WASHINGTON (AP) — Scammers stole more than $3.4 billion from older Americans last year, according to an FBI report released Tuesday that shows a rise in losses through increasingly sophisticated criminal tactics to trick the vulnerable into giving up their life savings.
Losses from scams reported by Americans over the age of 60 last year were up 11% over the year before, according to the FBI’s report. Investigators are warning of a rise in brazen schemes to drain bank accounts that involve sending couriers in person to collect cash or gold from victims.
“It can be a devastating impact to older Americans who lack the ability to go out and make money,” said Deputy Assistant Director James Barnacle of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division. “People lose all their money. Some people become destitute.”
The FBI received more than 100,000 complaints by victims of scams over the age of 60 last year, with nearly 6,000 people losing more than $100,000. It follows a sharp rise in reported losses by older Americans in the two years after the 2020 coronavirus pandemic, when people were stuck at home and easier for scammers to reach over the phone.
Jon Wysocki dead at 53: Staind drummer passes away
Minnesota State Sen. Nicole Mitchell charged with first
$6,500 school vouchers coming to Georgia as bill gets final passage and heads to governor
Former Green Bay player Kayla Karius leaves South Dakota to return to her alma mater as coach
Elon Musk gets approval from FDA to implant his Neuralink brain chip into a second patient
Mistrial declared in case of Arizona rancher accused of murdering Mexican migrant on his land
European parliament passes law banning forced labor products — Radio Free Asia
Athens skies turn an orange hue with dust clouds from North Africa
OpenAI pauses ChatGPT voice after Scarlett Johansson comparisons
Canucks goalie Thatcher Demko will miss Game 2 against Predators
NBA playoffs: Edwards leads Wolves to 98
Dutch intelligence sees the wars in Gaza and Ukraine as triggers for terrorist threats