Scammed
How a con man stole a woman’s life’s savings
Americans are being conned every day by increasingly sophisticated scams.
Last year, the FBI fielded more than 880,000 reports — roughly 2,400 a day — tied to internet crimes and $12.5 billion in losses, while complaints to the Federal Trade Commission accounted for a record $10 billion in fraud. And that’s just what’s been reported; law enforcement officials believe the toll is many times higher.
And therein lies the problem.
Most scam victims never report the crime, experts say, silenced by shame or fearful of ridicule. It is one of the few crimes where the victims are blamed for “allowing” it to happen.
In “Scammed,” a seven-part series, personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary deconstructs how one woman lost her life’s savings to a government impersonation scam. Singletary spent months interviewing fraud victims, law enforcement, policymakers and victim advocates, and reviewing scores of emails, texts and financial documents to show how scammers exploit human nature and technology to manipulate their victims.
Her conclusion? Anyone can be scammed.
Resources for financial fraud victims
If you or a loved one has been scammed, call the AARP Fraud Watch Network helpline at 877-908-3360 or go online at aarp.org/fraudhelpline.
AARP Fraud Victim Support Group provides an online forum for scam victims. Group sessions are confidential and led by trained facilitators. They also are open to friends and family; go to aarp.org/fraudsupport.
Though coming forward can be difficult if you’ve been victimized, it’s important to notify law enforcement. File a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission at ReportFraud.ftc.gov and the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center at ic3.gov.
About this series
KAAN Illustration for The Washington Post with animation by Charlotte Dua and Karolien Raeymaekers. Art direction and print design by Kathleen Rudell-Brooks. Digital design and development by Audrey Valbuena. Video production and editing by Josh Carroll, Amber Ferguson and Tom LeGro. Audio production by Charla Freeland. Photo editing by Haley Hamblin. Design editing by Junne Alcantara.
Editing by Robbie Olivas DiMesio. Project editing by KC Schaper and Rivan Stinson. Copy editing by Sophie Yarborough. Additional support from Maite Fernández Simon, Megan Bridgeman and Kathleen Floyd.