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cbsnews.com
· 2026-02-06
Nancy Guthrie, mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, disappeared and a ransom note demanding bitcoin payment with deadlines of Thursday 5 p.m. or Monday emerged. Despite bitcoin's semi-anonymous reputation, law enforcement experts confirm that all blockchain transactions are publicly recorded and traceable, with the ability to track wallet addresses, identify exchanges used for cashing out, and subpoena customer information from regulated U.S. crypto exchanges—providing potentially better investigative leads than traditional ransom payment methods like cash or valuables.
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KTLA 5
· 2024-02-18
Scammers in Southern California are impersonating LA County Sheriff's deputies to extort money from residents by claiming they have arrest warrants and threatening immediate arrest or jail time. The scammers use caller ID spoofing technology to display official law enforcement numbers, obtain personal information from public voter records and online data brokers, and pressure victims to pay bogus fines via cryptocurrency or wire transfers, with at least one victim losing $1,200 before realizing the fraud. Law enforcement warns that legitimate agencies never call to demand payment and advises residents to hang up and verify claims by contacting the actual agency directly.
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Tamron Hall Show
· 2024-02-21
Charlotte Kohls, a financial advice columnist for New York Magazine, fell victim to an elaborate scam that began with a fake Amazon call claiming $8,000 in fraudulent charges on a non-existent business account. The scammer then posed as an FTC agent investigating her for money laundering and financial crimes, ultimately convincing her to withdraw and hand over $50,000 in cash to a stranger. Kohls's experience serves as a warning that even financially knowledgeable individuals are vulnerable to sophisticated social engineering scams.
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FOX 13 Seattle
· 2024-02-23
Former Wells Fargo branch manager Brian Davy was sentenced to over three years in federal prison for stealing nearly $1.3 million from elderly customers in Clark County over a five-year period through unauthorized withdrawals, transfers, and fraudulent checks. Davy specifically targeted vulnerable populations including elderly individuals, people with disabilities, and those who spoke different languages, with one victim losing $566,000 from her retirement accounts. Federal prosecutors partnered with the FBI and Wells Fargo to investigate and prosecute the case, highlighting the serious threat of financial abuse by trusted financial professionals.
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NBC4 Columbus
· 2024-03-08
A former Columbus Bank employee was sentenced to over eight years in prison for stealing approximately $1.8 million from customers through two distinct schemes: accessing customer bank information to wire funds to a PayPal account, and operating online romance scams. The 34-year-old offender pleaded guilty in 2023 and was ordered to pay nearly $2 million in restitution to victims.
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FOX59 News
· 2024-03-12
Americans lost $10 billion to scams in 2023, a $1 billion increase from 2022, with investment scams being the costliest at $4 billion (averaging $7,000 per victim), followed by imposter scams at $2.7 billion and social media scams at $1.4 billion. The FTC is responding with increased enforcement actions, including 180 actions against telemarketers and new rules being drafted against impersonation fraud with tougher penalties. Consumers can protect themselves by guarding personal information, avoiding unsolicited links, and using unique passwords across accounts.
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NewsNation
· 2024-03-18
"Pig butchering" scams are on the rise, with Mexico's Jalisco New Generation Cartel and other organized crime groups using artificial intelligence, large language models, and cryptocurrencies to execute sophisticated fraud campaigns. Hundreds of victims have been lured through social media and messaging apps, with some trafficked and forced to commit fraud; the scam typically begins with a random contact offering investment opportunities before the victim is manipulated into sending money. These AI-enabled financial crimes and human trafficking schemes are expanding globally across European, Asian, and African criminal organizations.
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CTV News
· 2024-03-29
84-year-old Canadian Mabel successfully resisted two grandparent scams targeting her within a year. In the first incident, a caller claimed to be her grandson arrested with drugs and demanded $7,500; Mabel became suspicious at the bank and did not withdraw funds. In the second attempt over a year later, scammers again posed as her grandson and an RCMP officer requesting $88,000 bail, but Mabel demanded the grandson's last name, which prompted the fraudster to hang up, and she verified her grandson was safe at home.
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WREG News Channel 3
· 2024-04-09
Tennessee has reimbursed over $933,000 to SNAP benefit recipients whose EBT cards were fraudulently used through skimming, cloning, and phishing scams that drained thousands of accounts. Nearly 8,000 people submitted replacement requests since the state began accepting them in fall 2023, with approximately 78% of reviewed claims approved. The USDA reported over 162,000 fraudulent SNAP transactions nationally in fiscal year 2023 totaling $30 million, prompting calls for federal solutions including microchip technology and enhanced security measures on EBT cards.
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NBC New York
· 2024-04-10
An 83-year-old man in Great Neck was scammed out of tens of thousands of dollars after a pop-up appeared on his computer claiming it was locked and instructing him to call a number. The scammers impersonated authorities, falsely claiming he had unauthorized charges ($15,000 and $16,000) on his bank account related to illegal gun purchases and gambling, and pressured him to withdraw cash to "fix" the problem; they also intercepted his phone calls by rerouting them to their own personnel. Two suspects, Zen Shen Yu and Rong Chen, were arrested and pleaded not guilty to the fraud charges, with police capturing video of the pickup attempt.
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CityNews
· 2024-04-18
A multi-million dollar "grandparent scam" targeting Canadian seniors has been shut down after defrauding over 100 grandparents of $2.2 million. Scammers impersonated police officers, judges, lawyers, and family members, calling seniors on landlines claiming a grandchild needed bail money, exploiting their desire to help family in distress. Fourteen suspects operating from the Montreal area have been arrested and charged in a joint investigation by Ontario and Quebec police.
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CTV News
· 2024-04-18
A Canadian crime syndicate was dismantled following a multi-province investigation, resulting in the arrest of 14 suspects in the Montreal area for conducting grandparent scams that defrauded seniors of at least $2.2 million. The organized criminals contacted seniors via landlines, impersonating police officers, judges, lawyers, and family members to convince victims that grandchildren needed emergency financial help, ultimately victimizing 126 people across Canada, including 15 who were scammed multiple times.
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WJZ
· 2024-04-22
Romance scams are crimes where scammers court unsuspecting victims online to deceive them into sending large sums of money. A CBS News investigation featured a victim who, after her husband's death in 2021, joined a dating site and was contacted by a man posing as a European engineer; within a month, the scammer created an emergency to manipulate her into sending money. The key to prevention is being cautious, conducting fact-finding to verify someone's legitimacy, and recognizing warning signs when new romantic interests suddenly request financial assistance.
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CBS Mornings
· 2024-04-24
A CBS News investigation found that dating apps have become major venues for romance scams, which cost tens of thousands of Americans over $1 billion annually. One victim, Laura Coall, was defrauded of $1.5 million by a scammer posing as a romantic partner on Match.com, and the FBI reports that scammers are increasingly using dating platforms to expand their reach, with more than half of dating app users reporting they believe they've been targeted.
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CBS News
· 2024-04-29
**Romance Scam Epidemic**
CBS News investigated a national epidemic of romance scams involving victims who are manipulated into emotional relationships with scammers over dating sites, sometimes in as little as 12 days, resulting in financial losses totaling approximately one billion dollars. The investigation documented tragic cases where victims lost not only money but also their lives, including an Illinois woman whose death raised questions about whether she had been coerced into working for the scammers. Romance scams rob families of far more than financial resources, causing devastating emotional and psychological harm to victims and their loved ones.
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CBS News
· 2024-05-01
A CBS News investigation explored romance scams targeting vulnerable adults on dating platforms. The report featured the case of Laura Coal, a 57-year-old retired hospital executive who fell victim to a scammer posing as "Frank," a Swedish businessman with a fake profile photo on Match.com; within days of initial contact, she professed deep emotional attachment to someone she had never met in person. The story illustrates how lonely individuals seeking companionship can be manipulated by sophisticated scammers who exploit emotional vulnerabilities through online dating platforms.
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CBS Evening News
· 2024-05-01
The FBI reported that elder fraud complaints among Americans over 60 jumped 14% last year with total losses ballooning 11%, resulting in $3.4 billion stolen across more than 100,000 complaints filed to federal law enforcement. Scammers use tactics such as fake computer warning messages to trick victims into transferring thousands of dollars, with organized criminal networks operating from West Africa and Asia driving much of the fraud. AARP estimates the actual annual losses from elder fraud may exceed $28 billion, prompting a nationwide public awareness campaign to protect seniors.
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WFLA News Channel 8
· 2024-05-09
Bradenton police are intensifying efforts to combat financial fraud targeting elderly residents, with citizens losing over $2.5 million to financial crimes in the past year. Scammers from across the country use intimidation tactics and various schemes—including Bitcoin fraud—to frighten victims into surrendering their life savings, with police chief Melanie Bevon pledging increased resources to combat the victimization.
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FOX 13 Tampa Bay
· 2024-05-15
An 80-year-old veteran in Braton lost $1.5 million in a multi-state scam involving impersonators posing as federal agents who claimed to need his help with a Social Security fraud sting operation. Over the course of a month, the scammers convinced him to transfer his retirement funds into gold bars and conduct organized drop-offs at multiple locations, ultimately leading to the arrest of one woman allegedly connected to the operation. Police report this is a trending scheme affecting multiple states and have launched a new unit to combat elder fraud.
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News 4 (WOAI) San Antonio
· 2024-05-18
The FBI's 2023 Elder Fraud Report reveals that Texas has the third-highest rate of elder fraud in the nation, with over 7,000 complaints from seniors age 60+ resulting in nearly $300 million in losses. One elderly couple lost approximately $170,000-$200,000 to a computer popup scam, and local authorities report that in the prior year nearly 300 elderly residents in Bexar County fell victim to various scams including identity theft, wire fraud, and forgery, with 91 additional cases reported in the current year.
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NBC10 Philadelphia
· 2024-05-31
Katherine Stafford lost nearly $5,000 in a scam where an impostor posing as an Amazon representative convinced her to send money via Cash App to her granddaughter, claiming it was necessary to resolve an account issue. Although her granddaughter returned the funds as instructed, Cash App and her credit union initially denied her fraud claim because she had initiated the transfer herself, illustrating a common challenge scam victims face in attempting to recover losses.
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KTSM 9 NEWS
· 2024-06-16
The FBI reports a significant surge in elder fraud cases, with older Americans losing over $1.6 billion to financial scams from January to May 2024—a nearly $300 million increase compared to the same period in 2023. The most common schemes targeting seniors include tech support scams, romance/confidence schemes, investment fraud, and government impersonation scams, with Texas alone reporting $278 million in losses and the nation totaling $3.4 billion in 2023.
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KTSM 9 NEWS
· 2024-06-17
The FBI El Paso office reports a double-digit increase in elder fraud cases, with the most common schemes involving tech support scams, romantic/confidence scams, investment fraud, and government impersonation. The agency recommends elders verify unknown contacts through independent online research, be wary of unsolicited phone calls and mailings, and never share personally identifiable information.
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NBC4 Columbus
· 2024-06-25
According to the FBI's 2023 Internet Crime Complaint Center report, seniors over 60 reported approximately $3.4 billion in losses to fraud and scams in the past year. Common scams targeting older adults include tech support fraud, investment scams, and grandparent scams, which continue to exploit the nation's senior population. The article highlights the ongoing problem of elder financial exploitation and emphasizes the need for awareness and prevention strategies to help protect vulnerable seniors from becoming victims.
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KOAA 5
· 2024-07-18
Seniors are increasingly vulnerable to scams delivered through suspicious texts and calls, with police noting that the high volume of daily attempts contributes to successful fraud. Some seniors have lost their entire savings to scams impersonating Microsoft, banks, law enforcement, and retailers like Amazon, with loneliness and a generational tendency to trust authority figures making older adults particularly susceptible to manipulation.
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WFXR NEWS
· 2024-07-18
In May 2023, a 72-year-old Lynchburg, Virginia woman named Marsha Burks had over $8,000 stolen from her credit card by her in-home caregiver. The incident highlights a broader problem: Virginia reported over 2,000 complaints of elder financial fraud in 2023 with victims losing over $90 million. The case prompted the family to advocate for "Larry's Law," which took effect in the state to prevent elder financial abuse by allowing financial institutions to contact emergency contacts when fraudulent charges are suspected.
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Central Florida Public Media
· 2024-07-19
Volusia County Sheriff's Office partnered with a free community screening of the film "Thelma"—which depicts a 93-year-old grandmother being scammed—to raise awareness about elder fraud, which costs older Americans billions of dollars annually and significantly affects Central Florida seniors. Law enforcement officers provided prevention advice to attendees, emphasizing strategies such as not answering unknown phone numbers, ignoring unfamiliar text messages, and contacting police or trusted neighbors when uncertain.
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KOIN 6
· 2024-07-23
An Oregon couple in their early 70s lost $44,000 in a Facebook customer service scam after searching Google for help resetting a forgotten password and landing on a fraudulent website. Scammers posing as Facebook support convinced them their credit card had been hacked, then instructed them to click malicious links and ultimately wire $44,000—an irreversible transfer. The victims, who had previously watched reports about similar scams, decided to share their story to warn others about the dangers of unsolicited customer service contacts.
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CBS News
· 2024-07-31
Romance scams have become a national epidemic affecting victims across the country, with CBS News investigating a billion-dollar online fraud operation. The report features the tragic case of an Illinois woman who fell victim to a romance scam, developing an intense emotional attachment to a scammer in just 12 days, which ultimately had devastating consequences for her family. These scams exploit the emotional vulnerabilities of victims—often causing psychological harm and financial devastation that extends far beyond monetary losses.
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WGN News
· 2024-07-31
A Chicago widow lost over $100,000 in an online romance scam after meeting a man named "Gregory" on a dating site who gradually requested increasing amounts of money under various pretexts, eventually stopping contact once she ceased sending funds. The victim, living on a fixed income, cashed out an annuity to meet his escalating demands despite growing suspicions, driven by fear of losing the promised relationship and money. The case highlights how romance scams—which reported nearly 1.3 billion in losses nationally in 2022—use emotional manipulation and increasingly sophisticated AI-altered photos and videos to deceive victims, with arrests remaining rare and funds rarely recovered.
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CTV News
· 2024-08-02
A SIM swap fraud scheme in Toronto resulted in the arrest of 10 people and caused losses exceeding $1 million to victims. Scammers convince telecom providers they are the target, then transfer the victim's phone number to their own device, gaining access to two-factor authentication codes and compromising email and financial accounts. Police believe over 1,500 cellular accounts in Canada have been compromised, though experts suggest the actual number is significantly higher.
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ABC 33/40
· 2024-08-06
Elder financial abuse cases in Alabama have surged dramatically, with reported incidents increasing from 23 cases in 2016 to 243 cases within nine months of the current year, following a 2016 law requiring financial institutions to report suspected irregularities. Recent cases include a 63-year-old woman who stole $2.5 million from her elderly mother, an investor who misused client funds for personal expenses, and a trustee accused of taking over $200,000 from an elderly woman's account—highlighting how perpetrators exploit relationships of trust to financially and emotionally devastate their victims.
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Lawfare
· 2024-08-07
This is a podcast introduction featuring Arun Rao, Deputy Assistant Attorney General for the DOJ's Consumer Protection Branch, discussing the growing sophistication of fraud schemes targeting consumers and elders. Rao explains how technological advances such as robocalls, text, email, and social media have enabled fraudsters to refine their tactics and target victims with greater precision. The discussion covers the DOJ's consumer protection work, cybercrime, elder fraud, and data privacy issues.
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CBS Colorado
· 2024-08-07
A Denver couple lost $30,000 in a business email compromise scam days before closing on their home, when scammers impersonated their lender and title company to redirect closing funds. The FBI reports this real estate fraud scheme is increasingly common, with Colorado experiencing over $57 million in losses to similar business email compromise scams last year. The scammers obtained legitimate emails, inserted themselves into the couple's email chain, and conducted real-time conversations to convince them to wire closing costs to a fraudulent account.
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ABC 7 News - WJLA
· 2024-08-12
Maryland authorities arrested five people for operating a gold bar scam that targeted elderly residents in Montgomery County, with at least 20 victims losing millions of dollars combined. Notable victims include an 81-year-old woman who lost over $900,000 and a 74-year-old man who lost $240,000, with some victims now at risk of losing their homes. Law enforcement believes this organized criminal enterprise has affected many more cases beyond those identified so far.
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13News Now
· 2024-08-13
Five fraudsters were arrested in Maryland for operating a nationwide scam that has stolen at least $84 million over the past year. The scammers used fake popup ads claiming stolen personal data, then impersonated federal authorities to pressure victims into purchasing gold bars, sending couriers to collect cash; in Maryland alone, seven victims lost nearly $3 million. Authorities recommend not answering calls from unrecognized numbers and avoiding clicking on suspicious popup ads to protect against this fraud.
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KCENNews
· 2024-08-13
The Better Business Bureau reports that three major scams are currently prevalent and have stolen millions of dollars since the start of the year: employment scams that promise work-from-home jobs with easy money but steal personal information or demand upfront payments; online purchase and rental scams involving unreliable merchants who access credit card data; and cryptocurrency/investment scams that exploit people seeking quick wealth. The BBB offers a Scam Tracker tool to report fraudulent businesses and scams affecting specific areas.
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NewsNation
· 2024-08-16
**Graceland Fraud Scheme**
A Missouri woman, Lisa Janine Finley, was arrested by the Department of Justice for allegedly attempting to defraud Elvis Presley's family of millions of dollars and steal their ownership interest in Graceland. Finley falsely claimed that Elvis's daughter Lisa Marie had pledged the Memphis home as collateral for a $3.8 million loan, and she forged loan documents, a deed of trust, and filed false claims in California court in an attempt to foreclose on the property while posing as multiple fictitious lenders.
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WBIR Channel 10
· 2024-08-16
A Missouri woman, Lisa Finley, was arrested for an elaborate estate fraud scheme in which she used multiple aliases and falsified documents to claim that Elvis Presley's daughter had pledged the Elvis Presley estate as collateral for a $3.8 million loan that was never repaid. When the scheme became public, Finley blamed a Nigerian identity thief, and she now faces charges of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft.
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CNBC
· 2024-08-18
A growing "pig butchering" scam scheme targets victims through dating apps and text messages, with scammers spending weeks building trust before directing them to fraudulent cryptocurrency platforms designed to mimic legitimate exchanges. One victim lost $152,000 after being lured through Bumble; the FBI reported $4.5 billion in investment fraud losses in 2023, with 86% involving cryptocurrencies. These scams employ sophisticated social engineering tactics and fake investment apps that have prompted tech companies like Google to take legal action against developers distributing fraudulent apps on their platforms.
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60 Minutes Australia
· 2024-08-25
This 60 Minutes Australia segment exposes a large-scale scam operation headquartered in Myanmar where transnational crime bosses traffic approximately 120,000 people and force them to conduct romance scams, phishing schemes, and investment fraud against Western victims. The scammers employ sophisticated AI-powered deepfake technology and brainwashing techniques to deceive victims, while the Australian Securities and Investments Commission has shut down over 7,300 fraudulent websites but scammers continue generating billions in illegal revenue.
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NBC Bay Area
· 2024-08-30
This news segment covers two separate topics: (1) Nearly two dozen suspects tied to Oakland gangs were charged with burglaries at marijuana dispensaries across Northern California counties, stealing approximately $1 million in combined cannabis products including edibles, gummies, and plants, which they then resold on social media; (2) A brief mention of text message scams targeting consumers with unwanted communications from unknown numbers.
**Note:** This article contains limited elder fraud-specific content; only the text message scam reference may be relevant to the Elderus database.
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WGN News
· 2024-08-31
Federal Trade Commission data shows American consumers lost over $10 billion to fraud in 2023, with digital platforms making it easier for scammers to target victims. Common scams include romance/relationship scams on Facebook where perpetrators build trust before requesting money, "pig butchering" investment schemes promising fake returns, and grandparent scams, with reported losses ranging from hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars. Protection strategies include verifying urgent requests by hanging up and calling back the person directly, avoiding quick money transfers, researching websites and investment opportunities, and reporting scams to law enforcement and platforms to help track and recover stolen funds.
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ABC11
· 2024-09-05
"Pig butchering" cryptocurrency scams involve fraudsters grooming victims over months through social media to build trust before directing them into fake investment schemes promising high returns. Victims reported losing substantial sums—including Pamela Magnum who lost $70,000 and Jim Wilkerson who lost $790,000—after scammers disappeared when victims attempted to withdraw their supposed profits. The FBI has identified this as a widespread scheme stealing billions of dollars from Americans.
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WHO13
· 2024-09-08
Congressman Zach Nunn introduced legislation to combat "pig butchering" scams, which target elderly victims into investing in fraudulent opportunities; authorities seized $300 million in stolen funds from these schemes in 2023 alone. The bill would provide federal grant funding to local and state law enforcement agencies to investigate these fraud cases. Iowa's Attorney General's office reported receiving over 13,000 fraud complaints related to these scams.
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WYFF News 4
· 2024-09-09
This segment from WYFF News Four's "For the Record" series features Anderson County Sheriff Chad McBride discussing the growing scam problem affecting community members of all ages, though elderly victims are particularly targeted. The sheriff highlights multiple prevalent scam types including Facebook Marketplace deposit schemes (where sellers request $250-$1,000 deposits for vehicles that don't exist), fake jury duty calls falsely claiming to be from law enforcement demanding payment or gift cards, and other phone and internet-based fraud tactics that exploit personal information obtained from legitimate people-search websites.
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WJZ
· 2024-09-12
Cryptocurrency scams cost Maryland residents nearly $94 million in 2023, according to an FBI report, with romance-based schemes being particularly prevalent. Though representing only 10% of financial fraud complaints to the FBI, cryptocurrency scams account for 50% of total money stolen, with approximately 1,400 Maryland complaints among nearly 58,000 nationwide. The scams exploit emotional manipulation and leverage the online nature of cryptocurrency to easily access victims' financial and personal information.
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News 4 Tucson KVOA-TV
· 2024-09-19
The FBI launched a "Take a Beat" awareness campaign in response to a sharp increase in scams, reporting a 25% rise in fraud cases and $300 million in additional victim losses compared to the previous year. The campaign targets various schemes including romance scams, phishing calls, and cryptocurrency fraud, with particular concern for retirees and fixed-income individuals in the Tucson and Phoenix areas who suffer severe financial harm from losses ranging from thousands to tens of thousands of dollars.
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Forbes Breaking News
· 2024-09-18
The House Financial Services Committee held a hearing on romance confidence scams (also called "pig butchering"), examining this multi-billion dollar fraud scheme that targets everyday Americans. The scam operates by building trust with victims over weeks or months before exploiting that confidence to extract money, with text-based contact attempts increasing dramatically since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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KCRG-TV9: Your Trusted Local News Source
· 2024-09-18
AARP Iowa's Fraud Watch Program uses education and support services to help prevent and respond to scams, particularly romance scams targeting older adults. The program offers presentations, hotlines, and personalized assistance to victims, helping them navigate both financial recovery and emotional healing while addressing the shame that often prevents victims from seeking help.