Last year, FBI imposters targeted Peter and Diane, a senior couple. The criminals stole their life savings, IRA retirement funds, and as if that weren’t enough – the scammers convinced them to take out a home equity loan and stole that too. This fundraiser will help them keep their home, heal from this traumatic loss, and fully reconnect with family, friends, and community who, because of the scammer’s confidentiality mandate, did not know this happened to them. Peter and Diane deeply appreciate any support you can offer. But whether or not you can donate, please share this page and help spread awareness. This is an example of the increasing incidence of a form of “elder abuse,” one involving a new generation of high-tech imposter scams that specifically target seniors.

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In February 2025, Peter, a retired minister, and Diane, a retired teacher, were the victims of a high-tech “FBI imposter scam.” They lost their life savings, IRA retirement, and a home equity loan, which the scammers also coerced them to take out. They were made to believe they would get their funds back and actually did not know they were scam victims until this year.

The scammers convincingly posed as FBI agents using Caller ID spoofing to make their calls appear legitimate, wore uniforms and badges, and presented “charging documents.” Peter and Diane were told that a New York bank manager had stolen their identity, created fake bank cards in their name, and that they were now suspects implicated in this manager’s crime ring. In addition, they’d face three to seven years of imprisonment if they broke confidentiality. Strict confidentiality was mandatory because the case was still being investigated, and not all the criminals had been caught.

After terrifying the two, the scammers then cunningly claimed that, since the two retired seniors were likely innocent, they could be offered “priority investigation,” meaning they could be cleared in 10 days. However, qualifying for this required their funds to be “digitized” so that their origins could be electronically traced and cleared by the FBI. This is how they stole the funds -- the funds were converted into a digital form which the scammers were then somehow able to access and steal.

All along, Peter and Diane were reassured they’d soon have their names cleared and their funds returned. Eventually though, the two began to have suspicions due to no longer hearing from the scammers. Earlier this year, they “broke confidentiality” and called the real New York FBI, asking to speak to the “agents.” They were told by the FBI that there were no such agents in the New York office (or anywhere in the system). Their worst fears were then realized --they would never receive their funds back.

For almost an entire year, the confidentiality requirement meant the two could not tell anyone about the “case” -- not friends, family, colleagues, or other law enforcement. Living with this dark cloud over their head took its toll. By August, Diane had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

Bankruptcy attorneys have advised them that, because of the equity in their home, they don’t qualify for bankruptcy. Ironically, it’s their very equity as homeowners that threatens them with having to sell their home of 37 years in order to get out from under the crushing loan interest, which they are struggling to pay for monthly.

This fundraiser will help the two keep their home, heal from this traumatic loss, and fully reconnect with family, friends, and community. Peter and Diane deeply appreciate any support you can offer.

In the wake of this theft, various law enforcement officials have said this is an example of the increasing incidence of a form of “elder abuse,” one involving a new generation of high-tech imposter scams that specifically target seniors. Scammers know the elderly generally trust the FBI, trust their government, and want to follow the law. Scammers turn their trust into a vulnerability which make them easy targets. Whether or not you can donate, please share this page and help spread awareness of this new generation of scams. This could benefit many people, not just these two seniors.