Tech Support Fraud Targets Seniors
Through pop-up windows on computer screens, emails, text messages and phone calls, scammers target seniors by pretending to be tech support, there to help solve invented “problems” with their electronic devices. These criminals can then gain access to their victims’ private data and bilk them out of money.
Big money, in fact. Tech support fraud is the most reported fraud among victims over 60 years old, according to the FBI. In 2021, that agency’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, also known as IC3, received 13,900 tech support fraud complaints from older victims who lost a total of $238 million. Older victims account for 58% of the total reports of tech support fraud to the IC3 Center and 68% of the total losses.
Overall, have “risen at an alarming rate, while the loss amounts are even more staggering,” according to the IC3’s . “ In
