Elderly Americans Hit Hardest by $9.3B Crypto Scam Wave in 2024

Americans aged 60 and older lost more than $107 million to cryptocurrency ATM scams in 2024, according to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3). The average victim in this demographic surrendered $83,000—a staggering figure that underscores the growing threat of financial fraud targeting seniors. Investment scams, often masquerading as legitimate opportunities, siphoned an additional $1.6 billion from older adults last year. Despite representing a smaller segment of the population, seniors remain disproportionately vulnerable to such schemes, their life savings eroded by sophisticated cons. The FBI’s findings highlight a grim reality: as crypto adoption expands, so too does the risk of exploitation, with fraudsters preying on those least equipped to defend themselves.