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in Romance Scam
finance.yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
A 45-year-old neuroscientist lost $130,000 to a romance scam (pig butchering scheme) and discovered through consultation with a tax lawyer that she could claim the loss as a "casualty and theft loss" on her tax return, allowing her to deduct the losses from her salary rather than facing early withdrawal penalties from her retirement account. The victim emphasizes that scam victims should consult tax lawyers to understand their deduction options, as there is limited public awareness about how to properly account for fraud losses on taxes.
someecards.com
· 2025-12-08
This Reddit post describes a man's relationship crisis after his girlfriend lost $14,500 to a cryptocurrency giveaway scam on Twitter, with the funds coming from savings contributed by him and her parents. The girlfriend, who has a pattern of falling for fraudulent schemes including fake supplements and phishing sites, believed a 12-hour-old Twitter account would deliver 50 bitcoins and initially thought the transaction was on hold rather than recognizing the theft. The post sparked comments from others sharing similar experiences with vulnerable family members (a father who lost $34,000 to a romance/investment scam, an ex who provided banking and Social Security information to scammers), highlighting how susceptibility to fraud can
finews.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams involving cryptocurrency, known as "pig-butchering," have surged dramatically—up 85-fold since 2020 and doubling in the past year—with victims losing an average of $4,953 per scam, the highest average among all cryptocurrency fraud categories. These emotionally manipulative scams affect individuals across all wealth levels, particularly those in vulnerable life periods, with victims often making multiple payments that increase total losses significantly. Hong Kong has been particularly hard hit, with cases targeting even high-net-worth individuals and company executives, prompting government awareness campaigns though authorities appear uncertain how to effectively combat this growing threat.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
Abdul Waris Akinsanya, a 26-year-old Nigerian citizen in Oklahoma City, was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his role in a romance scam conspiracy that defrauded an Alabama victim of $2,650 in May 2020. Akinsanya opened fraudulent bank accounts under false identities using forged documents to deposit money obtained through the scam, keeping a percentage for himself. He was also ordered to pay $2,650 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following his prison sentence.
welivesecurity.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2022, seniors over 60 reported $3.1 billion in cybercrime losses to the FBI across 88,262 incidents, representing an 82% year-on-year increase, though many cases remain unreported. Digital fraudsters increasingly target senior citizens, believing they have more savings but less digital awareness to recognize scams. Common schemes include phishing, romance scams ($734 million in 2022), Medicare impersonation, tech support fraud, online shopping scams, robocalls, government impersonation ($1 billion in combined losses in 2022), and lottery fraud.
abc15.com
· 2025-12-08
During National Consumer Protection Week, authorities highlighted impostor scams as one of the most prevalent fraud schemes affecting Americans, who lost $10 billion to scammers in 2023. Impostor scams take multiple forms—including fraudsters posing as law enforcement demanding payment via gift cards or cryptocurrency to avoid arrest, and romance scams that exploit emotional connections to persuade victims to invest in cryptocurrency, often resulting in losses in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Key prevention advice includes: never send money to unknown callers, hang up and verify identities independently, and avoid gift cards or cryptocurrency transfers, as legitimate agencies and organizations will never request payment through these non-traditional methods.
stories.td.com
· 2025-12-08
This educational article outlines major fraud trends affecting consumers in 2024, noting that fraud losses exceeded $10 billion in 2023 with a 14% increase year-over-year. It describes five prevalent scam types targeting older adults: grandparent scams (impersonating distressed relatives), romance scams (building false relationships to extract money), SIM swap scams (hijacking phone numbers to access financial accounts), investment scams (promoting unrealistic opportunities with high-pressure tactics), and mail theft scams (stealing personal information from physical mail). The article provides practical prevention strategies including using family code words, conducting background checks, enabling voice authentication with banks, avoiding unsolicite
english.kyodonews.net
· 2025-12-08
Investment and romance scams conducted via social media in Japan surged dramatically in 2023, with investment scam cases jumping from 204 in July 2023 to 369 by December, causing 27.79 billion yen ($187 million) in total damage. Romance scams nearly doubled throughout the year (88 cases in January to 170 in December), resulting in 17.73 billion yen in losses, with over 72 percent of romance scam victims being induced to invest money to maintain the relationship. Victims were predominantly men in their 50s-60s and women in their 40s-50s, with scammers
english.news.cn
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Japan reported 45.52 billion yen ($308 million) in losses from investment scams via social media and online romance scams combined, with investment fraud accounting for 27.79 billion yen across 2,271 cases and romance scams totaling 17.73 billion yen in 1,575 cases. Victims were predominantly men in their 50s-60s and women in their 40s-50s, with 72.4 percent of romance scam victims manipulated into investing money to maintain the fraudulent relationship. The National Police Agency has directed prefectural police to strengthen prevention efforts and information sharing.
akron.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams targeting elders are at an all-time high, with victims losing $1.3 billion in 2022 alone—more than double the previous year. Scammers create fake profiles on dating and social media platforms to build trust with victims, then request money for emergencies or investments, often demanding untraceable payment methods like cryptocurrency or gift cards, and may also extort victims with intimate photos. The article recommends protecting oneself by consulting trusted friends before sending money, requesting video chats, using reverse image searches to verify identities, and reporting suspected fraud to the FTC and FBI.
abc11.com
· 2025-12-08
Men discovered their photographs were being stolen and used in romance scams to defraud people seeking romantic relationships. The victims came forward to report their frustration about their identities being misused for fraudulent purposes.
oklahoman.com
· 2025-12-08
A 26-year-old Nigerian man living in Oklahoma City was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for perpetrating a romance scam against an Alabama woman. Akinsanya was ordered to pay $2,650 in restitution and serve three years of supervised release following his prison term.
abc11.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scammers are stealing photos and videos from real men, particularly military personnel, to impersonate them and defraud women seeking online relationships. One Air Force flight chief reported that scammers using his pictures have stolen approximately $180,000 from victims, while an Army recruiter has also been repeatedly impersonated despite making his social media private; the scammers typically fabricate stories about being deployed abroad without funds to return home or being widowed with a dependent child. Though victims eventually discover the deception and contact the real men whose images were stolen, the scammers continue creating new fake profiles faster than they can be reported and blocked.
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul identified the top consumer scams affecting state residents, with construction/home repair fraud leading for the third consecutive year (2,091 reports), followed by identity theft (1,885 reports) and consumer debt complaints (1,683 reports). The Consumer Fraud Bureau recovered over $9 million through mediation and $76 million through enforcement actions, and the office received nearly 20,000 written complaints plus tens of thousands of calls. The attorney general recommends residents protect themselves by guarding personal information, changing passwords frequently, and being cautious of unsolicited communications, especially as scammers increasingly use AI technology.
longmontleader.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, U.S. consumers lost $4.6 billion to investment scams—a 21% increase from 2022, with $1.4 billion lost on social media platforms alone. The most common schemes include cryptocurrency investment scams (featuring fake websites and fabricated profit statements), romance scams ("pig butchering" where scammers build relationships before soliciting money), and real estate scams (fraudulent property developments). The Colorado Division of Securities urges consumers of all ages to verify investment opportunities and report suspected fraud to protect themselves from these increasingly prevalent online schemes.
aol.com
· 2025-12-08
A TikTok user exposed an elaborate romantic scam in which she married a man who used multiple fake identities across dating apps and systematically deceived her with fabricated stories, fake documents, and simultaneous relationships with other victims over 18 months. The article discusses how online dating platforms enable sophisticated romantic fraud and betrayal, with victims experiencing serious psychological consequences including PTSD, shame, and stress that exceed the impact of traditional romantic deception.
marketrealist.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scammers are systematically stealing images of U.S. military personnel to create fake profiles on social media and dating sites, deceiving victims into sending money. In 2023, the FTC received over 64,000 romance scam reports resulting in $1.14 billion in losses (median $2,000 per victim), with one Air Force flight chief's photos alone linked to $180,000 in victim losses. The article outlines red flags including requests for money, inability to video chat, and claims about bank access issues, and notes that a Texas man was sentenced to over three years in prison in 2023 for using stolen military identities to defraud victims of
yahoo.com
· 2025-12-08
Prince Oduro, a 34-year-old former JPMorgan Chase employee in Columbus, was sentenced to 8.5 years in prison for stealing $1.8 million from bank customers through wire fraud and money laundering between 2015 and 2020. Oduro accessed at least five customers' bank information and funneled stolen funds through PayPal accounts, which he also used to run concurrent romance scams where he posed as someone needing medical help or injured military personnel; one victim alone lost nearly $400,000. He was arrested in 2022, pleaded guilty in January 2023, but continued committing romance scams while awaiting sentencing, defr
cleveland19.com
· 2025-12-08
A Portage County woman on a fixed income lost at least $12,000 to a romance scammer she met online and never met in person, sending thousands in gift cards in increments of $500. The victim shared her cautionary message emphasizing that romance scammers are professional liars who will never meet their victims, will continue extracting money until it's gone, and view victims as numbers on a list rather than people they care about. She urged others in similar situations to recognize the scam and seek help through the Cuyahoga County Scam Squad.
scrolla.africa
· 2025-12-08
Western Cape police arrested a 42-year-old Nigerian man in connection with a romance scam targeting a Canadian woman who was deceived into investing approximately R24 million in a fraudulent overseas project after meeting him on social media in 2022. Police identified key warning signs of dating scammers, including excessive charm, unsolicited business proposals, reluctance to meet publicly or share identification, and fabricated stories, while victims emphasized that vulnerability to scams stems from a desire to be loved and difficulty recognizing deception even when aware of such schemes.
wral.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, the FBI reported record losses of $12.5 billion from online scams, a $2 billion increase from 2022, with investment fraud accounting for $4.5 billion of that total—much of it involving romance scams luring victims into fake cryptocurrency schemes. Ransomware attacks also surged, with reported losses jumping from $34 million in 2022 to $59 million in 2023, though the total financial impact is significantly higher when including ransom payments and recovery costs. The report underscores that these figures represent only a partial picture, as many victims do not report scams to authorities.
cryptodaily.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
The FBI's 2023 Internet Crime Complaint Center report revealed a 53% increase in cryptocurrency-related fraud losses, which rose from $2.57 billion in 2022 to $3.94 billion in 2023, with scams targeting victims across all age groups (particularly ages 30-60) through increasingly sophisticated investment schemes promising high returns. Common tactics include romance scams (resulting in $370 million in losses), business email compromise schemes, and ransomware attacks, with criminals using cryptocurrency to quickly transfer stolen funds. The FBI recommends users employ two-factor authentication and verify payment requests to reduce fraud risk, though some analysts argue reported scam revenues have declined since 2
myfox28columbus.com
· 2025-12-08
Prince Oduro, a 34-year-old from Westerville, Ohio, was sentenced to 102 months in prison for conducting romance scams and money laundering schemes between 2015 and 2020. During his employment at JPMorgan Chase Bank, Oduro stole personal information from at least five customers and used it to launder over $1 million obtained through online romance scams; he continued committing fraud even after his initial arrest in February 2022, resulting in an additional $709,500 in losses. He was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution for his crimes.
cryptotvplus.com
· 2025-12-08
Cryptocurrency scams generated at least $4.6 billion in 2023, a decrease from the previous year, though actual totals may be higher according to Chainalysis. Approval phishing and romance scams (also called "pig butchering" scams) are increasingly prevalent, with scammers using private communication channels to build fake relationships and extract money while remaining difficult to trace. Despite these challenges, progress has been made in combating crypto fraud, including a joint effort by Tether and OKX with the U.S. Department of Justice that froze $225 million linked to human trafficking, and an Interpol operation that apprehended 3,500 cyb
cointelegraph.com
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, cryptocurrency-related investment fraud caused $3.94 billion in losses in the United States—a 53% increase from 2022 and representing 86% of all investment fraud losses—with victims lured by promises of high returns. Common crypto scams include romance scams (which resulted in $374 million in stolen crypto) and phishing attacks (affecting over 324,000 users and causing $295 million in losses), with similar fraud trends occurring globally.
nypost.com
· 2025-12-08
Mona Faiz Montrage, a social media influencer with 3.4 million Instagram followers, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to receive stolen money for her role in laundering over $2 million from a West Africa-based romance scam operation targeting vulnerable older adults between 2013 and 2019. The scammers used fake identities and romantic narratives to convince lonely victims to send money for various schemes, including one victim who was defrauded of $89,000 through 82 wire transfers; Montrage faces up to five years in prison and must pay $2.1 million in restitution at her May 21 sentencing.
abc27.com
· 2025-12-08
According to the Better Business Bureau's 2023 Scam Tracker report, investment and cryptocurrency scams are the riskiest fraud type, with a median loss of $3,800, exploiting victims' lack of understanding about digital assets by promising unrealistic returns before demanding hidden fees to access nonexistent earnings. Employment scams and romance scams are also growing threats, targeting younger adults and those over 65 respectively, with victims losing not only money but also time and personal information. The BBB recommends avoiding quick financial decisions, being cautious with unknown contacts, and ignoring unsolicited links to protect against these increasingly sophisticated schemes.
thestarphoenix.com
· 2025-12-08
Saskatoon Police Service partnered with the Electronic Recycling Association to offer free secure destruction of electronics and confidential documents on March 14 as part of Fraud Prevention Month awareness efforts. The initiative comes as Canadian fraud losses reached $567 million in 2023, with investment scams, spear phishing, and romance scams causing the most financial damage, while fraud methods have evolved to include cryptocurrency schemes and sophisticated phishing techniques targeting both individuals and institutions.
cryptodaily.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
In 2023, the United States experienced a 53% increase in cryptocurrency investment fraud, with losses jumping from $2.57 billion in 2022 to $3.94 billion—accounting for 86% of all investment fraud losses. Scammers primarily used romance scams (causing $374 million in losses) and phishing attacks (causing $295 million in losses) to trick victims into transferring cryptocurrency by promising high returns or building fake relationships, with the problem affecting investors globally.
golocalprov.com
· 2025-12-08
Two men from Florida and New York—Jason Rhodes, 34, and Robert Munoz, 29—were arrested in Warwick, Rhode Island in connection with a "grandparent scam" targeting elderly residents in Warwick and Coventry after police executed a controlled money delivery on March 8, 2024. During a search of a hotel room, detectives seized evidence linking the suspects to multiple grandparent scams and a large sum of cash, with the investigation ongoing. Warwick Police are urging other potential victims throughout Rhode Island to report similar scams to their local police departments.
dailyhodl.com
· 2025-12-08
Prince Oduro, a 34-year-old former JPMorgan Chase employee in Columbus, Ohio, was sentenced to 8.5 years in federal prison for stealing $1.8 million from bank customers through wire fraud and money laundering, while simultaneously operating an online romance scam where he posed as a soldier, medical patient, or gold dealer to manipulate victims into sending money. One victim alone lost approximately $400,000 after Oduro convinced her that her deceased husband had stolen valuable artwork. Oduro was initially arrested in 2022, rearrested in November 2023 for continuing his scams, and has been ordered to repay all stolen funds.
chandlernews.com
· 2025-12-08
Joyce Petrowski, president of Resources/Outreach to Safeguard the Elderly (R.O.S.E.), will present fraud awareness and prevention strategies at the Sun Lakes Jewish War Veterans post meeting on March 17, focusing on scams targeting seniors including internet imposters, phone/robo calls, IRS fraud, and romance scams. R.O.S.E., a nonprofit founded after Petrowski's personal experience with elder fraud, delivers face-to-face education programs across Arizona to help older adults and families recognize and prevent victimization. The presentation aims to reduce both financial losses and the number of elderly fraud victims in the community.
interpol.int
· 2025-12-08
INTERPOL's Global Financial Fraud Assessment reveals that organized crime groups are increasingly using AI, large language models, cryptocurrencies, and phishing-as-a-service models to conduct sophisticated fraud campaigns targeting vulnerable people worldwide at relatively low cost. Key fraud trends include investment fraud, romance baiting (which combines romance and investment schemes), advance payment fraud, and business email compromise, with human trafficking networks increasingly forced into call centers to execute these schemes. The report emphasizes the urgent need for international law enforcement cooperation, data sharing, and public-private partnerships to combat this escalating global threat; since 2022, INTERPOL's I-GRIP mechanism has helped intercept over $500 million in criminal proceeds
southeastiowaunion.com
· 2025-12-08
Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen conducted a statewide "Stop the Scammers" educational tour in Mt. Pleasant to inform older residents about common fraud schemes including romance scams, grandparent scams, investment scams, and pig butchering scams. Ommen emphasized that scammers exploit emotional vulnerabilities and target older Iowans by conducting personal research and creating deceptive relationships to extract thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. The campaign aimed to educate residents so they could share protective information with family and friends to help prevent fraud victimization.
irs.gov
· 2025-12-08
Prince Oduro of Westerville was sentenced to 102 months in prison for wire fraud and money laundering schemes spanning multiple years, including stealing bank customer information while employed at JPMorgan Chase Bank and operating online romance scams that defrauded victims of over $1.8 million. Oduro continued committing romance fraud even after his initial arrest, causing an additional $709,500 in losses, and was ordered to pay approximately $1.8 million in restitution. Victims were deceived by elaborate stories involving medical emergencies, military service, overseas construction projects, and inherited assets, with one victim alone losing $390,300.
inews.co.uk
· 2025-12-08
**Unable to Summarize**
This article is a television review of the fictional drama series "Love Rat," not a documented case of elder fraud or scam. While the show's plot features a romance scam storyline, this is entertainment content reviewing the acting, writing, and narrative of a scripted television program, not a real fraud case or educational piece about scams.
Elderus summaries are intended for actual fraud cases, victim accounts, or educational/awareness content about real elder abuse and fraud. This does not meet those criteria.
khaleejtimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Multiple women in Dubai fell victim to romantic financial abuse and romance scams involving partners who systematically extracted money through various deceptive tactics. A Russian real estate agent lost approximately Dh150,000 over two years to an Arab boyfriend who imposed punitive "fines" for minor infractions; a British restaurateur lost Dh500,000 in a down payment to an Irish boyfriend who evicted her from an apartment; and a marketing director was defrauded of Dh30,000 by a man using a false identity. Financial abuse occurs in 99 percent of domestic violence cases globally, and the cases highlight how romance scams and economic coercion disproportionately
irishtimes.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scams involve criminals who slowly build trust with victims through online dating platforms before requesting money, with initial amounts increasing as the fraudulent relationship deepens; while law enforcement and banking authorities sympathize with victims, they have limited ability to intervene once money is sent, though community gardaí sometimes succeed where family members fail. The article identifies red flags including rapid movement off dating apps to personal messaging, avoidance of video calls despite months of communication, one-sided conversations, and urgent requests for money due to emergencies or travel costs, and recommends protecting personal information, using reputable dating sites, and never sending money to people you have not met in person.
cknxnewstoday.ca
· 2025-12-08
Grey Bruce OPP highlighted romance scams as an increasingly reported fraud during Fraud Prevention Month in March, noting that criminals target single or recently unattached individuals through dating websites, social media, and email before requesting money. Some victims have lost tens of thousands of dollars in prolonged online "relationships" that never result in in-person meetings. Police advise against sharing personal information online, verifying a person's identity, and crucially, never sending money to someone you've never met in person.
pbn.com
· 2025-12-08
A Georgia woman, Syretta Scherer, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for her role in a romance scam that defrauded seniors across multiple states, including Rhode Island, of at least $5.8 million. Scherer laundered nearly $1.1 million of the stolen proceeds by creating a fake company called Precise Carriers and opening multiple bank accounts at different banks to receive victim funds, primarily from widows who were deceived into sending money for fabricated medical emergencies. Two co-conspirators, Sade Mills and Dominique Golden, also pleaded guilty or were sentenced in connection with the scheme.
justice.gov
· 2025-12-08
**Summary:**
Syretta Scherer, a 42-year-old Georgia woman, was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on March 7, 2024, for her role in a romance scam conspiracy that defrauded seniors across multiple states of at least $5.8 million. Scherer laundered approximately $1.1 million of the scheme's proceeds by creating a fake company called Precise Carriers, opening multiple bank accounts at different banks, and recruiting others to deposit victim funds that were primarily stolen from widows through online romance scams conducted via app-based communication platforms between February 2018 and November 2019.
marinij.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance scammers exploit dating sites by building trust with victims through fabricated shared interests, then engineer financial emergencies or investment opportunities to extract money. Victims are often isolated from family and friends to prevent outside scrutiny; experts recommend showing any monetary requests to trusted contacts and remaining cautious of online partners requesting funds.
patch.com
· 2025-12-08
Naperville police reported over $750,000 in cryptocurrency losses since February, with four cases involving residents aged 43-83 in March alone. Scammers employed various tactics including hacking, romance scams, arrest scams, and sextortion to manipulate victims into sending funds. Police advise residents to avoid sharing personal information, resist pressure to act immediately, consult trusted individuals before responding, and refuse requests for payment via cryptocurrency, gift cards, or wire transfers.
theage.com.au
· 2025-12-08
A 70-year-old Melbourne retiree lost approximately $200,000 to an elaborate catfishing scam that targeted her after she posted on a cat lovers' social media page. The scammers used stolen photos and videos of Brazilian photographer Ike Levy without consent, creating fake profiles under multiple male names (Franklin Edward, Warren William, Carlos Michaelson, and others) to pose as wealthy professionals with temporary financial difficulties and romantic interest in older, single women. The criminal operation has defrauded dozens of victims globally and continues despite Meta removing some fraudulent accounts, as scammers repeatedly create new profiles using the same stolen images.
shorenewsnetwork.com
· 2025-12-08
Syretta Scherer, 42, from Georgia was sentenced to nearly four years in federal prison for her role in a multi-state romance scam that defrauded seniors of approximately $5.8 million. Scherer laundered close to $1.1 million of the conspiracy's nearly $3 million in stolen funds by creating fake bank accounts under a fictitious company and directing victims—primarily widows—to send money via wire transfer or mail based on fabricated emergencies. Operating from February 2018 to November 2019, she used structured transactions across multiple banks and recruited accomplices to open additional accounts to evade detection.
nzherald.co.nz
· 2025-12-08
An Auckland man lost $569,000 in a romance scam after meeting a woman on Tinder who posed as a Singaporean investor and convinced him to send money to a Hong Kong bank account for a Bitcoin investment scheme. Despite the victim's complaints that Westpac should have flagged red flags before processing the large international transfer, the bank initially denied liability but later made a confidential "goodwill" settlement payment. The case highlights the challenge victims face when scammers operate offshore—police declined to investigate, the Banking Ombudsman refused involvement due to the amount exceeding their $350,000 threshold, and recovery proved impossible.
securityboulevard.com
· 2025-12-08
Romance and investment scams caused over $10 billion in reported losses in 2023, with 64,000 romance scams ($1.1 billion) and 108,000 investment scams ($4.6 billion), though actual losses are estimated at $10-80+ billion annually due to significant underreporting. Scammers use researched targeting and manipulation to build trust with victims through text messages, social media, and dating sites, increasingly leveraging generative AI to create convincing deepfakes and multilingual communications that enhance credibility. Effective prevention requires cross-industry coordination to identify and block scams at their initiation points, particularly on messaging platforms like Telegram an
abc11.com
· 2025-12-08
**Spring Break Travel Scams in North Carolina**
Scammers are targeting North Carolina travelers during spring break by creating fake websites that mimic legitimate airlines, rental car companies, and vacation listing sites, often differing by only a single letter in the URL. Additional threats include "juice jacking" at public charging stations and malicious Wi-Fi hotspots that steal personal information. Security experts recommend verifying URLs carefully, using Norton's free scanning tools, employing VPNs on public Wi-Fi, and avoiding public charging stations to protect against these threats.
keysnews.com
· 2025-12-08
Americans lost a record $10 billion to scams and fraud in 2023, a 14% increase from 2022, with investment scams causing the largest losses at $4.6 billion followed by imposter scams at $2.7 billion, according to FTC data from 2.6 million consumer complaints. Fraudsters increasingly used cryptocurrency and bank transfers, while imposter schemes targeting vulnerable populations through government and business impersonation saw significant growth, with Florida ranking among the top states for per capita fraud complaints at 1,563 per 100,000 residents.