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. |
Maine sues biochemical giant over contamination from PCBStock market today: Asian shares are mixed, taking hot US inflation data in strideAstronomers spot previously unknown moons around Neptune, UranusCBS says its daytime show 'The Talk' will end its run in December after 15 seasonsThe show goes on for Paramount with ‘Gladiator II,’ a new Damien Chazelle movie and moreA Moroccan town protests water management plansHow major US stock indexes fared Friday, 4/12/2024Big banks warn of uncertain year ahead after mixed financial performances in the first quarterBook Review: Hampton Sides revisits Captain James Cook, a divisive figure in the South PacificEating less meat would be good for the Earth. Small nudges can change behavior