitimate organizations never pressure payment via gift cards, wire transfers, or cryptocurrency.
antonmediagroup.com
· 2025-12-08
This article contains multiple unrelated police reports from Nassau County, New York. The fraud-relevant case involves Elizabeth Stern, 52, of Hicksville, who was arrested for stealing approximately $339,958 from her former employer, Superior Air Condition & Heating Systems Inc., over 18 months by forging and cashing company checks to pay personal credit card bills; she faces multiple charges including grand larceny, identity theft, and forgery. The remaining reports detail arrests for illegal massage and prostitution operations, a bomb threat at Family Court, and a burglary with assault incident.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Tavoy Farquharson, a 32-year-old Jamaican national, was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud for operating a lottery scam that defrauded victims of at least $9.5 million between March and July 2023. Farquharson and his co-conspirators contacted victims by mail and phone, falsely claiming they had won lottery prizes and requesting advance payment for taxes and fees via wire transfer, gift cards, cash, checks, and other methods. If convicted, Farquharson faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Tanya Alahmad, 46, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $46,064.30 in restitution after pleading guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft for forging a power of attorney to steal over $46,000 from an elderly victim between November 2019 and February 2022. Alahmad befriended the victim, gained access to their home, and used a forged POA to obtain fraudulent credit and debit cards in the victim's name, making unauthorized purchases and withdrawals even while the victim was hospitalized. The case was investigated by the United States Postal Inspection
theconversation.com
· 2025-12-08
Australia's federal government released a draft scam prevention framework to combat scams that cost Australians A$2.7 billion in 2023, with over 600,000 reported cases. The framework requires banks, social media platforms, and telecommunications companies to identify and stop scam-related content and transactions, with penalties up to A$50 million for non-compliance. However, the framework does not mandate bank reimbursement for victims and must be broader in scope to address the increasing sophistication of AI-enabled scams and the multiple ways criminals obtain personal contact information.
goldrushcam.com
· 2025-12-08
The Tuolumne County Sheriff's Office warned residents of an impersonation scam in which a caller claiming to be "Sergeant Eric Roberts" from the department contacted victims demanding payment via cryptocurrency machines to resolve a "failure to appear" warrant and avoid arrest. The sheriff's office emphasized that it never solicits payment by phone and advised residents that requests for payment via cryptocurrency or gift cards are major red flags for scams.
thespec.com
· 2025-12-08
Four individuals were charged in connection with a multi-year renovation and mortgage fraud scheme that defrauded an elderly woman of approximately $374,000 and forced her to sell her home. The scammers used door-to-door sales tactics to sell home renovation products (water softeners, air conditioning units, insulation, etc.) on high-interest contracts, then fraudulently registered notices of security and four reverse mortgages against the victim's property without her knowledge, systematically extracting her home's equity. The coordinated scheme, which originated in 2021-2022, involved four perpetrators working in different roles—two conducting door-to-door sales and installations, and two facilitating
bostonherald.com
· 2025-12-08
A Vietnam veteran and cancer patient from Everett lost $20,000 in a sophisticated scam in which fraudsters impersonated Amazon and trade commission officials, pressuring him to withdraw cash under the pretense of unauthorized purchases made in his name. When the scammers returned demanding an additional $32,000, the victim contacted police instead, leading to the arrest of Hongfei Huang of New York on charges including larceny from an elderly person; authorities are continuing to pursue his accomplices. The victim's cooperation with law enforcement and willingness to speak publicly about the incident helped prevent further victims and served as a cautionary warning about email-based scams targeting older adults.
macombgov.org
· 2025-12-08
The Macomb County Prosecutor's Office has established a dedicated senior crime unit and launched an educational initiative to protect seniors from rising scams in the area. The office distributes an informational booklet titled "S.C.A.M.S. – Stopping Crimes Against Macomb Seniors" that covers common fraud schemes including identity theft, telemarketing fraud, internet fraud, home improvement fraud, and caregiver fraud, along with free presentations scheduled throughout the county. The initiative advises seniors to never share personal information over the phone or email with unfamiliar individuals and encourages community participation in anti-fraud awareness events.
independent.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
Romance cryptocurrency scams defrauded Americans of $5.6 billion in 2023, with the FBI receiving over 70,000 complaints—a 45% increase from 2022—targeting often educated and affluent victims. A 68-year-old woman named Debbie Fox lost $58,000 from her retirement account after being deceived by a scammer posing as a wealthy businessman on an elite dating app, who built trust over weeks before requesting funds for a fake business emergency and directing the money into cryptocurrency investments. Investment fraud is the most common cryptocurrency scam type, accounting for 71% of complaints and $3.96 billion in losses, leaving victims facing severe
effinghamradio.com
· 2025-12-08
Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias issued a warning that scammers are using sophisticated AI technology, including voice cloning and deepfake videos, to fraudulently access personal information and financial accounts from Illinois residents. The alert highlights four prevalent scam types—deepfakes, romance scams, Ponzi schemes, and affinity scams—and recommends that prospective investors validate identities, verify licenses through BrokerCheck or Investment Adviser Public Disclosure, and avoid suspicious links and attachments.
columbiagorgenews.com
· 2025-12-08
Multiple online scams were reported in The Dalles in early September, with losses totaling over $105,000 across four separate incidents, including one victim who lost more than $100,000 in cash, gift cards, and Bitcoin to a scammer impersonating someone from Texas since April 2023. Common scam tactics included impersonating law enforcement demanding payment for warrants, fake celebrity fan sites, fake security companies, and requesting payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency. Police warn that legitimate law enforcement will never request payment by phone, and that scammers typically operate from outside the U.S. using obscured technology, making recovery of funds difficult.
iredellfreenews.com
· 2025-12-08
Joshua David Mayberry, 39, was arrested and charged with nine felonies after stealing more than $100,000 from an elderly relative in western Iredell County, North Carolina. The fraud began in April 2018 when Mayberry fraudulently accessed and used the victim's bank accounts and credit cards for unauthorized purchases, with the theft discovered in April 2024 following a report from a financial institution. Mayberry faces seven counts of identity theft, one count of elder exploitation from a position of trust, and one count of obtaining property by false pretense.
oig.ssa.gov
· 2025-12-08
Tavoy Farquharson, a 32-year-old Jamaican national, was charged with conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with a lottery scheme that defrauded victims of at least $9.5 million between March and July 2023. Farquharson and his co-conspirators contacted victims by mail and phone, falsely claiming they had won lottery prizes and demanding advance payments for taxes and fees via wire transfer, gift cards, cash, checks, or other methods. If convicted, Farquharson faces a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
hyperallergic.com
· 2025-12-08
Art dealer Wendy Halsted Beard was sentenced to five years and three months in prison for defrauding 43 elderly collectors of approximately $1.6 million through a fine art photography consignment scheme at her Birmingham, Michigan gallery between 2017 and 2022. Beard sold consigned artworks without paying owners their share of proceeds, failed to deliver works to buyers after payment, and returned counterfeit pieces when victims demanded returns—including an original Ansel Adams photograph valued at $625,000 that she sold for $440,000 and kept the difference. A judge ordered Beard to pay over $2 million in restitution, with investigators unable to
hometownstations.com
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Tanya Alahmad, 46, of Cleveland, Ohio, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $46,064.30 in restitution for mail fraud and aggravated identity theft. From November 2019 to February 2022, Alahmad gained the trust of an elderly victim by providing household assistance, then forged a power of attorney in her name and used it to fraudulently obtain credit and debit cards, making unauthorized purchases and withdrawals totaling over $46,000, including while the victim was hospitalized.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Tanya Alahmad, a Cleveland woman, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and ordered to pay $46,000 in restitution for forging a power of attorney and stealing from an elderly victim between November 2019 and February 2022. While posing as a caregiver in the victim's home, Alahmad fraudulently obtained credit and debit cards in the victim's name and wrote unauthorized checks, particularly during periods when the victim was hospitalized. She pleaded guilty to mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
bankingjournal.aba.com
· 2025-12-08
The FDIC, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and AARP hosted a virtual town hall on October 30 to educate older adults about financial scams and exploitation. The event included real-world examples of elder financial exploitation, fraud statistics, and prevention strategies to help protect seniors from becoming victims.
thesenior.com.au
· 2025-12-08
The Australian government released federal legislation for public consultation that would establish a Scams Prevention Framework requiring banks, telecommunications providers, and digital platforms to prevent and respond to scams, with penalties up to $50 million for noncompliance. The framework imposes mandatory obligations on designated businesses to prevent, detect, report, and disrupt scams, and establishes internal and external dispute resolution mechanisms for affected customers. The government has allocated over $154 million to combat scams, with submissions on the proposed legislation accepted until October 4, 2024.
verywellmind.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational guide examines the psychology behind why people fall for scams, emphasizing that susceptibility is not a matter of intelligence but rather how scammers exploit psychological vulnerabilities. Key findings include that adults aged 35-44 are most likely to be deceived (though older adults remain targeted), those 18-24 lose the most money, and online fraud causes an estimated $2.7 billion in annual losses while also impacting victims' mental health. The article outlines how scammers build trust through impersonation and social engineering, and notes that common scams include phone fraud, phishing, fake job offers, and emergency schemes—increasingly enhanced by AI technology.
blog.aarp.org
· 2025-12-08
Elder financial exploitation is the most common form of elder abuse, affecting at least 10% of older adults annually in the U.S., with AARP estimating annual losses at $28.3 billion for those over 60. Critical data gaps exist regarding the impact on historically discriminated-against communities, including racial and ethnic minorities, LGBTQ+ populations, and low-income groups, due to underreporting caused by fear of retaliation, distrust of authorities, and language barriers. Better demographic data collection is essential to develop effective prevention and intervention strategies tailored to vulnerable populations.
thestar.com.my
· 2025-12-08
A 65-year-old retired bank officer from Taiping, Malaysia lost approximately RM1.4 million in a Macau scam between August and September. The scammer impersonated officials from the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission and police, claiming the victim's bank card was involved in money laundering and instructing her to open new accounts and surrender ATM cards for "investigation purposes." This was the second case within a week involving a Taiping retiree losing over RM1 million through similar fraudulent tactics.
whitehallledger.com
· 2025-12-08
This article describes a voice-cloning scam where scammers impersonated a grandfather by mimicking his voice to request bank account information from family members, highlighting how scammers use increasingly sophisticated technology to target victims. The piece reports that Americans lost $10 billion to scams in 2023 and emphasizes that elderly people are frequently targeted, recommending protective measures such as slowing down before responding to urgent requests, being selective about who accesses financial information, and seeking help from certified financial planners to monitor accounts and recover from fraud.
livebitcoinnews.com
· 2025-12-08
In September 2024, seven Democratic senators led by Dick Durbin urged ten major cryptocurrency ATM operators to implement fraud-prevention measures after the FTC reported $65 million in crypto ATM fraud losses in the first half of 2023, with elderly Americans over 60 being three times more likely to fall victim than younger individuals. The senators cited cases where scammers manipulated seniors into transferring money through Bitcoin ATMs and requested the companies respond by October 4 with details on their anti-fraud protections, including scam warnings, transaction limits, and fraud insurance. Cryptocurrency ATM fraud has surged tenfold since 2020, from $12 million to
scmp.com
· 2025-12-08
A Hong Kong police crackdown arrested 11 members of a fraud syndicate that defrauded 99 men of HK$20 million (US$2.8 million) through online romance scams over nine months, with victims including doctors, engineers, teachers, and other educated professionals aged 21-44. Police noted that men comprised 35 percent of romance scam victims in August, challenging assumptions that only women fall prey to such schemes, and warned the public to be cautious about requests for money in online relationships.
cbc.ca
· 2025-12-08
A 68-year-old Winnipeg retiree lost nearly $650,000 in November 2022 after a fraudster posing as a Bank of Montreal portfolio manager convinced him to transfer funds into a fraudulent Toronto RBC account in the name of B21 Trade (Canada) Ltd. Squire is now suing Access Credit Union and Royal Bank of Canada, alleging they failed to identify red flags such as the transfer of his entire retirement account to an unknown third party, constituting negligent facilitation of financial elder abuse under Manitoba law.
nbcboston.com
· 2025-12-08
Bitcoin ATM scams cost victims over $65 million in the first half of 2024, with scammers using government and business impersonation tactics to trick people into depositing cash at these machines. An 83-year-old victim lost $34,000 after a fake Apple security alert directed her to call a number where scammers impersonated her bank's fraud department. The FTC advises people to ignore unsolicited calls and pop-ups, verify company contact information independently, and remember that legitimate businesses never request cash deposits via Bitcoin ATMs or gift cards to resolve account issues.
cbs8.com
· 2025-12-08
The San Diego County Council on Aging is hosting a free three-hour resource fair on September 20 from 9 a.m. to noon at Sharp Prebys Innovation and Education Center in Kearny Mesa, offering seniors information on healthcare, financial services, legal assistance, and elder scams awareness. The event aims to address senior isolation and connect older adults with local resources covering topics like Medi-Cal programs, home care, hospice, and transportation, with exhibitors and educational speakers available to answer questions.
nationalseniors.com.au
· 2025-12-08
National Seniors Australia and Commonwealth Bank offer free online training sessions on scam prevention and safety information, available to groups of 5 or more people (ideal size 15-20) with flexible scheduling. The 60-minute sessions (45 minutes content plus 15 minutes Q&A) are suitable for anyone interested in learning about scams, though they particularly target seniors over 65 who are at higher risk of fraud, and require approximately 4 weeks' notice to organize.
foxbaltimore.com
· 2025-12-08
Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates announced multiple convictions and indictments targeting elder abuse and financial exploitation, including cases involving theft schemes, home improvement fraud, and physical abuse. Notable cases include Bryan Oneal Jones, who defrauded 15 vulnerable adults of approximately $309,299 through fake home improvement contracts; David Coleman, charged with defrauding a 72-year-old disabled veteran of $105,700; and James Rickey Dupree, convicted of theft and forgery in a $200,000 vehicle theft scheme. The announcement coincided with a resource fair by the Economic Crimes Unit's Older & Disabled Persons Unit to educate seniors on
baltimoresun.com
· 2025-12-08
Baltimore State's Attorney Ivan Bates announced multiple convictions and indictments targeting crimes against older adults and vulnerable people, including theft schemes, financial exploitation, and home improvement fraud. Notable cases include James Rickey Dupree convicted of stealing approximately $200,000 in vehicles using falsified documents; Bryan Oneal Jones accused of defrauding 15 victims of $309,299 through fake home improvement contracts; David Coleman charged with defrauding a 72-year-old disabled veteran of $105,700; and several defendants charged with exploiting elderly relatives through undue influence, identity theft, and physical abuse. The announcement coincided with a resource fair by the
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Two "Senior Scam Jam" educational events are being held in DuBois and Ridgway, Pennsylvania on September 17-18, hosted by State Rep. Mike Armanini in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Banking and Securities. The interactive seminars aim to teach older adults how to identify common scams, recognize fraud red flags, and report suspected fraud, with participation from local district attorneys' offices.
sevendaysvt.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2021, 67-year-old Jeanette Voss of Vermont lost her entire life savings of $950,000 to a tech-support scam that began with a fake Microsoft alert on her computer. Scammers convinced her over six months of daily calls that her Social Security number had been compromised and instructed her to transfer her retirement funds, stocks, and certificates of deposit into accounts they controlled before vanishing with the money. The case illustrates a growing threat: Americans aged 60 and older lost nearly $3.5 billion to scams in the past year, with older adults targeted for their savings, perceived lack of tech knowledge, and isolation.
thesenior.com.au
· 2025-12-08
HSBC Australia warns older Australians, particularly those aged 55-64 who hold significant wealth, that they are increasingly targeted by scammers, with losses from remote access scams among people over 65 rising 13.3% to $120 million in 2023. Remote access scams typically involve fraudsters calling victims claiming an account or device issue, then requesting they download software that grants the scammer control of their computer and access to banking passwords and one-time security codes. HSBC recommends never granting computer access to unknown parties, avoiding online banking when someone has remote access, refusing to share security codes, keeping antivirus software updated, and verifying bank contact by