Overview

• Agents documented 103 New England cases from 2023 through May 2025 with losses exceeding $26 million, and about 98% of reported losses came from people over 60.
• State figures cited by the bureau include 59 victims in Massachusetts losing over $18.6 million, 16 in Maine losing about $2.7 million, 15 in New Hampshire losing about $4.1 million, and 13 in Rhode Island losing roughly $557,000.
• Nationwide, the FBI tracked at least 1,737 similar schemes over the same period with approximately $186 million in losses.
• Fraudsters pose as relatives, government officials, or tech support, then send in-person couriers to collect cash or gold, sometimes giving victims a verification code; couriers can be complicit or unwitting ride-share drivers.
• The FBI says losses are often unrecoverable and likely underreported, is working with law enforcement and private partners on prevention, and notes prosecutors have brought cases including a Massachusetts indictment tied to a $500,000 theft.