#1
#2
My mum was contacted on her landline by scammers saying they were from Amazon or something of the sort and trying to prevent fraud and asked for bank details etc. My mum fell for it and would've handed said bank details over but she was blind and couldn't read the security number on her card. Luckily she called me to ask what to do and I told her to put the phone down and nothing was taken. My mum was a very sharp no nonsense woman back in the day but her age and disabilities had made her vulnerable. F*****g cunts preying on old people.
#3
We’re increasingly seeing stories like these unfold online. For example, scammers and cybercriminals stole a record total of $16.6 billion from Americans in 2024, marking a 33% increase in losses from 2023, the FBI said.
During last year, the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 859,532 complaints regarding scams, fraud, and other suspected internet crimes. The majority of reported losses — nearly 83% — were due to cyber-enabled fraud, which often involved the theft of money, data, or identity; or the creation of counterfeit goods or services, the IC3 reported.
Victims ages 60 and older were the most impacted demographic. Over $4.8 billion in losses were reported across more than 147,000 complaints for that group in 2024, with both figures increasing by more than 40% from 2023.
#4
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#6
another friend had a call from ‘her bank’ saying she had been hacked and her m savings were in the process of being stolen. She gave the caller remote control of her online banking and they stole every penny.
"As nearly all aspects of our lives have become digitally connected, the attack surface for cyber actors has grown exponentially," the FBI's Operations Director for Criminal and Cyber B. Chad Yarbrough said.
"Scammers are increasingly using the internet to steal Americans' hard-earned savings. And with today’s technology, it can take mere taps on a keyboard to hijack networks, c*****e water systems, or even rob virtual exchanges," Yarbrough added.
#7
#8
His Russian girlfriend text to say she had got 'stuck in customs' on the day she (allegedly) flew out to meet him & needed 2k to be released.
Thankfully he asked our boss to lend him the cash, so he was able to intervene & point out it was obviously a scam and no Russian beauty was actually waiting for him at Birmingham International.
#9
According to the Pew Research Center, Americans most commonly report that online hackers made fraudulent charges on their credit or debit cards. About half of U.S. adults (48%) say this has happened to them.
Roughly a quarter to a third report that three other types of scams have happened to them:
- 36% say they purchased an item online that never arrived or was counterfeit and was not refunded;
- 29% say a personal online account was hacked, such as a social media, email, or bank account;
- 24% say they received a scam email, text message, or call that led them to give away personal information.
#10
Also I tried to rent a flat, private landlord that seemed legit initially when showing me around Then I smelled a rat so did some checks and cancelled the cheque. It was a scam.
I've seen a few fairly convincing email phishing scams too. Not actually fallen for them though.
#11
#12
The Pew Research Center also found that roughly three-quarters (74%) of people who have been financially victimized by an online scam or attack say they did not report their losses to law enforcement. Only a small minority of this group — 26% — say they did.
Reporting tends to depend on the size of the loss. Americans who have been significantly harmed financially by an online scam are far more likely to report it: 42% of those whose finances were hurt “a great deal” or “a fair amount” said they informed law enforcement, compared with 24% of those whose finances were hurt “some,” and just 16% of those whose finances were hurt “a little” or “not at all.”
So, official data might not fully reflect the scope of the problem.
#13
My mum is around her age and if she announced to me/other family members that she was in a relationship with “Gerard Butter” but had never actually met or indeed spoken to him we’d set her straight pretty quickly!
#14
Since this is unusual for my mum the teller asked her to speak to the manager and they uncovered the scam. My mum was warned not tell the bank or her children as this would cause issues. Luckily my Mum can’t lie for toffee hence the manager preventing the transfer.
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#17
I didn't get it back, but got huge satisfaction from reporting him for VAT and tax evasion - saw it reported in the local press about a year later.
#18
After i had realised they were scammers and i had hung up on them I rang my bank’s number. Except I hadn’t, I rang the scammers. They told me I couldn’t lock down my account and order a new card until 8am the following morning! They proceeded to attempt to make many many online purchases, which thankfully my bank automatically twigged and froze my card.
DH rang my bank from his phone and I did get my money back eventually, but it very stressful.
#19
A friend's mum with dementia gave away about £80k to scammers sending her various investment and charity scams. My friend told her they were scams. He even got a police officer friend to come round and tell her, but she wouldn't stop giving money to these people. Eventually my friend moved in with her as her carer and was able to intercept the begging letters in the post and put a stop to it. These people are s**m.
#20
Turned out they weren't the only ones.
Police were involved and they both left the country.
So called friend came back recently when he was arrested in the country they moved to for you guessed it...... fraud!