$81.5 Billion Lost Isn’t a Market Problem, It’s a Trust Problem

As someone who has spent decades in the markets, the FTC’s estimate that older Americans may have lost up to $81.5 billion to scams in 2024 is both shocking and painfully unsurprising. This isn’t about bad trades or market volatility, it’s about criminals weaponizing trust and technology. Investment scams promising “guaranteed” returns, tech support fraud, and government impersonation schemes all rely on the same playbook: urgency, authority, and fear. Once money is moved through gift cards, wires, or crypto, it’s effectively gone, and recovery becomes almost impossible.