Investment & Cryptocurrency Fraud
Fake advisors — often met first on social media or dating apps — convince seniors to move retirement savings into fraudulent crypto platforms that show realistic fake gains before vanishing entirely. This single scam type cost Americans 60+ an estimated $4.43 billion in 2025 alone.
(FBI IC3)
2024
crypto victim
Fake Microsoft or Apple alerts claim your computer is infected. "Technicians" gain remote access, then enter your financial accounts directly.
Callers posing as IRS, Social Security, or Medicare threaten arrest, deportation, or benefit suspension unless you pay immediately in gift cards or crypto.
Fake profiles on dating sites and Facebook build genuine relationships over weeks, then manufacture a financial crisis that requires your help — and your money.
Using AI to clone grandchildren's voices from social media, scammers call grandparents claiming emergencies — bail, accidents, hospitals — and demand immediate wire transfers before you can verify.
Free equipment offers, fake Medicare representatives, and billing scams steal your Medicare number and use it to bill the system for services never rendered.
Thieves steal Social Security numbers to open credit cards, file fraudulent tax returns, access retirement accounts, and sell data on the dark web — often undetected for months.