Last year, Floridians over 60 lost nearly $710M to cybercrime – here’s what to do if you or a loved one has been scammed

A cybersecurity educator recounts helping a neighbor in her 70s after scammers isolated her through a fake bank transfer, a bogus Microsoft warning, and pressure to move her savings into cryptocurrency, draining roughly $100,000 in three days.

The FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center logged more than 1 million complaints in 2025 totaling nearly $21 billion in losses, with Americans 60 and older accounting for over 37% of losses despite being 20% of complainants. Florida, with nearly a quarter of its population over 65, ranked second nationally in losses among seniors, at almost $710 million.

A 2026 survey found 82% of U.S. adults had encountered a scam in the past year, yet only 40% of victims who lost money reported it to authorities, a gap the piece says hampers investigators from connecting cases. In the neighbor's case, reporting to the Secret Service led to an arrest within a week and a restitution order.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.