Scam artists using a text message to convince an elderly Jacksonville woman there was a problem with her finances were able to drain her bank account of more than $100,000.
By the time police became involved Tuesday, the woman told authorities, she had followed the fraudsters’ instructions to convert money from her account into Bitcoin and send it to them.
They were able to get about $102,000 over a three-day period, she told police.
Authorities are investigating, but also are fighting against a growing tide of savvy scams boosted by technology that give the appearance of legitimacy.
Simply put: The crooks are getting smarter.
In the first six months of last year, a record $3.56 billion was lost just to online fraud nationwide, according to the Federal Trade Commission. That was almost 50% higher than the same period in 2021.
Many of the scams targeted those 60 and older. They reported losses of $1.7 billion in 2021 — 74% more than the year prior, according to the Internet Crime Complaint Center’s Elder Fraud Report.
About $50 million was taken from Illinois residents, the report said.
The Jacksonville woman had received a text “she believed was from her banking institution’s technical support,” Sgt. Doug Klendworth said.
Such text messages, emails or phone calls often use a sense of urgency to get…
