Florida ranks second in the nation for financial scams targeting older people, FBI said
MIAMI - Americans 60 and older are losing billions of dollars a year to scammers, and Florida ranked second in the nation for the number of complaints and reported losses.
According to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, in 2023 total losses reported by those over the age of 60 topped $3.4 billion, an almost 11% increase in reported losses from 2022.
The number one complaint was tech support fraud followed by investment scams.
"Seniors in the Sunshine State reported losses of more than $90 million to investment schemes, $51,496,415 to Tech Support scams, and over $40 million to Romance scams," according to a statement by the FBI.
"These heartless fraudsters prey on vulnerable older Americans often times leaving them destitute and unable to enjoy their retirement years," said Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Miami Field Office. "We will use all of our investigative means to hold these criminals accountable."
Veltri said combatting financial exploitation crimes that target those 60 years of age and older is a priority of the FBI.
Too often, those taken advantage of feel shame and embarrassment which can prevent or delay reporting of the crime. They urge anyone who has been a victim of fraud to contact law enforcement immediately. You can call the FBI at 1-800- CALL FBI or submit a complaint to the Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
