Search
Explore the Archive
Search across 26,669 articles about elder fraud. Filter by fraud type, payment mechanism, or keywords.
8,014 results
in Financial Crime
mychesco.com
A 58-year-old former business office coordinator at two senior living facilities in Pennsylvania was indicted on eight counts of wire fraud for allegedly stealing approximately $122,941 from elderly residents' trust accounts at one facility between March 2020 and August 2023, and repeating the scheme at a second facility from April to July 2024. Hardy allegedly exploited her access to the Resident Fund Management Service system by issuing fraudulent checks to herself, family members, and associates, forging resident signatures, and making unauthorized cash withdrawals. Prosecutors are seeking forfeiture of up to $366,000, and if convicted on all charges, Hardy faces up to 160 years in prison
states.aarp.org
Idaho passed HB 323 into law, enabling financial institutions to temporarily pause suspicious transactions for up to 15 days to investigate potential fraud, addressing a critical gap that left the state's seniors vulnerable to financial crimes. In 2024 alone, Idaho seniors reported 18,447 scam cases resulting in over $53 million in losses. The "Report and Hold" authority law, effective July 1, 2025, empowers financial institutions and law enforcement to better identify and stop financial crimes against vulnerable Idahoans.
altoonamirror.com
Pennsylvania State Police presented a seminar on scams targeting seniors, noting that older adults lost over $1 billion to cybercrimes in 2023, with common schemes including government imposter scams, grandparent scams, and tech support fraud. One victim paid $500 for fake tech support and later wired $65,000 to the same scammers after they gained remote access to her device, highlighting how emotional manipulation and technology exploitation are used to defraud older adults.
cnbc.com
Tax season is a prime target for scammers seeking to steal refunds and identities, with Americans losing $9.1 billion to tax and financial crimes in 2024, and nearly one in four Americans impacted by tax scams at some point. Key protective measures include setting up an IRS Identity Protection PIN, ignoring unsolicited tax-related emails and texts, avoiding cryptocurrency payments for taxes, and implementing strong passwords and two-factor authentication. Experts stress that the IRS never initiates contact via email or text and does not accept cryptocurrency or demand immediate payment under threat.
finance.yahoo.com
Tax season presents heightened fraud risks, with scammers using impersonation emails, texts, calls, and social media offers to steal personal information and money. Experts warn that recent IRS workforce cuts may embolden fraudsters who exploit taxpayer uncertainty while potentially slowing the agency's ability to respond to reported scams, and recommend taxpayers use only accredited tax professionals, watch for pressure tactics and suspicious refund promises, and report suspected fraud to the IRS.
cnbc.com
**Summary:**
Tax season is a peak period for scam activity, with Americans losing $9.1 billion to tax fraud and financial crimes in 2024 according to the IRS. As the April 15th filing deadline approaches, experts recommend taking protective steps to identify scams and reduce vulnerability to fraud during this high-risk period.
aarp.org
American adults lost $47 billion to identity fraud and scams in 2024, a $4 billion increase from 2023, according to a Javelin Strategy & Research report cosponsored by AARP. The losses included $27 billion from traditional identity fraud affecting 18 million people and $20 billion from scams using social engineering, with criminals deliberately targeting older adults perceived as having significant savings and less technological comfort. Account takeover fraud and new-account fraud are growing problems, reaching $15.6 billion and $6.2 billion respectively in 2024, driven partly by technological gaps in security and weak privacy laws that allow data breaches and unauthorized data sharing.
wvnews.com
West Virginians reported over $27 million in fraud losses in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission, as scams continue to rise across the state through phone calls, emails, and text messages. The article outlines common scam tactics including IRS/Social Security impersonation, romance scams, tech support scams, and phishing emails, and advises consumers to watch for red flags such as urgent language, requests for payment via gift cards or wire transfers, and unfamiliar contact information. Key protective measures include not answering unknown numbers, never clicking suspicious links, verifying charities before donating, and reporting suspected scams to authorities.
ksl.com
A Provo man in his 70s lost $186,000 over two years in a romance scam in which a person claiming to be a woman from Maryland convinced him to send money via multiple cash app accounts for an inheritance claim and promised relocation to Utah, with investigators believing a video call between them may have been AI-generated. Provo police used the case to warn of increasing online scams targeting seniors, including impersonation schemes (law enforcement, banks, utilities), tech support fraud, and kidnapping hoaxes, recommending that victims hang up on unsolicited callers and verify requests through official channels.
bostonherald.com
A 23-year-old New York man was charged with extorting and defrauding a 72-year-old Newton woman out of approximately $480,000 through an elaborate scheme in which he impersonated a DEA agent and claimed she was implicated in money laundering involving narcotics traffickers. The perpetrator convinced the victim she needed to transfer her assets to the U.S. Treasury by purchasing gold bars and handing them to couriers; the scheme was uncovered when her family reported it and an undercover FBI agent was able to apprehend the suspect during a gold bar handoff.
wwltv.com
Tax season presents heightened fraud risks, with scammers using common tactics like phishing emails, threatening phone calls impersonating the IRS, and "ghost" tax preparers who file fraudulent returns with inflated deductions to steal refunds. Experts warn that recent IRS workforce cuts may make scammers' false claims about "new filing methods" more convincing while simultaneously reducing the agency's ability to quickly respond to and remove fraudulent websites or investigate scam reports. Key warning signs include urgency, threats, promises of large payouts, and suspicious links—and consumers should only contact the IRS through official channels and use accredited tax professionals.
newswest9.com
Tax season presents heightened fraud risks as scammers exploit uncertainty surrounding recent IRS workforce cuts to impersonate the agency and steal personal information and money through phishing emails, texts, fake refund promises, and fraudulent tax preparers. Common red flags include urgent language, threats, promises of large payoffs, and suspicious links; the IRS warns it never initiates contact via email or text and urges consumers to use only accredited tax professionals and report suspected scams. Experts caution that reduced IRS staffing could slow response times to fraud reports and allow malicious websites and predatory campaigns to remain active longer, creating an increased risk environment for taxpayers.
wlrn.org
Florida ranked as the number one state for fraud according to a Federal Trade Commission report, with $866 million in reported losses last year, and South Florida leading the nation with over 171,000 fraud reports. Romance scams were the most costly scheme, causing $89 million in losses to Floridians, followed by job and real estate scams. A Miramar woman was sentenced to 30 months in prison in January for laundering nearly $3 million from romance scams.
newscentermaine.com
A Cumberland, Maine woman lost $100,000 to a sophisticated scam that began with a phishing email giving scammers remote computer access, followed by an impersonator claiming to be a Microsoft employee who convinced her to convert her savings into gold bars that were later picked up by a fake courier. Police arrested 44-year-old Zhangqi Xie of New York and charged him with Theft by Deception, while warning the public never to exchange money for gold, bitcoin, or gift cards based on unsolicited communications and to avoid opening suspicious email attachments.
theglobeandmail.com
Tax season presents heightened fraud risks, with scammers using common tactics like phishing emails, threatening phone calls impersonating the IRS, and fake tax preparers who file fraudulent returns to steal refunds. Recent IRS workforce cuts may amplify these threats by creating uncertainty that scammers exploit and reducing the agency's capacity to respond to reported fraud. Experts recommend consumers watch for red flags such as urgency, threats, suspicious links, and promises of inflated refunds, while using only trusted tax professionals and reporting scams directly to the IRS.
koreaherald.com
Two men in their 20s were sentenced to four years in prison by a Busan court for their roles in a romance scam that defrauded eleven victims of 2.8 billion won ($1.9 million). The defendants traveled to Cambodia in January 2024 to join a fraud ring, where they worked at a call center impersonating women via Telegram to build relationships with victims before convincing them to invest in cryptocurrency or fake business opportunities.
lexology.com
A federal court in Arizona ordered the fraudulent digital asset platform Debiex to pay a penalty for operating an online romance scam network that targeted victims. The case involved cryptocurrency and digital assets used to facilitate the romance scam scheme. The Commodity Futures Trading Commission pursued enforcement action against the platform for its role in the financial fraud operation.
newsweek.com
The IRS has warned Americans about tax scams targeting older adults that surge during filing season, with IRS impersonation being the most common fraud type. Scammers pose as government agencies or tax professionals using spoofed caller IDs and high-pressure tactics demanding untraceable payments (cryptocurrency, gift cards, wire transfers), with adults aged 65-74 most frequently targeted; a McAfee survey found 48 percent of Americans received fake IRS messages, and 79 percent of those experienced collection attempts or threats. The IRS clarified it will never demand immediate payment via prepaid cards, threaten arrest, or request sensitive financial information by phone, and warns that AI-enhanced deep
11alive.com
Tax season fraud is escalating, with scammers using common tactics like phishing emails, threatening calls impersonating the IRS, and fake tax preparers who file fraudulent returns with inflated deductions to steal refunds. This year, criminals are exploiting uncertainty from recent IRS workforce cuts—both to impersonate the agency with false filing claims and because reduced IRS staffing may slow response times to reported scams and takedown of malicious websites. Consumers are advised to watch for red flags including urgency, threats, suspicious links, and promises of large payouts, and to only use accredited tax professionals.
chicagotribune.com
Tax season presents increased fraud risk as scammers use phishing emails, texts, phone calls, and social media to impersonate the IRS and steal personal information or money. Common tactics include creating false urgency, threatening arrest, promising inflated refunds through "ghost" preparers who file fraudulent returns, and exploiting uncertainty around recent IRS workforce cuts to appear more convincing. Experts recommend using only trusted tax professionals, avoiding suspicious links and unsolicited offers, and reporting scams to the IRS, as reduced agency staffing may slow response times to fraud complaints.
irs.gov
A former pastor in Crofton, Kentucky, Marvin Upton, was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison for defrauding an elderly parishioner with dementia between 2013 and 2016 through bank fraud, and for filing false tax returns that concealed the fraudulent income. Upton was ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution to the victim's estate and $222,037 to the IRS. The case was prosecuted under the Department of Justice's National Elder Justice Task Force as part of broader efforts to combat financial exploitation of seniors.
cslea.com
An unlicensed room and board operator in Contra Costa County, California, was charged with felony grand theft after allegedly stealing money from an elderly resident's bank account through fraudulent withdrawals between May and September 2021 while the resident was hospitalized. The investigation, initiated by the California Department of Justice based on Adult Protective Services referral, found evidence of financial exploitation, neglect, psychological abuse, and isolation at the operator's unlicensed facilities. The defendant self-surrendered and is scheduled for arraignment on April 16, 2025.
the-daily-record.com
This article is an entertainment events listing and is not relevant to elder fraud research. It announces five upcoming events in Wayne and Holmes counties, including an improv show, amusement rides, a Johnny Cash tribute, and a murder mystery party. While one event (#3) is titled "Financial Elder Fraud Workshop" featuring FBI agents discussing scams targeting seniors, the article provides no details about the workshop content, specific fraud schemes discussed, or any outcomes—only that it is free and scheduled for March 28, 2-4 p.m. at Greystone Event Center in Wooster.
lamilano.it
Operation "Fumo del Vesuvio" (Smoke from Vesuvius), conducted by Carabinieri in Trieste, dismantled an organized elder fraud ring operating across Northern Italy, resulting in 10 arrests and 29 additional suspects reported to authorities. The scam targeted elderly victims through phone calls impersonating lawyers or police officers threatening legal consequences for accidents allegedly caused by relatives, with specialized "tax collectors" sent to victims' homes to retrieve money; investigators recovered approximately €150,000 and identified 38 completed scams. The criminal operation employed a structured network of callers ("switchboard operators"), money collectors paid €150 daily, and information specialists who gathere
consumerfinance.gov
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau sued JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Zelle's operator Early Warning Services for failing to implement adequate fraud prevention safeguards on the peer-to-peer payment network, resulting in over $870 million in losses to customers of the three banks over seven years. The banks rushed Zelle to market to compete with apps like Venmo and CashApp without proper protections, leaving hundreds of thousands of consumers vulnerable to fraud schemes and denying many victims legally required reimbursement when they filed complaints.
businessinsider.com
Google filed a lawsuit against Maryland resident Yaniv Asayag and up to 20 co-conspirators for operating a "lead generation" scam that created fake business listings on Google Maps and Search for service businesses like locksmiths and HVAC cleaners, then sold the personal information of consumers who contacted these fake businesses to real companies—sometimes predatory ones with histories of overcharging. Over approximately one year, the network modified listings for nearly 150 businesses more than 1,000 times and used fake reviews to lure unsuspecting victims. The FTC recommends verifying business URLs and searching for reviews or complaints before contacting a business to avoid similar scams.
news-press.com
In 2023, seniors lost $3.4 billion to financial scams, with common schemes including grandparent scams, fake financial institution impersonations, tech support fraud, government impersonation, and romance scams that exploit older adults' trust and emotional vulnerabilities. The article advises seniors to be wary of anyone demanding immediate payment via gift cards, cryptocurrency, or wire transfers, and to verify requests through official channels before sending money. These scams cause not only significant financial losses but also lasting emotional and psychological harm to victims.
mk.co.kr
"Team mission" is a financial fraud scheme in which perpetrators attract victims to fake shopping sites by promising gift certificates for product reviews, then lure them into Telegram chat rooms where fake participants encourage them to make "joint purchases" with promises of cash returns or bonuses—before disappearing with the money. South Korea's National Police Agency announced an intensive crackdown on this scam, which has resulted in significant losses: the Seoul Metropolitan Police arrested 54 people for stealing 8.8 billion won from 301 victims, and the Gwangju Metropolitan Police arrested 12 people for defrauding 11 victims of 305 million won between November 2023 and September
goldrushcam.com
On March 21, 2025, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Office arrested suspects in an ongoing phone scam targeting an elderly male customer who was instructed to withdraw $50,000 from Wells Fargo in Oakdale. A vigilant bank teller alerted law enforcement after the victim attempted a second large withdrawal, prompting detectives to coordinate an undercover operation that successfully apprehended the scammers at a pre-arranged collection point. The case highlights the importance of reporting suspicious requests for large cash withdrawals to authorities immediately.
malaysia.news.yahoo.com
Singapore police arrested 25 individuals and placed 65 others under investigation during an island-wide anti-scam operation from mid-February to early March, seizing approximately S$1.9 million in suspected scam proceeds. The crackdown targeted government official impersonation, investment, and job scams, resulting in the freezing of over 300 bank accounts used for money laundering and the deactivation of more than 1,700 phone lines associated with scam activities. Singapore recorded record scam losses of S$1.1 billion in 2024, with these three scam types accounting for more than half of total losses.
bbc.com
Sarah Croney, a 39-year-old care home worker in Lincolnshire, was targeted by an organized criminal gang in 2023 when a burglar stole her purse from work, and an accomplice then posed as a bank official to obtain her details and drain her account. The gang carried out 46 sneak-in burglaries across 13 counties between March 2023 and May 2024, targeting workers in care homes, schools, and other public facilities before using the stolen information to commit fraud. Two ringleaders, Darren Wykes and George Quinn, were jailed for five years and four months and five years respectively; Cr
13wmaz.com
A South Carolina man, Bhargav Patel, was arrested in Jones County, Georgia after attempting to defraud an elderly couple of their life savings through a courier scam, in which he convinced them their bank deposits were unsafe and arranged to pick up their withdrawn money for "safekeeping." The couple's family intervened before the theft was completed, obtained the suspect's license plate, and authorities tracked and arrested Patel, charging him with exploitation of the elderly and two counts of criminal attempt to commit theft. The sheriff's office emphasized that such fraud cases are among the highest-volume crimes they handle and advised residents to be cautious of unsolicited calls, especially from those impersonating government agencies
pattayamail.com
A 31-year-old Chinese man was arrested at Chiang Mai Airport for using dating apps to lure male tourists to hotels, where he robbed them of cash, credit cards, and valuables; he had committed similar crimes across Taiwan, Hong Kong, and mainland China. Thai authorities reported that between March 2022 and March 2025, dating app fraud cases totaled 1,415 incidents with losses exceeding 350 million baht, and warned the public to avoid sharing personal information with strangers online and to be suspicious of overly attractive profiles requesting money.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
"Digital arrest" scams in Mumbai involve fraudsters posing as police or CBI officers via video call to coerce victims into isolation and payment through psychological manipulation and fabricated legal threats. In 2023, Mumbai police registered 195 such cases, with victims ranging from senior citizens to high-earning professionals (bankers, doctors, IT professionals, MNC directors), who lost amounts ranging from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 32 lakh after being threatened with drug trafficking charges, harm to family members, or travel bans. Scammers exploit authority bias, create artificial urgency, leverage stolen personal data (Aadhaar, PAN numbers), and use AI-generated videos
newsweek.com
Reports of individuals impersonating ICE agents have increased across the United States, with scammers contacting victims by phone, email, or in person to demand payment via cash, wire transfers, or gift cards while threatening arrest or deportation. Authorities advise immigrants to verify agent identities through official ICE field offices, avoid sharing original documents without verified government requirements, seek help only from licensed lawyers and accredited representatives, and report suspicious activity to local authorities, as legitimate federal agencies never demand payment over unsolicited contact.
westkentuckystar.com
Marvin Upton, a former pastor at Crofton Pentecostal Church in Kentucky, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison for defrauding an elderly congregation member with dementia between 2013 and 2016, along with filing false tax returns to conceal the fraudulent income. Upton was ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution to the victim's estate and $222,037 to the IRS.
kentuckytoday.com
Former Crofton Pentecostal Church pastor Marvin Upton, 58, was sentenced to two years and three months in federal prison for defrauding an elderly congregation member with dementia between 2013 and 2016 through a bank fraud scheme, and for filing false tax returns to conceal the illicit income. Upton was ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution to the victim's estate and $222,037 to the IRS.
justice.gov
A 52-year-old Federal Way, Washington woman was indicted on wire and bank fraud charges for operating a fake investment scheme targeting elderly members of the Korean community, defrauding at least 28 victims of over $3 million by falsely claiming to be an investment advisor while funneling funds into personal accounts and shell companies. Lee allegedly spent nearly $1 million of investor funds at casinos and operated the scheme in a Ponzi-style fashion, with approximately $2.2 million in net losses after some payments were returned to victims. The case carries potential sentences of up to 30 years in prison and is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney's Office for
longisland.com
Older New Yorkers lost over $203 million to scams in 2023, with more than 4,300 victims age 60 and older experiencing an average loss of $47,000 each, prompting AARP New York and state legislators to call for consumer protection measures in the state budget. Governor Hochul's proposed safeguards include training bank employees to identify signs of financial exploitation and place holds on suspicious transactions, with the "grandparent scam" identified as one of the most common schemes targeting seniors. The coalition is urging financial institutions to work with state leadership to implement fraud prevention measures that would help protect older New Yorkers' retirement savings from increasingly sophisticated sc
cbc.ca
Over the past four years, Montreal police have arrested at least 50 people involved in three elaborate grandparent scam networks that defrauded elderly victims out of millions of dollars. Law enforcement built cases through hundreds of hours of surveillance, stakeouts, and wiretaps, with major operations like Project Sharp resulting in 14 arrests in 2024 for defrauding Canadian seniors of over $1.2 million. Police report that increased enforcement and arrests are beginning to reduce grandparent scam incidents, with reported losses to Canadian victims dropping from $11.6 million in 2023 to $3.2 million in 2024.
cbc.ca
Over four years, Montreal police arrested at least 50 people involved in three elaborate grandparent scam networks that defrauded elderly victims out of millions of dollars, with investigations requiring hundreds of hours of surveillance, wiretaps, and stakeouts. Major operations like Project Sharp in 2024 led to 14 arrests of suspects accused of defrauding Canadian seniors of over $1.2 million, and police report that increased enforcement action is beginning to reduce scam cases, with reported losses to Canadian victims dropping from $11.6 million in 2023 to $3.2 million in 2024. However, prosecuting these cases takes years due to court delays
cbc.ca
An Ontario senior was nearly scammed in what may have been the first known AI voice-cloning case in Canada, when fraudsters impersonated her grandson and demanded $9,000 claiming he had been arrested. The "grandparent scam" uses AI-generated deepfake voices harvested from social media to impersonate family members in crisis situations, with Canadians reporting nearly $3 million in losses to this scheme in 2024. Experts recommend establishing code words with family members to verify callers' identities, as scammers only need three to five seconds of voice samples to create convincing AI replicas.
forbes.com
The IRS released its 2025 "Dirty Dozen" list of prevalent tax scams, including phishing emails, IRS impersonation calls demanding payment, fake tax preparers, fraudulent refund claims using stolen identities, and misleading social media tax advice. Taxpayers should protect themselves by verifying communications, using trusted tax software, enabling multi-factor authentication, and reporting suspected scams to authorities; victims may be eligible for theft loss deductions under certain circumstances with proper documentation.
states.aarp.org
Bank impersonation scams via text, email, and phone calls increased dramatically in 2024, with the FTC reporting these scams accounted for nearly half of all reported frauds and resulted in losses exceeding $1.1 billion—more than triple the 2020 total. Criminals use spoofing technology and sophisticated replicas of bank communications to trick victims into revealing PINs, passwords, account access codes, or moving money to "safe" accounts by creating false urgency around account security threats. Consumers should never provide account credentials or personal information to unsolicited contacts; instead, they should hang up and call their bank directly using verified contact information from official websites or statements, an
ccpc.ie
This Global Money Week awareness article outlines common scams targeting young people, including money mule schemes (where individuals are tricked into laundering illegal funds through their bank accounts), fake ticket sales for sold-out events, and risky cryptocurrency and forex investments that often operate as scams through romance schemes or phishing. The piece emphasizes protective measures such as never sharing bank details with untrusted parties, purchasing tickets only from official sources, and verifying investment legitimacy before committing funds.
nbclosangeles.com
A 53-year-old El Monte man, Quan Lin, was arrested in Redlands for posing as an FBI agent and defrauding a 73-year-old resident of $25,000 while attempting to extract an additional $35,000 by threatening the victim with arrest for child pornography. The victim became suspicious on the second day of the scam and alerted police, who intercepted Lin at the residence; he is being held on $250,000 bail and faces charges including elder fraud, grand theft, and theft by false pretenses. Investigators suspect Lin may be connected to similar scams in other communities.
justice.gov
Marvin Upton, a 58-year-old pastor in Crofton, Kentucky, was sentenced to 2 years and 3 months in prison for defrauding an elderly parishioner with dementia between 2013 and 2016, along with filing false tax returns to conceal the scheme. Upton was ordered to pay $500,000 in restitution to the victim's estate and $222,037 to the IRS, and the case was prosecuted as part of the National Elder Justice Task Force's efforts to combat financial exploitation of older adults.
justice.gov
Amy Elizabeth Curry, an office manager and bookkeeper at Silver Bluff senior living facility in North Carolina, was sentenced to 70 months in prison for embezzling at least $1.5 million from the facility between December 2022 and April 2023. Curry made over 154 unauthorized bank transfers to accounts she controlled, deleted wire transfer records to avoid detection, and used the stolen funds for personal expenses including a truck purchase and over $700,000 in casino gambling. She was ordered to pay $1,469,407.24 in restitution to the facility.
whec.com
Patricia Hutchins, a 53-year-old Brockport woman, faces additional charges of making a false statement and bank fraud after allegedly lying to the court about her financial inability to pay restitution to fraud victims. Hutchins had previously pleaded guilty to wire fraud conspiracy involving unemployment insurance fraud, PPP loan fraud, and elder fraud, and agreed to pay $45,000 in restitution ($20,000 to a financial institution and $25,000 to an elderly victim), but concealed significant assets including home sale proceeds and falsely claimed to have given money to Kenny Chesney for investment. The new charges carry a maximum 30-year prison penalty, and prosecutors documented that she
oag.ca.gov
California's Attorney General filed felony charges against the owner and facility manager of Granite Bay Residential Care Home for defrauding Medi-Cal of over $500,000 between January 2020 and September 2022. The defendants billed for services not provided, misappropriated funds for personal luxury purchases, and stole electronics purchased with program money. The charges include false claims, conspiracy, and grand theft by embezzlement.