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

This was the best of all possible outcomes and I cannot thank you and the team enough.

Michael S.

LATEST NEWS AND ARTICLES

November 20, 2025
Supreme Alliance Fined for Failure to Supervise Variable Annuity Sales

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) has fined Supreme Alliance $80,000 for failing to supervise recommendations and exchanges involving deferred variable annuities, as well as for failing to document background checks for newly hired registered representatives.

November 19, 2025
Lawsuit Accuses Inspired Healthcare Capital of Concealing Insolvency

According to news sources, a new lawsuit alleges that Inspired Healthcare Capital (IHC) and its CEO, Luke Lee, misrepresented the company’s financial health and concealed insolvency from a lender who extended a $1.5 million loan in late 2024.

 

November 18, 2025
Former FINRA Brokers with Misconduct Histories Flock to Insurance Industry, According to Recent Study

A recent academic study reveals that thousands of brokers expelled from the securities industry for misconduct nonetheless continue to operate under state insurance licenses, often selling annuities and other financial products to unsuspecting clients.