During this Older Americans Month, the FBI Philadelphia Field Office wants to increase public awareness of common elder fraud scams, including romance scams, tech support scams, “grandparent” scams, and government imposter scams.
Every year, thousands of older Americans fall victim to elder fraud. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, people over 60 reported losing nearly $1.7 billion to scams in 2021. This represents a 74% increase over total losses reported in 2020.
In Pennsylvania alone last year, victims over 60 reported losses totaling more than $77 million, more than three times the $23.3 million reported in 2020.
Criminals target people over 60 because they are often financially stable, more trusting, and less likely to report crimes. As the older population in this country grows, we expect scammers to continue targeting older Americans.
“Scammers who prey on older folks because they consider them easy targets are despicable criminals,” said FBI Philadelphia Special Agent in Charge Jacqueline Maguire. “We’ll do our part to do all we can to bring these scammers to justice, and we ask the public to help as well, to protect our cherished elders. Please talk about elder fraud with older relatives and friends, to make them aware of the different ways criminals may try to steal their hard-earned money. And, if you’re being victimized or know someone who is, please reach out and report it to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at…
