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in Government Impersonation
cbsnews.com
· 2025-12-07
Governor Kathy Hochul warned New York residents of scams targeting the state's inflation refund program, in which fraudsters falsely claim via text, email, voicemail, and mail that recipients must provide personal payment information to receive their checks. Approximately 8.2 million New York households are eligible to receive inflation refund checks of up to $400 mailed automatically starting Friday through November, with no action required from recipients, and the state emphasized that legitimate tax authorities do not contact individuals requesting personal information.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-07
Americans age 60 and older lost over $3 billion to scammers in 2023, with reported elder fraud complaints to the FBI increasing 14% year-over-year, though actual losses are likely much higher due to underreporting and unreported phone, mail, and in-person scams. Older adults are particularly vulnerable due to greater trustworthiness, financial assets, and unfamiliarity with technology, with tech-support scams being most common but investment scams proving costliest, while fraudulent call centers—increasingly using AI voice-cloning and deepfakes—accounted for at least $770 million in losses. Prevention through education on
justice.gov
· 2025-12-07
**Summary:**
Tochuwku Albert Nnebocha, a 43-year-old Nigerian national extradited from Poland, was charged in federal court for operating a transnational inheritance fraud scheme targeting American seniors over more than five years. The scheme sent fraudulent letters falsely claiming victims had inherited millions from deceased relatives in Spain and demanded upfront fees for delivery and taxes, with victims sending money through a network of compromised U.S. bank accounts and never receiving promised funds. Nnebocha faces charges of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud with a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison, and two co-defendants have already been sentenced to approximately 97 months incarceration.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-07
David Cornejo Fernandez, a Peruvian national, was sentenced to 80 months in prison and ordered to pay over $3 million in restitution for providing technology infrastructure—including internet phone lines, caller-ID spoofing services, and pre-recorded messages—to fraudulent call centers that impersonated U.S. government officials to extort Spanish-speaking victims. The scheme defrauded over 8,800 U.S. victims of more than $3 million by falsely threatening legal consequences if they did not pay for unsolicited English-language learning products. Cornejo is the ninth defendant extradited from Peru and convicted in this transn
cnbctv18.com
· 2025-12-07
A Colorado man lost $1.4 million in a romance scam after meeting a woman on the dating site Ashley Madison who gained his trust and convinced him to invest in cryptocurrency, claiming she could help protect his finances in case of divorce. Over six weeks, he made four separate cryptocurrency transfers that depleted his retirement and savings accounts before realizing the money was gone. Colorado Bureau of Investigation officials warn that romance scammers exploit emotional vulnerabilities to build trust before introducing investment pitches, and advise people to be cautious of requests for money, promises of high returns, and conversations shifted to encrypted messaging apps.
news18.com
· 2025-12-07
A Colorado man lost $1.4 million in life savings to a romance scam after meeting a woman on Ashley Madison who posed as a cryptocurrency investor and convinced him to transfer funds across four transactions over six weeks. The woman, using the name "Erin," built trust through photos, videos, and false claims of investment returns before disappearing with the money into untraceable cold storage cryptocurrency wallets. The case was referred to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation's Economic Crimes Unit, which reports a significant increase in cryptocurrency-related romance scams targeting individuals.
wwnytv.com
· 2025-12-07
Governor Hochul warned New Yorkers of scams exploiting the state's inflation refund initiative, which arrive via text, voice calls, emails, and mail requesting personal payment information to claim refunds. The New York State Tax Department and IRS do not contact taxpayers unsolicited to request personal information; recipients should block senders, delete messages, and report suspicious communications to authorities.
mirror.co.uk
· 2025-12-07
Ruth Grover, a 69-year-old from Hartlepool, received three suspicious Facebook messages from men claiming to be widowed U.S. Army generals shortly after changing her relationship status to "widow" in 2010, which prompted her to investigate romance scams. Drawing on her police background, she founded ScamHaters United, a Facebook group that grew to thousands of members worldwide, where she helps victims identify and escape romance scammers who use fabricated military or oil rig worker personas and manufactured emergencies to extract money. Though most scammers operate internationally and remain unprosecuted, Grover's group now receives approximately 300 messages daily from potential victims and has
markets.financialcontent.com
· 2025-12-07
A Colorado man lost his entire life savings of approximately $1.4 million to a "pig butchering" cryptocurrency romance scam after being lured by a woman on Ashley Madison who posed as a successful crypto trader on WhatsApp. Over six weeks, the victim was manipulated into transferring funds to a fraudulent investment app displaying fake profits, and the scam was only exposed when he was asked to pay an additional $400,000 in "fees" to withdraw his earnings. The case, under investigation by the Colorado Bureau of Investigations, highlights the vulnerability of individuals facing personal difficulties and the difficulty in recovering cryptocurrency funds once they enter anonymous wallets.
iharare.com
· 2025-12-07
**Summary:**
Interpol arrested 260 individuals across 14 African nations in a coordinated operation targeting romance scam and sextortion networks operating during July and August. The perpetrators defrauded over 1,400 victims of approximately $2.8 million by building fake romantic relationships, then demanding money or blackmailing victims with compromising images. Notable arrests included 68 suspects in Ghana, 22 in Senegal, and 24 in Ivory Coast, with authorities attributing the rise in these crimes to expanded access to online platforms.
dddnews.com
· 2025-12-07
Older adults are frequent targets for financial scams because they have accumulated wealth, may experience cognitive or sensory decline, and often grew up in a more trusting era, making them vulnerable to exploitation. The FBI estimates seniors lose over $3 billion annually to fraud through common schemes including robocalls, government impersonation scams, romance scams, tech support scams, and emerging threats like deepfakes and grandparent scams. Protection strategies include hanging up on high-pressure calls, verifying caller identities independently, and familiarizing oneself with common scam tactics.
hindustantimes.com
· 2025-12-07
**Title:** Elder abuse in the digital era
Senior citizens face increasing vulnerability to online fraud, identity theft, phishing scams, and digital arrest scams, where criminals impersonate law enforcement to manipulate victims through fear and confusion. The article emphasizes that protecting elders from cyber threats requires collective responsibility through family education, community digital literacy programs, and practical safety measures such as strong passwords, two-factor authentication, and awareness of suspicious communications. Resources like the Cybercrime Helpline (1930) and peer-to-peer support networks are recommended to help seniors stay safe online and report incidents promptly.
timesofindia.indiatimes.com
· 2025-12-07
A 65-year-old resident of Kolkata lost Rs 9 lakh to a "suicide scam," an escalated variant of digital arrest fraud, after being contacted by a fake social media profile and subsequently threatened with defamation, arrest, and murder charges by impersonators claiming to be police and YouTube officials. The scammers fabricated a suicide scenario to create urgency and fear, ultimately pressuring the victim into making multiple payments totaling over Rs 9 lakh through various bank transfers. This modus operandi, which reportedly originated in Mumbai in previous years, targets vulnerable individuals through social engineering and psychological manipulation involving false authority figures and fabricated criminal implications.
telanganatoday.com
· 2025-12-07
Two men from Maharashtra were arrested for their role in a "digital arrest" scam that defrauded a retired doctor of Rs 6.6 lakh and contributed to her death. The scammers impersonated police officials via WhatsApp video calls and forged documents, falsely implicating the victim in human trafficking and threatening arrest to coerce fund transfers; the sustained intimidation caused fatal cardiac arrest on September 8. Authorities warn that "digital arrest" is a fake scheme and legitimate law enforcement never demands money or threatens arrest to clear someone's name.
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-07
Imposter scams—where fraudsters pretend to be government agencies, relatives, charities, or tech support to trick victims into sending money or revealing personal information—are increasingly targeting Americans over 60. The six most common types include government impersonation (IRS, Social Security), unemployment fraud, grandparent scams (some using AI voice cloning), charity scams, and tech support scams, with criminals using sophisticated tactics like fake caller IDs and personal data harvested from social media. To protect yourself, be suspicious of unsolicited contact via phone, text, or email from government agencies; verify requests through official channels; and never send money via cash, gift cards, or wire transfers to
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-07
Financial scams targeting Americans aged 60 and older have quadrupled since 2020, with losses from high-value scams (over $100,000) escalating from $55 million in 2020 to $445 million in 2025, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Scammers employ sophisticated impersonation tactics—posing as banks, retailers, government agencies, or law enforcement—and exploit fear and urgency to pressure victims into disclosing sensitive information without verification. Protection strategies include pausing before responding to suspicious contact, independently verifying claims through official channels, and establishing family communication protocols to provide trusted guidance during potential fraud attempts.
police.boston.gov
· 2025-12-07
Imposter scams targeting older adults have surged 400% since 2020, with victims losing $10,000 or more by being tricked into transferring money to scammers posing as banks, government agencies, or tech companies. Common schemes involve criminals claiming suspicious account activity, linking victims to criminal activity with threats of arrest, or reporting hacked computers, often using spoofed phone numbers and fake credentials to appear legitimate. Protection strategies include never transferring money to "protect" accounts, hanging up to verify contact through official channels, and using call-blocking tools, with victims encouraged to report incidents to local police, the FTC, or FBI's IC3.
vindy.com
· 2025-12-07
**Mail-Related Scams Targeting Older Adults**
This educational article outlines five primary mail-related scams affecting seniors: thieves stealing mail from unsecured mailboxes and altering checks, fake "Delivery Notification Failure" emails and texts containing malicious links, fraudulent messages from the "Postmaster General" requesting money orders for fake lottery winnings, malicious QR codes posing as USPS communications, and traditional mail scams involving employment offers and lottery schemes. The article advises depositing mail directly at post offices, ignoring unsolicited postal notifications, never clicking suspicious links or QR codes, and discarding letters offering unrealistic money
sdfoundation.org
· 2025-12-07
The Escondido Community Foundation awarded $203,000 in grants to nine local nonprofits on September 25, 2025, with a specific focus on supporting Escondido's senior population through programs combating elder fraud, reducing social isolation, and improving access to basic necessities. Grant recipients include organizations providing meal programs, intergenerational activities, housing support, transportation, and educational services to low-income and vulnerable seniors in the area.
hkma.gov.hk
· 2025-12-07
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) has launched a consultation with retail banks to develop a framework for determining shared responsibility when customers suffer losses from authorized payment scams. The framework aims to clarify liability in cases where customers are deceived into authorizing transactions (such as romance scams), distinguishing them from unauthorized transactions where banks bear full responsibility, and will assess both banks' anti-scam measures and customers' diligence in preventing fraud.
tnonline.com
· 2025-12-07
"Phantom hacker" scams targeting seniors have surged nationwide, with Americans losing over $1 billion to these multiphase social engineering attacks that often drain entire retirement accounts. Nearly half of victims are over 60, with seniors representing two-thirds of total losses, as scammers use spoofed numbers and multiple impersonators (posing as tech support, bank representatives, and government officials) to create convincing narratives that manipulate victims into transferring funds. The Cybersecurity Association of Pennsylvania urges families to educate seniors on red flags—such as requests for wire transfers, cryptocurrency, or prepaid cards—and to report suspicious contact to the FBI or Internet Crime Complaint Center
tribtoday.com
· 2025-12-07
**Mail-Related Scams Targeting Older Adults**
This educational article identifies several mail and postal-related scams commonly targeting seniors, including physical mailbox theft of checks, phishing emails/texts impersonating the Postal Service, fake messages claiming millions in waiting parcels, malicious QR codes, and traditional letter-based schemes involving employment offers and sweepstakes. The article advises depositing mail directly at post offices, ignoring unsolicited postal communications and QR codes, never clicking suspicious links, and discarding letters with unrealistic offers, while noting that the Postal Service never notifies customers about delivery issues via email or text.
states.aarp.org
· 2025-12-07
Cryptocurrency ATMs, which lack traditional banking regulations, have become a major fraud vector in Arizona and nationwide, with the FBI reporting 10,956 complaints totaling $246.7 million in losses in 2024—a 99 percent increase from 2023. Older adults over 60 are disproportionately targeted through common scams (government impersonation, investment, and romance schemes) that trick victims into withdrawing cash and converting it to cryptocurrency, which is nearly impossible to recover. In response, Arizona passed HB 2387 in 2025, which implements daily transaction caps ($2,000 for new customers, $10,500 for existing customers),
becu.org
· 2025-12-07
This educational article identifies the six most common financial scams in 2025, including imposter scams, online shopping scams, investment scams, job opportunity scams, carrier scams, and debt/credit scams, which are perpetrated through phone calls, texts, emails, social media, websites, and pop-ups. According to the Federal Trade Commission, scams resulted in $12.5 billion in losses in 2024, with people aged 70 and older losing significantly more money than any other age group, sometimes losing their entire life savings. The article advises consumers to avoid clicking links in unsolicited messages, verify the legitimacy of contacts before sharing personal information, and remain vigil
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-07
Attackers are exploiting Apple's iCloud Calendar invite system to send sophisticated phishing messages that bypass spam filters by originating from Apple's official servers. The scam falsely claims unauthorized PayPal transactions and directs victims to call a fake support number, where scammers attempt to gain remote access to devices or steal sensitive financial information. Users should treat unexpected calendar invites with suspicion and verify claims directly through official company accounts rather than responding to embedded messages or calling provided numbers.
microsoft.com
· 2025-12-07
Researchers at University College London studied the "hi mum and dad" SMS scam, where fraudsters impersonate children to convince parents to send money urgently. Through collaboration with a UK mobile operator and undercover interactions with 711 scammers, the study identified 582 mule accounts and found scammers requested over £577,000 in a three-month period, primarily exploiting psychological principles of kindness, distraction, and time pressure. The research provides the first empirical analysis of this technique and recommends mitigations involving mobile operators and financial institutions.
fallriverreporter.com
· 2025-12-07
Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes resulting in over $26 million in losses, with 59 Massachusetts victims (98% over age 60) losing $18.6 million collectively. The scams primarily used "grandparent," "government impersonation," or "tech support" tactics to trick victims into giving cash or gold bars to couriers, with the FBI reporting at least 1,737 similar incidents nationwide totaling approximately $186.2 million in losses during the same period.
citizen.co.za
· 2025-12-07
The Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD) warned the public about a WhatsApp-based recruitment scam falsely offering jobs with the department, where a person claiming to be "T Kuduza" solicited payments of R2,500 to R7,000 from applicants to skip parts of the recruitment process. The JMPD emphasized that it does not charge any fees for recruitment and that official communication never requests payment via eWallet or Cash Send, urging the public to be cautious during a period of high unemployment (33.2%). Those who received fraudulent messages or fell victim were instructed to report the scam to the department's Internal Affairs Unit.
newsbytesapp.com
· 2025-12-07
A senior lawyer in Pimpri, India lost ₹1.8 crore in a "digital arrest" scam between September 4-19, 2024, after fraudsters impersonating CBI officers falsely accused him and his wife of involvement in a money laundering case involving a forged Aadhaar card and threatened their arrest. Despite government warnings and increased awareness efforts by India's Home Ministry and Prime Minister Modi, such scams continue to proliferate, with stolen funds frequently being routed through international cybercrime networks.
mychesco.com
· 2025-12-07
Pennsylvania Attorney General Dave Sunday warns seniors of a rising Medicare scam involving unsolicited shipments of durable medical equipment (such as oxygen machines and wheelchairs) that scammers bill to patients or Medicare without legitimate prescriptions. The scam is used as a pretext to collect fraudulent payments and reimbursements from both individuals and the state Medicare program. Seniors are advised to review Medicare claims regularly, refuse to share personal information with unknown callers, verify questionable medical bills with their doctors, and report suspected scams to Medicare (1-800-MEDICARE) or the Attorney General's office.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-07
Overpayment scams are rising in frequency and can leave victims thousands of dollars in debt by sending counterfeit checks for more than agreed amounts, then requesting the victim forward the difference to a third party before the fraudulent check bounces. Common variations include dog-walking services, online marketplace sales, mystery shopper jobs, rental deposits, and work-from-home equipment schemes, all following the same pattern of false urgency and fabricated legitimacy. Protection requires verifying payment methods, refusing third-party forwarding requests, using secure online payment systems, and reporting suspicious activity to the FTC and state authorities.
devonlive.com
· 2025-12-07
Between January and August, TSB Bank reported a 211% increase in driving lesson and test scams targeting learner drivers, with victims losing an average of £244 each. Fraudsters used fake social media accounts, bogus lesson offers, and fraudulent websites mimicking official DVSA sites to convince learners to pay upfront for non-existent fast-tracked tests or lessons. Experts advise learner drivers to verify sellers through official channels, avoid unofficial routes, and watch for red flags like "fast-tracked" test promises.
techlusive.in
· 2025-12-07
A 78-year-old retired banker in Delhi lost his life savings of Rs 23 crore (approximately $2.76 million USD) to a "digital arrest" fraud scheme that spanned over one month, beginning in August 2025 when scammers posing as mobile company and police officials falsely claimed his Aadhaar card was linked to terror funding. The fraudsters used fake RBI certificates and threats against his family to pressure the victim into liquidating his mutual funds and transferring funds through multiple transactions, though police have since frozen approximately Rs 2.67 crore and launched an investigation. This case highlights the growing threat of digital arrest scams targeting
franklinobserver.town.news
· 2025-12-07
Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly residents, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with Massachusetts victims accounting for $18.6 million of that total. The scams typically involved fraudsters impersonating family members, government officials, or tech support representatives who convinced victims (98% over age 60) to either transfer funds to fake accounts or hand cash and gold to couriers sent to their homes. Nationally, the same period saw at least 1,737 similar courier fraud cases with approximately $186.2 million in documented losses, though the actual total is believed to be significantly higher.
thecharlottepost.com
· 2025-12-07
At a JPMorganChase-sponsored panel during the 2025 NABJ convention in Cleveland, financial and cybersecurity experts educated journalists about evolving fraud and scam tactics, noting that in 2024 the FTC received complaints totaling $12.5 billion in losses, with one in three Americans experiencing a scam in the past year. The panel distinguished between fraud (illegal account access) and scams (manipulation to extract personal information), and highlighted emerging threats including AI-generated impersonations that use social media information to create convincing fake communications from loved ones. Key prevention strategies include verifying sources, using two-factor authentication, and consulting trusted contacts before responding to suspicious requests.
bostonherald.com
· 2025-12-07
Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly residents, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with Massachusetts victims (59 people, mostly over age 60) accounting for $18.6 million of that total. The scams typically impersonated family members, government officials, or tech support, convincing victims to withdraw cash or purchase gold bars for courier pickup. The FBI advises that legitimate government agencies never request gold purchases or large cash withdrawals, and encourages victims to report incidents immediately to ic3.gov or the DOJ Elder Justice hotline.
bostonherald.com
· 2025-12-07
Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly victims, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with 59 Massachusetts residents losing $18.6 million. Nearly all victims (98%) were over 60 years old, and the scams typically involved perpetrators posing as distressed family members, government officials, or tech support to pressure victims into purchasing gold bars or withdrawing cash for pickup by couriers. The FBI advises that the government never requests precious metals purchases and recommends victims report incidents to ic3.gov or contact the DOJ Elder Justice hotline at 1-833-
einpresswire.com
· 2025-12-07
Kimberly Stamps, an Arizona woman, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud for operating a mass-mailing prize notice scheme that defrauded thousands of elderly and vulnerable consumers of over $15 million between 2012 and 2018. The scheme involved sending fraudulent notices claiming victims had won cash prizes, requiring fees of $20-$50 to claim their winnings, with victims receiving only worthless trinkets or sweepstakes reports instead. Stamps, who violated a prior postal service cease-and-desist order, is the third and final defendant to plead guilty in the conspiracy.
straitstimes.com
· 2025-12-07
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (Iras) warned the public against phishing scam e-mails with subject line "Refund Ticket" that falsely claim recipients are eligible for tax refunds due to overpayment. The scam e-mails contain malicious links directing users to phishing websites; Iras emphasized it never sends e-mails about tax refunds and automatically credits legitimate refunds directly to registered bank accounts or PayNow. In 2023, at least 52 people in Singapore lost approximately $2.3 million to similar Iras impersonation scams, with 79 percent involving fraudulent refund offers.
hindustantimes.com
· 2025-12-07
A 78-year-old retired banker in Delhi lost his entire life savings of ₹23 crore to a "digital arrest" scam between August and September, after receiving calls from fraudsters posing as mobile company representatives and Mumbai Police officers who falsely claimed his Aadhar card was involved in terror funding cases. The scammers held him under virtual confinement for over a month, threatening to implicate his family members in terror cases and using forged RBI certificates to convince him his money was being "verified" before being returned. Delhi Police's cyber fraud unit launched an investigation and managed to freeze ₹2.67 crore across multiple layered bank accounts used by the perpetrators
wmur.com
· 2025-12-07
The FBI identified 15 victims in New Hampshire who lost over $4 million to courier and gold bar scams between 2023 and 2025, with officials believing actual losses are significantly higher due to underreporting. Scammers employed multiple tactics including posing as distressed family members, law enforcement, or government officials to pressure victims into sending cash or purchasing gold bars. The FBI reports a 50% increase in scam complaints statewide, with over 400 complaints and $16 million in losses reported in the previous year alone.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-07
Kimberly Stamps, owner of a mass-mailing prize notice fraud scheme, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud after defrauding thousands of elderly and vulnerable consumers of over $15 million between 2012 and 2018. The scheme involved sending millions of fraudulent notices claiming victims had won large cash prizes if they paid $20-$50 fees, then inundating responsive victims with additional fraudulent mailings while delivering only worthless trinkets or sweepstakes reports. Stamps has been sentenced as the third conspirator to plead guilty, and the Justice Department urges seniors to disregard unsolicited prize notifications and contact the National Elder Fraud Hot
mlive.com
· 2025-12-07
The FBI warned of a new scam in which threat actors create fake versions of the official Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) website to steal personally identifiable information and banking details from victims who believe they are reporting crimes to the legitimate government agency. To protect themselves, users should access IC3 only by typing www.ic3.gov directly into their browser, avoid sponsored search results, verify the .gov domain, and remember that the FBI will never request payment for fund recovery or maintain social media accounts.
foxnews.com
· 2025-12-07
This educational article explains how fraudsters exploit social media platforms through fake accounts and purchased verification badges to deceive users. The piece outlines why social media is vulnerable to scams—including speed of information sharing, weakened verification systems, and users' tendency to lower their guard—and provides practical protective steps such as scrutinizing profiles before engagement, avoiding suspicious links, and using reverse image searches to verify authenticity.
cbs12.com
· 2025-12-07
Scammers impersonating federal agents have been targeting residents in Miami-Dade, Broward, and Palm Beach Counties with phone calls using voice-altering technology and spoofed caller IDs, instructing victims to wire "settlement" funds for fake investigations. In 2024, Florida residents reported 1,579 such impersonation scams resulting in over $12 million in losses. The FBI advises victims to hang up immediately and report incidents to ic3.gov or call 1-800-225-5324, and recommends avoiding calls from unknown numbers, never sending money to strangers, and protecting Social Security numbers.
wcvb.com
· 2025-12-07
Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly victims, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with 59 Massachusetts residents losing $18.6 million collectively. Nearly all victims (98%) were over 60 years old and were deceived through grandparent, government impersonation, or tech support scams that convinced them to hand over cash or gold bars to couriers posing as legitimate third parties. Nationally, the FBI documented at least 1,737 similar instances during this period with approximately $186.2 million in losses, and officials urge the public to educate elderly relatives about
statehousenews.com
· 2025-12-07
Between 2023 and May 2025, the FBI's Boston Division documented 103 courier-based fraud schemes targeting elderly residents, resulting in over $26 million in losses, with 59 Massachusetts victims accounting for $18.6 million of that total. Nearly all victims were over 60 years old and were deceived through "grandparent," "government impersonation," or "tech support" scams that manipulated them into withdrawing cash or gold bars for a third-party courier to collect. The FBI reports this is part of a national trend affecting 1,737 victims with approximately $186.2 million in losses and urges the public to educate elderly relatives
bankingjournal.aba.com
· 2025-12-07
The FBI warned that scammers are creating fake websites that impersonate the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) to steal consumers' financial and personal information. The IC3 does not partner with law firms or cryptocurrency services to recover funds, and the FBI recommends consumers verify they are on the legitimate site by typing www.ic3.gov directly into their browser and checking for the ".gov" domain. Victims should report encounters with spoofed IC3 sites to their local FBI field office or through the official IC3 website.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-07
Shirley Waller, 43, of St. Louis County, Missouri, was sentenced to 93 months in prison (78 months for fraud crimes consecutive to 15 months for firearm possession) and ordered to repay $313,711 to victims. Waller acted as a "money mule" for overseas scammers, receiving over 193 packages of cash at her home from victims of online fraud schemes, including a 71-year-old woman who lost $35,000 in a romance scam, and she also committed pandemic loan fraud ($19,235) and mortgage fraud ($196,000). The government estimates the overseas fraud ring stole over $1
wealthmanagement.com
· 2025-12-07
Since 2024, seniors in the United States have lost over $1 billion to increasingly sophisticated scams that employ technology, psychology, and artificial intelligence to target victims. Common schemes include tech support hoaxes, fake bank fraud calls, and government impersonations, now enhanced by AI tools such as voice cloning and personalized phishing that make fraudulent contact more convincing. The article recommends key defenses including verifying caller identity through independent phone numbers, never sharing sensitive information, remaining skeptical of urgent demands, and reporting suspicious activity to financial institutions and the Federal Trade Commission.