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Fairfax Scam Jam 2026: Pause, Reflect and Protect

Linda Lindberg,

AARP Virginia

Published May 21, 2026

Digital Wallet flat concept vector illustration

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The 9th Annual Fairfax Scam Jam, presented by the Fairfax County Silver Shield Anti-Scam Program and AARP Virginia, featured experts from local and federal agencies offering information and advice on how to protect oneself and others from scams.

“Fraud,” said Emily Scheithe from the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), “is defined as lying and deceit to steal someone else’s money or property.”

While recent numbers for fraud in general range from $12.5 billion reported by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and $5.7 billion reported by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the amounts of investment fraud reported by the two agencies are greater, at $16 billion reported by the FTC and $6.5 billion reported by the FBI.

Scheithe said that investment fraud is often unreported due to embarrassment. Younger people are more likely to report such fraud, but older consumers lose more money in the long run because they often lose considerable life savings and have less time to recover their losses.

Some of the common types of scams include imposter scams, although “every scam is an imposter,” said Scheithe. In an imposter scam, the scammer claims to be from an authority like the state, local, or federal government.

The common unpaid tolls scam is a good example of an imposter scam. The message, often received by text, appears to be official and is often threatening. The objective is to have the victim contact a fake website or call a fake number, where bank account information can be compromised.

Another scam involves a scammer encouraging the victim to get in on a “winning” investment. Once the victim starts investing and seeing their investment grow on a convincing but fake account, they find it difficult to withdraw funds, as the scammer claims they must pay fees for taxes or other costs.

Romance scams are particularly common with older adults, many of whom suffer from social isolation. While they can occur in person, they are more common online. The “connections online are real,” said Scheithe, and the scammers find it easy to find a target and build up a relationship, often over time.

Often, the scammer presents as someone overseas who is working as a doctor or in the military. In time, the scammer says he needs money to pay for an ill parent or something else that sounds reasonable.

“Many well-educated people are flattered by the connection,” said Scheithe, “and it is very difficult for friends and family to pull them out.”

A relationship investment scam is a long-term confidence scam. This type of scam often begins as a “wrong number” text, with the hope the recipient will reply to say they have reached the wrong person. This can lead to an apology and then additional interaction to keep the connection going.

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These scammers may take months to develop a relationship and will use any tactic that works, be it a close friendship, a professional relationship, or a romantic connection. Often, the victim is encouraged to invest in cryptocurrency or some other scheme.

Scheithe encourages consumers to be aware of several red flags, including unsolicited offers. “If you’re not in the market for something, don’t engage,” she said. There are ways to look up licensed investors at the SEC’s investor.gov, but because of artificial intelligence (AI), it isn’t always accurate. Scammers can use AI to spoof legitimate investors.

Other red flags include the scammer saying, “Others will try to scam you but not me” and presenting a sense of secrecy about the investment: “Don’t tell anyone else.” Beware also of sketchy payment methods, such as the use of unknown application programs or gift cards, said Scheithe.

Scheithe advises all consumers to protect their online accounts. Don’t use the same password for different applications and change passwords often. She also recommends using multi-factor authentication for logins, where your login is verified via a text or emailed code or through an authentication program.

She also recommends naming a trusted contact, which is a requirement for all legal investments. The trusted contact doesn’t have access to the account but is someone the brokerage company can contact if they have difficulty reaching the individual. If an investment agreement doesn’t ask for a trusted contact, it may not be legitimate.

Scheithe urges constant monitoring of all monetary accounts. “This is not a crock pot situation. Lift the lid and check often,” she said.

Complaints about investors and questions can be submitted to help.sec.gov, and scams can be reported to sec.gov.tcr. For more information about relationship scams, visit investor.gov/relationshipscams.

Cryptocurrency, often called just crypto, is a digital encryption form of payment and investment that is a digital code only and is not government enforced. It is based on supply and demand, and its value changes accordingly. Crypto is attractive to criminals because it is difficult to chase and it bypasses banking protections.

A panel consisting of Jamaah Cheatham from the Fairfax County Police, Tiffany Loar of the U.S. Secret Service, Samantha Wendt of the FBI, and Ray Campbell of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) discussed how their respective agencies have dealt with crypto fraud.

Wendt said the FBI sees crypto transactions in almost all types of investigations, as it is one of the primary ways to move money in and out of the country. She said it is possible to see funds moving but difficult to identify the players before the funds move on.

Cheatham agreed that crypto is traceable but not always recoverable. As the local police, his agency is often the first point of contact for residents experiencing scams, with romance and romance investment scams being popular forms. Once a scam is reported and an investigation is opened, the police will then reach out to their counterparts in other local and federal agencies.

The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, or IC3, website is the main repository for reporting scams, said Wendt. She said it is important to report all instances, even local crimes, to make the cases as wide as possible. All law enforcement agencies have access to IC3 and can review and share information as needed.

Campbell agreed, adding that the information works best when it is as detailed as possible. “The more people who report, the more helpful it is to other agencies,” he said.

The Secret Service, which is charged with protecting the financial infrastructure of the United States, also coordinates with other agencies to see if there are common identifiers in their investigations, said Loar. She said scammers will often register multiple domain names that are somewhat similar. If they feel law enforcement is on to them, they will switch their victims’ accounts to a different domain.

“No one can guarantee a return on their investment with crypto,” said Loar.

Loar said a typical scheme involves starting with small investments. The scammer shows the victim made up numbers to encourage them to invest more. When they want to withdraw their funds, the scammers try to control them by saying they can’t make large withdrawals because of fees or taxes. They’ll try to convince the victim to come up with more funds to invest.

The initial transaction, said Loar, may be in the form of a wire transfer from a bank. Banks see wire transfers as red flags and will ask the customer why they are making the withdrawal. The scammer, who is often on an open phone with the victim, will tell the victim not to tell the bank the real reason but instead say it’s for a grandchild’s college education, for example.

Campbell said his agency often sees scams start out as a romance, then switch to investments as the relationship becomes more trusting. Sometimes the scammer encourages the victim to recruit more victims in the scheme.

All agreed that recovering crypto funds is difficult. Wendt said that in one case, a legitimate exchange contacted her agency because they thought transactions were suspicious. The Secret Service was able to recover about 85% of the funds but not the whole amount.

In a $35 million crypto scheme in 2019, the USPS was able to recover about 15-20% of the funds but can’t release them because of ongoing criminal litigation, said Campbell. He said it is a “painful process” for the victims because the case may drag on for years.

Advice offered by the panelists included freezing credit by contacting the three main credit bureaus (Transunion, Equifax, and Experian) and talking to someone else before moving forward. They emphasized that there are very few things in life that require large amounts of money right away.

AARP Fraud Watch Network is a free resource for all that equips consumers with up-to-date knowledge to spot and avoid scams and connect those targeted with specialists who provide support and guidance on what to do next.