Schemes on Individuals

Fraud against individuals is a common and widespread way for someone to steal from unsuspecting victims. Ponzi schemes, phishing, identity theft, and advanced-fee frauds are just some of the ways used by fraudsters of this nature.  Fraudsters target all kinds of people of various ages, genders, and socio-economic backgrounds. There are schemes designed for a person or group of people, done mostly by one fraudster but sometimes by a group of people.

Here, we briefly describe two kinds of schemes on individuals: fraud on the elderly and identity theft.   Fraud on the elderly is important in Florida because of the large senior population.  Seniors are a special target of fraudsters because criminals often perceive seniors as lonely, trusting, and having savings. Schemes on the elderly range from identity theft to grandparent scams.

Identity theft takes place when someone fraudulently obtains money, goods, or services under someone else’s name. It is mostly perpetrated by a group rather than an individual acting alone.  The schemes for stealing someone’s information range from simple theft from a postal mailbox to more sophisticated phishing schemes using computers.

The Center has more information about these two kinds of schemes on other webpages.