Sophisticated Scammers Targeting Elderly Americans: A Growing Crisis of Fraud and Violence

Cincinnati, Ohio, Ohio United States of America
Criminals use technology like AI for internet and telephone scams.
Older Americans, holding significant wealth, are attractive targets.
One example: An 81-year-old man in Ohio shot an Uber driver during a scam, perpetrator remains at large.
Sophisticated scammers are targeting elderly Americans, stealing billions of dollars each year.
Victims rarely get their money back; types include romance, grandparent, and technical support scams.
Sophisticated Scammers Targeting Elderly Americans: A Growing Crisis of Fraud and Violence

The scammers are winning the battle against Americans, particularly the elderly population, as they steal billions of dollars every year with most perpetrators getting away with their crimes.

According to reports from various sources, including AARP's Fraud Watch Network and law enforcement agencies such as the FBI and local prosecutors,

sophisticated overseas criminals are using technology like AI to perpetrate internet and telephone scams that have grown exponentially. These scams target older Americans who hold significant wealth, making them an attractive target for fraudsters.

One tragic example of this occurred in Ohio when an 81-year-old man was targeted by a scammer, leading him to respond with violence and fatally shoot an Uber driver. The scammer who instigated the situation remains on the loose, highlighting the challenge law enforcement faces in catching these criminals.

Victims of these scams rarely get their money back. Older Americans have lost life savings through various types of fraud, including romance scams, grandparent scams, and technical support fraud. The crisis level in fraud in society is a growing concern as it becomes increasingly easy for criminals to make significant profits with little chance of getting caught.

The FBI and other law enforcement agencies are working diligently to investigate elder financial abuse cases and bring perpetrators to justice. However, the high threshold for federal prosecution of elder financial abuse makes it a challenge for them to address this issue effectively.

It is essential for individuals, particularly older Americans, to be aware of the risks and take steps to protect themselves from scams. This includes being cautious when receiving unsolicited calls or emails, verifying the identity of callers before sharing personal information, and reporting any suspicious activity to law enforcement.


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Confidence

85%

Doubts
  • Are there any statistics on how many perpetrators have been caught?
  • Is the number of victims specifically mentioned in the article?

Sources

88%

The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
(Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

Scammers get away with billions from elderly Americans every year

New York Post Associated Press Sunday, 07 July 2024 13:34
  • Unique Points
    • Some elderly victims respond with violence when they believe they are being scammed
    • William Bortz lost nearly $700,000 to an elaborate scam involving a fake refund processing center and doctored bank statements
    • Elderly people hold more wealth as a group and present a ripe target for scammers, with potential losses being devastating for many victims
  • Accuracy
    No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
  • Deception (50%)
    The article contains several instances of sensationalism and emotional manipulation. The author uses phrases like 'scammers are winning', 'exponentially', 'crisis level in fraud in society', and 'very good at deceiving people' to create a sense of urgency and fear around the issue of elder fraud. This is intended to elicit an emotional response from readers, making them more likely to engage with the article and share it with others.
    • The scammers are winning.
    • These people are very good at what they do, and they’re very good at deceiving people and prying money out of them.
    • So many people have joined the fray because it is pretty easy to be a criminal. They don’t have to follow any rules. And you can make a lot of money, and then there’s very little chance that you’re going to get caught.
    • The impact can be devastating since many of these victims are past their working years and don’t have much time to recoup losses.
    • Internet and telephone scams have grown exponentially.
  • Fallacies (100%)
    None Found At Time Of Publication
  • Bias (95%)
    The article does not demonstrate any clear bias towards a specific political, religious, ideological or monetary position. However, the author does use language that depicts scammers in a negative and extreme manner ('sophisticated overseas criminals', 'grifts', 'law enforcement challenge'). This could be seen as an example of sensationalist language used to grab the reader's attention. The author also quotes Kathy Stokes, director of fraud prevention at AARP's Fraud Watch Network, who expresses concern about the increasing prevalence and difficulty of investigating financial scams. This quote does not reflect any bias on the part of the author but rather presents an objective fact and a perspective from an expert in the field.
    • It's a little bit like drinking from a fire hose
      • Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year
        • There's just so much of it, logistically and reasonably, it's almost impossible to overcome right now
        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication

        84%

        The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
        (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

        A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

        Scammers are swiping billions from Americans every year. Worse, most crooks are getting away with it

        The Associated Press News Sunday, 07 July 2024 04:03
        • Unique Points
          • An 81-year-old man was targeted by a scammer and allegedly responded with violence, fatally shooting an Uber driver.
          • Homeowner William Brock was charged with murder in the fatal shooting but the scammer who threatened Brock over the phone and set the tragic chain of events in motion remains on the loose more than three months later.
        • Accuracy
          No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
        • Deception (30%)
          The article contains sensationalist language such as 'scammers are winning', 'crime wave', and 'crisis level in fraud'. The author also uses emotional manipulation by describing the impact of scams on older people and their life savings. There is selective reporting, as the article focuses on cases where victims have lost large sums of money without mentioning that most scams result in smaller losses or no financial loss at all. The article also implies facts without providing sources, such as 'Internet and telephone scams have grown exponentially' and 'victims rarely get their money back'.
          • Victims rarely get their money back, including older people who have lost life savings to romance scams, grandparent scams, technical support fraud and other common grifts.
          • Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year, a crime wave projected to get worse as the U.S. population ages and technology like AI makes it easier than ever to perpetrate fraud and get away with it.
          • We are at a crisis level in fraud in society.
          • The scammers are winning.
          • So many people have joined the fray because it is pretty easy to be a criminal. They don’t have to follow any rules. And you can make a lot of money, and then there’s very little chance that you’re going to get caught.
        • Fallacies (100%)
          None Found At Time Of Publication
        • Bias (95%)
          The article expresses a clear bias towards the issue of elder fraud and scams, with multiple statements implying that the problem is getting worse and that law enforcement and industry are not doing enough to combat it. The author also quotes experts who express frustration with the lack of resources for investigating these crimes and the difficulty in catching perpetrators, particularly those operating overseas. There is no bias against any particular political or ideological position, but the tone of the article is critical towards law enforcement and industry for not doing enough to address this issue.
          • It's a little bit like drinking from a fire hose
            • Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year
              • There's just so much of it, logistically and reasonably, it's almost impossible to overcome right now.
                • The U.S. can’t prosecute its way out the problem.
                • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Author Conflicts Of Interest (0%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication

                88%

                The overall score is a weighted number that takes into account conflict of interest, bias, deception and other practices that undermine the credibility of the source. It is calculated as:
                (Site Conflicts Of Interest + Author Conflicts Of Interest) / 2.0 * 0.2 + ArticleBiasScore * 0.20 + UniquePointsScore * 0.05 + DeceptionScore * 0.20 + ReadabilityScore * 0.05 + FallacyScore * 0.20

                A score that takes into consideration the content for flow, interruptions with ads, and overt search engine optimization techniques that makes the content hard to understand

                Scammers swipe billions from Americans every year. Most crooks get away with it

                ABC NEWS SITE NAMES Name: ABC News Site Names URL: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/us-officially-blames-iran_106834435 ABC News Sunday, 07 July 2024 15:42
                • Unique Points
                  • An 81-year-old man was targeted by a scammer and fatally shot an Uber driver in Ohio.
                  • Homeowner William Brock was charged with murder but the scammer who threatened him over the phone remains on the loose.
                • Accuracy
                  No Contradictions at Time Of Publication
                • Deception (50%)
                  The article contains several instances of sensationalism and emotional manipulation. The author uses phrases like 'scammers are winning', 'exponential growth of scams', 'crisis level in fraud in society', and 'pretty easy to be a criminal' to create a sense of urgency and fear. The author also quotes Kathy Stokes saying, '“We are at a crisis level in fraud in society.”' This statement is not factual and is an exaggeration meant to elicit an emotional response from the reader.
                  • There's just so much of it, logistically and reasonably, it's almost impossible to overcome right now.
                  • It's a little bit like drinking from a fire hose.
                  • Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year, a crime wave projected to get worse as the U.S. population ages and technology like AI makes it easier than ever to perpetrate fraud and get away with it.
                  • The scammers are winning.
                • Fallacies (100%)
                  None Found At Time Of Publication
                • Bias (95%)
                  The article expresses a clear bias towards the issue of scammers and the harm they cause to Americans, particularly older people. The author uses strong language such as 'scammers are winning', 'crisis level in fraud in society', and 'so many people have joined the fray because it is pretty easy to be a criminal'. These statements demonstrate a negative attitude towards scammers and an emphasis on the harm they cause, which could be perceived as biased. The article also quotes Kathy Stokes, Brady Finta, and Paul Greenwood expressing their concerns about the prevalence of scams and the difficulty in investigating them. While these quotes are not biased in themselves, they reinforce the negative tone towards scammers set by the author.
                  • It's a little bit like drinking from a fire hose
                    • Sophisticated overseas criminals are stealing tens of billions of dollars from Americans every year
                      • There's just so much of it, logistically and reasonably, it's almost impossible to overcome right now.
                        • The scammers are getting better.
                        • Site Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                          None Found At Time Of Publication
                        • Author Conflicts Of Interest (100%)
                          None Found At Time Of Publication