Regulators Report Surges In Investment Scams Targeting The Elderly

Posted on November 1st, 2022 at 1:14 PM
Regulators Report Surges In Investment Scams Targeting The Elderly

From the Desk of Jim Eccleston at Eccleston Law.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has announced that older investors lost $147 million due to investment scams in 2021, which constitutes a massive 213% increase from 2020.

The schemes primarily involved investment seminars and advice, stocks and commodity futures trading, art, crypto, and rare-coin investments. According to the FTC, the median individual loss for people age 60 and older was $6,800 per instance of investment fraud. Furthermore, older investors lost a total of $341 million online, according to regulators.

State securities regulators also have reported a 70% increase in fraud related to digital assets in 2021, according to an enforcement report published by the North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA). Additionally, the depressed market is helping crypto fraudsters as they primarily attempt to convince elderly investors, who are concerned about running out of retirement funds, that crypto could provide them with a better financial outlook, according to Amanda Senn, deputy director of the Alabama Securities Commissions.

Eccleston Law LLC represents investors and financial advisors nationwide in securities, employment, regulatory and disciplinary matters.

Tags: eccleston, eccleston law, advisors, law

Return to Archive

TESTIMONIALS

Previous
Next

I learned two important things working with Eccleston Law. First, I made a friend and ally with Jim and Steph for life. Secondly, and this is a crucial life lesson - if you need counsel, then seek out the very best. Jim was referred to me by a most trusted source. I've never had to hire an attorney for anything. Now, I know the value of hiring an important partner. Meticulous, thorough and detailed in preparation is the best way to describe Jim. Brilliant too, I might add. Bottom line, I would highly highly recommend Jim and Stephany for your legal needs. One of the best life decisions I've ever made.

Howard S.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

December 11, 2025
DOJ Secures Five-Year Prison Sentence in Wolf Capital Crypto Fraud Case

Federal prosecutors have obtained a five-year prison sentence for Travis Ford, an Oklahoma resident who admitted to orchestrating a fraudulent crypto investment scheme through Wolf Capital.

December 10, 2025
SEC Highlights Rising Risks in RIA Consolidation and Focuses on Retailer Investor Protection

The Securities and Exchange Commission signaled heightened scrutiny of investment advisers involved in mergers and acquisitions, according to its newly released 2026 Examination Priorities.

December 9, 2025
The Vanishing Boundary Between Investing and Gambling

According to Bloomberg Law, there now are the tools, tactics, and a psychology of gambling that increasingly resembles those of retail trading.