New York fraud losses hit $534 million

New York residents reported losing $534.0 million to fraud in 2024, according to the Federal Trade Commission's Consumer Sentinel Network Data Book. The report, published in March 2025, identified imposter scams as the third largest category of complaints, accounting for 11 percent of the 278,662 reports filed in the state. Only credit bureau complaints and identity theft claims surpassed that figure. The median loss for a New Yorker who reported a scam was $429.

The federal count likely understates the total because it excludes reports sent directly by the New York Attorney General's office. The state agency submitted 17,794 reports to the Sentinel database that year. The FTC's national figures for 2025, released in June 2026, show a rising trend. People reported losing $3.5 billion to imposter scams nationwide, with nearly one in three fraud reports involving an imposter. Government impersonators alone stole approximately $920 million, up from $789 million in the previous year.

Yonkers police recently addressed these tactics in presentations to local seniors. In January 2026, detectives spoke to about 100 people at the Bernice Spreckman Center and 60 more at the Chema Center. Officers emphasized that urgency, demands for personal information, and requests for gift card payments are standard red flags. The department noted that scammers frequently spoof the police headquarters number, (914) 377-7900. Neither the department nor other government entities will call to demand payment or make threats.

The New York Attorney General's office warned in August 2026 about gold bar scams. These often begin with a computer pop-up claiming an account is compromised. A caller posing as an investigator then directs victims to withdraw savings, purchase gold, and hand it to a courier. The NYPD has investigated over 100 such cases in two years, with losses exceeding $100 million. Victims are often instructed to keep the matter secret from banks and family members.

The FBI's 2025 Internet Crime Report documented over $5 million in losses from scams using cloned voices to mimic loved ones. The Attorney General also issued an alert in February 2026 regarding "pig butchering" schemes. In these cases, scammers build trust over time on social media before moving conversations to apps like WhatsApp or WeChat. They then direct victims to investment platforms that show growing balances until withdrawals fail. Profile photos in these cases are frequently stolen from other individuals.

Kelly Chiarella, director of the Yonkers Office for the Aging, advised residents to treat unexpected contact as unverified. She stated in January that if communication is coming only one way, recipients should not trust it. Residents who suspect fraud can report it to the Yonkers Police Department at (914) 377-7900 or the state Attorney General's office at 1-800-771-7755. The FTC accepts online reports through ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

Before contacting an institution, residents should save all texts, call logs, and screenshots. The Attorney General requests that victims retain all messages to aid law enforcement investigations. Banks should be called immediately using the number printed on the statement if funds have left an account. For residents in the five boroughs, the state also directs gold bar scam victims to their local NYPD precinct.