RICHMOND, Va. (WWBT) – Criminals targeting older adults are exploiting trust, fear, grief and loneliness rather than a lack of technical skill, according to the FBI.
FBI Richmond Intelligence Analyst Heather Harris said the common image of an elder fraud victim as frail, isolated or unfamiliar with technology does not reflect the reality of these crimes.
“The fraudsters are pretty skilled, and they’re using tactics that work,” Harris said. “And honestly, it’s just being human. It’s not about the age.”
Elder fraud includes any victim age 60 or older, including many members of the baby boomer generation.
“They are from a generation of rule followers,” Harris said. “They’re polite and they’re…
Cyber fraud uses technology as the primary weapon. It is highly scalable and can be conducted from anywhere in the world.
- Phishing/Smishing/Vishing: Using deceptive emails (phishing), text messages (smishing), or phone calls (vishing) to trick victims into clicking malicious links or revealing sensitive data.
- Business Email Compromise (BEC): A high-value scam where a criminal impersonates a CEO or high-level executive via a “spoofed” email address to trick a staff member into making an urgent, unauthorized wire transfer.