Florida has been hit with a dubious distinction, ranking as a hotspot for scammers targeting the elderly, second only to California in reported losses. Per the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center, Floridian seniors over 60 suffered over $180 million in losses due to various scams in 2023. Specific figures provided by the FBI include more than $90 million lost to investment fraud, $51,496,415 to tech support hustles, and north of $40 million vanishing in romance swindles.
Indeed, the nation has seen a surge in this kind of cold-calculating theft with a chilling almost 11 percent climb in reported losses from 2022, reaching a staggering $3.4 billion. This, according to a report by NBC Miami. The average older American victim is now out nearly $34,000, retirement dreams dashed, and some even driven to sell their homes, empty life savings, or in the direst of cases — resort to self-harm over the devastating impact.
"These heartless fraudsters prey on vulnerable older Americans often times leaving them destitute and unable to enjoy their retirement years," Jeffrey B. Veltri, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Miami Field Office, described the grim situation in a statement obtained by CBS News Miami. The FBI has pledged to throw the book at these con artists, utilizing their full suite of investigative tools to bring these criminals to justice.
