Reported consumer fraud losses totaled more than $8.8 billion in 2022, a 30% increase from the previous year, although the amount may no include funds falsely raised to cover federal legal expenses for politicians’ trials, the Associated Press reports.
Cryptocurrency scams led the way, taking nearly half of the money: $3.9 billion. The report from the Federal Trade Commission found that people between the ages of 20-29 were more likely to fall prey to scams than those in their 70s, though the amount of money lost by septuagenarians greatly outweighed the amount lost by younger people.
“When approached with urgency, give it an extra three-second pause,” said Amanda Clayman, a financial therapist who works with digital payment network Zelle around issues of fraud, giving great advice to people who respond to the thousands of panicked emails and text messages sent by an indicted former president and his lackeys. “When someone is trying to get us to take action quickly, that’s usually a red flag indicating we should do the opposite.”