U.S. Attorney's Office Co-Hosts 3rd Annual “Walk For Awareness ” Ahead of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – In advance of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is joining Age-Friendly Mecklenburg and AARP-Charlotte to co-host the 3^rd Annual Walk for Awareness on Wednesday, June 11, 2025, at Freedom Park in Charlotte. Registration for the walk opens at 8:00 a.m. at Shelter #5 (adjacent to bandshell). The walk will begin at 9:00 a.m.

“Elder abuse, neglect, or exploitation affects too many older adults in our communities. Sadly, crimes against the elderly often go unreported. That’s why it’s important to raise awareness about what financial, physical, or emotional abuse looks like and how to seek help. By participating in events like this walk, we can all take an important step toward protecting our elders to ensure that they can live their advanced years with safety and dignity,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson.

First recognized on June 15, 2006, by the International Network for the Prevention of Elder Abuse and the World Health Organization, World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD) seeks to promote a better understanding of the abuse and neglect suffered by millions of older adults, and bring attention to the cultural, social, economic, and demographic factors that contribute to elder abuse.

Financial exploitation is one of the fastest-growing crimes against older adults. According to the FBI’s Internet Crimes Report, a record number of financial losses were reported in 2024, totaling a staggering $16.6 billion. As a group, those over the age of 60 suffered the most financial losses ($4.8 billion) and submitted the most complaints (147,127). North Carolina ranked #9 in the number of complaints submitted to IC3 and #12 in reported financial losses. The report further indicates that investment fraud, tech support scams, extortion schemes and non-payment/non-delivery scams continue to impact older adults disproportionately, and government impersonation, romance scams, and phishing schemes continue to cost millions in losses for the 60+ population.

“It is not that older adults are more gullible,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson, “it’s that they have built up the assets that make them targets for criminals.”

Through prosecutions, the U.S. Attorney’s Office continues to combat elder fraud involving domestic and transnational perpetrators. Major strides have already been made to that end:

• In May, a California man was indicted for allegedly orchestrating a $4 million investment scheme that targeted elderly and vulnerable victims.        
• In March, a Nigerian national pleaded guilty to laundering millions in criminal proceeds linked to criminal activity, including romance scams that targeted older adults.
• In March, a foreign national was extradited from Spain to face charges in Western North Carolina for an alleged international “tech support” scheme that targeted victims across the United States, including victims who were 55 and older.

In addition to prosecuting elder fraud cases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, through its Elder Justice Initiative, partners with law enforcement agencies, local governments, and community organizations to ensure that older adults, caretakers, and those who come in frequent contact with the elderly are educated on how to detect, prevent, and report elder fraud, neglect, and abuse.

In May, the U.S. Attorney’s Office participated in Age Friendly Mecklenburg’s annual Scam Jam to help educate older Americans on how to spot the tell-tale signs of potential scams and where to seek help if fraud is suspected. 

The U.S. Attorney’s Office continues its efforts to educate the public by distributing the latest trends in schemes targeting older adults and sharing tips on how to be protected from scammers.

Additional financial schemes targeting older Americans are:

• Tech Support Scams – Convince victims to pay for non-existent problems with their computers.
• Non-Payment/Non-Delivery Scams – Induce victims to pay for goods or services online, but never receive them. A variation of this scheme is victims receiving emails or texts messages that appear to be from legitimate shipping companies (e.g., UPS, FedEx) with fake non-delivery notifications, claiming that payment or additional personal information is required to complete a package delivery.
• Romance Scams – Lull victims into believing they are in an online romantic relationship and their paramour needs money to pay for a visit to the U.S. or for some other purpose.
• Grandparent Scams – Dupe victims into thinking that their grandchildren or other relatives are in trouble and need money right away for bail or another emergency.
• Charity Scams – Solicit donations for fake charities, or by altering or “spoofing” caller IDs to show the name of a real charity on the phone.
• Lottery Scams – Scammers use phone calls, letters, or emails to convince victims that a large fee or taxes must be paid before they can receive lottery winnings.
• Debt Collection Scams – Victims are threatened with arrest and jail time if payment for a fake debt is not made immediately.
• Money Mule/Money Laundering Scams – Convince victims to use their existing or new bank accounts to quickly move funds in and out of those accounts. Generally, the transferred funds are proceeds of other criminal schemes (such as romance schemes) and victims are unwittingly being used to launder the ill-gotten funds.
• Timeshare Scams – Fraudsters target timeshare owners with false promises of resale and exit from their timeshares for a fee.
• Sham Business Opportunities – Convince victims to invest in lucrative business opportunities or fake investments.

Here are some tips on how to avoid falling victim to a financial scam:

• Don’t share personal or financial information with anyone you don’t know.
• If the person asking the information claims to be a relative, a friend, someone you know, or a representative of a financial institution or government agency, do not respond right away. Instead, contact the person/entity independently or ask a trusted family member or friend for help.
• Don’t pay a fee for a prize or lottery winning.
• Don’t click on pop-up ads, messages, or virus warnings.
• Delete phishing emails, do not respond to texts from unknown numbers, and ignore harassing phone calls.
• Don’t send gift cards, checks, money orders, wire money, or give your bank account information to a stranger or someone who claims to be a relative without verifying the person’s identity.
• Don’t fall for a high-pressure sales pitch or lucrative business deals.
• If you suspect fraud, take the time to talk to a trusted friend or family member.
• It’s not rude to say, “NO.”
• Keep in mind that if you send money once, you’ll be a target for life.
• A good rule of thumb is, if it’s too good to be true, it’s likely a scam.
• And remember, there is no shame in falling victim to an online scammer. These are professional criminals that use tried-and-true tactics to perpetrate fraud.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office urges the public to report suspected elder fraud by calling the Justice Department’s Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (833-372-8311) or visiting the Elder Justice Initiative at Justice.gov/elderjustice for additional information and resources.