Numbers released earlier this month by the Federal Bureau of Investigation show that Georgia’s elderly population are losing more money than ever to online fraud. Online consists of email, social media and text messages, according to the FBI report.
The report said that over the past year, cyber crimes and cyber fraud are up more than 18% in the Peach State. That equates to a whopping $92.4 million in fraud, much of that aimed at the elderly population. The FBI says that when that money is gone, it is hard to reclaim since most of it is going overseas.
Nationally, the FBI said investment scams cost elderly Americans $1.2 billion.
According to the full report from the FBI, “elder fraud complaints to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (or IC3) increased by 14% in 2023, and associated losses increased by about 11%,” nationally. Overall, elderly Americans lost $3.4 billion in 2023, the FBI said, with an average loss of $33,915.
In Georgia, more than 2,100 people were victims of these types of crimes in 2023, according to the FBI.
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