Senior scams on the rise: Here’s what FBI agents say you should watch out for

MIAMI – Alejandro Martinez says he gets them all the time.

“Artificial intelligence calls me and calls me,” he said. “I don’t respond ― nada.“

But authorities say some seniors do take the bait.

South Florida FBI agents are getting the word out on the top elder fraud trends so potential victims can spot the swindle before they lose their hard-earned money.

“We’re seeing a spike recently in impersonation fraud,” FBI Miami Supervisory Special Agent Zacharia Baldwin said. “So obviously that comes with what’s happening with trends socially, economically, politically, things like that. So around tax season, we’re going to see your IRS impersonation scheme.”

He added, “Now we’re seeing a lot of immigration-related impersonation fraud.”

Baldwin said crooks target seniors because they tend to be more polite, in need of companionship and less tech-savvy in a world where the tech is getting savvier, take for example AI.

“We have seen where criminals will mimic grandchildren’s voices,” he said.

Their “grandchildren” will claim to be in trouble, needing money quickly.

“The sense of urgency is a tactic they use,” Baldwin said. “Stay calm, think logically. Say you’ll call them back and verify through a third party.”

The top elder fraud category in Florida, for the number of victims, is tech support. The highest losses come from investment scams.

Many of the investment scam crimes targeting Florida seniors have a cryptocurrency connection.

Baldwin said the scammers call it “pig butchering,” where bad actors “entice people to invest in cryptocurrency investments,” often through a fraudulent investment website.

“They say, ‘Hey, give us your money and you can make so much more on the crypto market,’ and they’re just stealing your money,” he said.

The FBI has published a list of common elder fraud schemes and how to recognize them.

FBI Florida statistics (mobile app users click here):