FBI Warns Seniors to Beware of the Phantom Hacker
The Federal Bureau of Investigations is warning the public — especially seniors — about a significant increase in so-called “Phantom Hacker” scams. According to an article in the Florida Consumer Newsletter, phantom hacker scams are the tech support imposter, financial institution imposter, and U.S. Government imposter.
In most of these cases, the victim is contacted by a scammer in a call, text, email, or pop-up message claiming there have been unauthorized charges or that their account has been compromised. The victim is typically asked to provide access to their account or transfer funds to resolve the issue.
Phantom hacker victims often lose their entire banking, savings, retirement, or investment accounts under the guise of “protecting” their assets. The FBI documented more than $542 million in victim losses during the first six months of 2023, and two-thirds of them were to people over the age of 60.
If you believe you have been targeted, the FBI requests victims report fraudulent or suspicious activities to their local FBI field office and the FBI IC3 at www.ic3.gov.
The Seniors Trust is working to protect seniors and the Social Security system. We are pushing Congress to pass the Social Security Expansion Act. This landmark piece of legislation will make four major changes to Social Security for retirees: increase monthly benefits; establish a fair annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA); reduce senior poverty; and guarantee the long-term solvency of the Social Security program.
