[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6454910,"mediaKeyId","5857768-d624ac58b142588ba44c128072a1320f","parentId",5857768,"title","Victims describe ‘pig‑butchering’ and imposter scams; San Diego prosecutors show model for recovery","audioSeconds",12661,"startMs",1069000,"endMs",13730000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5857768-d624ac58b142588ba44c128072a1320f&start=1069&end=13730","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5857768-d624ac58b142588ba44c128072a1320f/thumbnail_1069000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6454910/California/Victims-describe-pigbutchering-and-imposter-scams-San-Diego-prosecutors-show-model-for-recovery","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6454910-417e34eb261811002e41420745ad5c59/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097976&Signature=Q2YDjxZ~wtYdGMQYqnfhr-T0VKifgd6cUO9S5EOfILPYYjmwX5kbeEzuKMu0ScJCr4Y~5~b-Z7mjLh9KIpXPOpRHX~Pzv1ZoYdwvjQJTpihinDxrC~0pB-fnbg-1fe~sTQOCSLs-w~nsp6clHHIJpK3TxQSGfOlHPk-fN5kj-O0tX~Jzs0iWv8k0I91ZJMr8UAFzyD3p7mrW74U7IITd22HKMVzgEV-oBOMrU5Uk5zW55VtZ01w725~AqvRdcoRN5R4ErLGO2J-RV5ZlaJOhWkhPKC3ouuA1XteuhgRDhMz2azNrl6nMie-P6FaB6YU387hvNVD0EzNTkGJ5BjoevQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Little Hoover Commission","date","2025-09-29T20:22:45.157Z","article","Two Californians testified at a Little Hoover Commission hearing on Sept. 25 about how sophisticated scams cost them savings and upended their lives — illustrating why witnesses urged coordinated law‑enforcement and community responses.

Lynn, 72, described an imposter tech‑support scam that began with a frightening pop‑up and a fraudulent “Microsoft” phone line. Scammers coached her to withdraw cash and buy gold, which she packaged and turned over to a courier they supplied. Over about 10 weeks she withdrew seven times, depleted savings, retirement accounts and retirement plans, and later learned she faced additional tax consequences. Lynn told commissioners she wants banks to flag unusual withdrawal patterns, require tellers to provide written warnings, and for gold dealers to adopt stronger ID and reporting requirements.

Karina described a 2023 “pig‑butchering” crypto fraud in which a romantic contact on a dating app built trust over months, urged small investments on a fake trading site, then pressured larger transfers as apparent gains accrued. Karina said she lost $152,000, much of it borrowed from friends and family. She traced her own blockchain transactions, identified funds that flowed to a Thai exchange, and said platforms refused to provide IP or KYC records without subpoenas once law enforcement became involved. Karina recommended dedicated specialized cyber‑fraud units, platform accountability or carve‑outs to compel cooperation, proactive blocking of known criminal wallets and more victim support services.

San Diego’s prosecutorial response. San Diego County District Attorney Summer Stephan and lead elder‑fraud prosecutor Scott Perillo described the county’s elder justice task force as a working model. The San Diego task force combines prosecutors, local police, the FBI, adult‑protective services, victim specialists and analyst support. The district attorney’s office reported roughly $134,850,000 in reported elder scam losses in the county over the prior year (reported cases only) and said focused investigations recovered funds and yielded prosecutions of local courier networks that pick up cash and valuables from victims’ homes.

Perillo said the office has filed roughly 40 state prosecutions against couriers in the last two years and used federal partners to indict coordinators and higher‑level actors. He described a typical investigative pattern: an online call center overseas lures a victim, a domestic coordinator uses a local network to send couriers to pick up cash or gold, and proceeds are moved through domestic accounts before being laundered offshore. Prosecutors stressed that arrests of couriers can be a gateway to dismantling domestic money‑movement networks.

Law‑enforcement and social responses. Witnesses agreed on three near‑term priorities: (1) quicker triage and routing of incoming reports so local dispatchers and patrol officers know where to send cases, (2) training for frontline officers and bank tellers so they capture evidence and delay suspect transactions, and (3) statewide or regional data fusion to permit faster tracing and coordinated action. San Diego’s model includes an elder‑prosecution unit and a dedicated investigator who scans IC3 and other reports to spot cases with recoverable wired money. The DA’s office described federal coordination that returned millions in forfeited assets to victims through federal asset‑forfeiture channels.

Why it matters: victim testimonies showed scams’ emotional and financial tolls and the limits of current responses. Witnesses said scaling San Diego‑style task forces, improving reporting and triage, and giving investigators forensic tracing tools would increase criminal and civil recoveries and limit future harm.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Hearing on Financial Scams and Fraud, Business Meeting","oneSentenceSummary","Two Californians described how scammers drained life savings through tech‑enabled and romance‑style schemes. San Diego prosecutors and task forces described arrests of local couriers and urged statewide replication.","taxTitle","Little Hoover Commission, Other State Agencies, Executive, California","taxId",76737,"location","California","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6454915,"California hearing urges prevention-focused overhaul as scams drain residents' savings",18828,248000,19076000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5857768-d624ac58b142588ba44c128072a1320f&start=248&end=19076","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5857768-d624ac58b142588ba44c128072a1320f/thumbnail_248000.jpg","/articles/6454915/California/California-hearing-urges-prevention-focused-overhaul-as-scams-drain-residents-savings","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6454915-df56decf07864ea56cb35111969f6a8d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771097976&Signature=UxC9oBVQs4f3gGOsCNr8iqnPQ5NRrUd4lQB7OR1jsVLunsFwlAVzrqNiZHk4Pjj~9uxZRCBVuLNVZorgckLFA3IhEF5u8jfwO9ni4BiAkaY0ORqNigbl32STW1bpJHrsXw93mQ-1UGMyvXCFZgqiDVOO9otBUc6EgkWnSAUMAx2A1xbolFHM1ZvT~~oZAguY0ajrT2URG7R0ftjf48SijCGtS4joDDuI3TLka1t356HqAYW3IqNl0S3jaFxp3zyBjCQuzlukHnz6tfCRR23nqOSJZZkqUQZer28K1~5deT7DFFbqyf9mrtGxDgDvUsgmaw0NQwWZmrLTIUVQWnRKlw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Little Hoover Commission on Thursday heard from legislators, victims, prosecutors and technology and consumer regulators who said California needs a prevention-first response to rapidly escalating financial fraud.

Senator Timothy Grayson told commissioners the Legislature asked the commission to study scams after staff analysis showed California has lost staggering sums: “By one estimate, Californians have lost more than $3,000,000,000 to financial scams since 2020,” he said, and national figures show internet‑enabled losses rising from about $3.5 billion in 2019 to roughly $16 billion in 2024. Grayson and witnesses warned AI and other technologies are making scams faster and more convincing.

Experts recommended three broad strategies. Ken Westbrook, founder of the Stop Scams Alliance and a former intelligence analyst, urged a national‑style prevention playbook that focuses on (1) clear strategy and authority, (2) data fusion so public and private actors share timely intelligence, and (3) stronger authentication to block spoofed calls, texts and fraudulent online ads. Westbrook said other countries — notably the U.K. and Australia — have reduced losses by adopting coordinated prevention centers and stronger authentication policies.

Deputy Attorney General Jonette Jerone and other prosecutors described tactical steps the state is already taking, including partnering with U.S. attorneys on complex cross‑border cases and using technology to take down scam websites. Jerone's office reported law‑enforcement takedowns of fraud sites and emphasized the need for sustained prosecutorial resources and training across counties.

Regulators described enforcement and consumer‑protection work in progress. Suzanne Martindale, chief deputy at the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI), described a digital‑asset licensing law (the “digital financial assets law”) that imposes early restrictions on crypto kiosks and a $1,000 daily transaction limit at kiosk machines; the DFPI recently secured restitution and a civil penalty in an enforcement action against a kiosk operator. Martindale also noted the DFPI’s crypto scam tracker and its complaint intake functions, which received nearly 15,000 complaints in 2024 across regulated sectors and more than 1,000 crypto complaints in 2024 alone.

Speakers called repeatedly for stronger statutory incentives or liabilities so private companies — banks, telecoms, social platforms and crypto exchanges — will share fraud intelligence and act quickly to block or reverse suspicious transactions. Several witnesses advocated safe‑harbor rules that permit broader information sharing without triggering privacy or liability exposure, and some urged carve‑outs or amendments to federal immunities often cited by platforms.

Commissioners and witnesses also discussed immediate operational changes that could be required without new federal law: wider use of “trusted contact” designations on bank accounts, mandatory notices or flags when a customer is making an unusual sequence of withdrawals, stronger verification for online financial advertisers, and centralized statewide hotlines or data fusion hubs to route reports to the appropriate task force.

Why it matters: witnesses and legislators said the scale and speed of losses — and the emotional toll on victims — call for coordinated state action rather than isolated local responses. Many urged California to adopt some of the prevention and liability models used in other democracies, while improving state‑level data fusion, training for local law enforcement, and regulatory tools that can be used now.

The commission plans a second hearing with financial‑industry and banking witnesses next month. Staff said they will collect feedback and return with policy options that reflect the cross‑sector recommendations heard Thursday.","At a Little Hoover Commission hearing, legislators, victims and experts urged preventative policies, better cross-sector coordination and new legal tools to curb rising financial fraud losses in California.","actionData","errors"]

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Victims describe ‘pig‑butchering’ and imposter scams; San Diego prosecutors show model for recovery

California hearing urges prevention-focused overhaul as scams drain residents' savings