IC3.gov (the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center) released a new report on elder fraud that should be of interest to many of you. You can find the release here: https://www.ic3.gov/Media/PDF/AnnualReport/2022_IC3ElderFraudReport.pdf. There's also a brochure you can download here: https://www.ic3.gov/Home/EF
Summary of Elder Fraud Report:
In 2022, the total number of complaints received from victims over the age of 60 was 88,262. The monetary losses to elderly victims has risen at an alarming rate, losses of $3.1 billion were reported in 2022, which is a 84% increase over 2021. The average loss per victim was $35,101, with 5,456 victims losing more than $100,000.
Call Center Fraud (Tech and Customer Support schemes), continued to be the most common type of fraud reported by seniors, with over 17,800 complaints and over $587 million in losses. Monetary losses due to Investment Fraud reported by seniors increased over 300%, more than any other kind of fraud, largely due to the rising trend of crypto investment scams.
To educate the public and provide as much information on the types of frauds targeting seniors as possible, the IC3 has released its publication of the 2022 IC3 Elder Fraud Annual Report. This report is a companion report to the 2022 IC3 Annual Report released earlier this year. This report focus’ on crime types, state statistics, and common frauds affecting over 60 victims reporting to IC3.
Also, in the last couple weeks IC3.gov released some other alerts that may be of interest. They are:
- IC3 Warns Chinese Community: IC3 published a public service announcement yesterday to warn about a scam targeting the Chinese community in the U.S. Criminals posing as Chinese law enforcement or prosecutors are telling potential victims that they are suspects in financial crimes. Victims are told to pay the criminals or face arrest or violence. The PSA offers tips for recognizing and avoiding the scheme.
- Sextortion Victim Scam: IC3 also published a PSA last Friday warning the public about for-profit companies that are offering sextortion victims “assistance” services. While law enforcement and non-profit agencies will provide assistance at no charge to victims, these companies charge victims exorbitant fees. The PSA includes examples of deceptive tactics, provides tips for avoiding assistance scams, and explains how to file sextortion complaints with IC3.