Seniors in an affluent S.C. community have had it with ‘doggone’ crypto scammers 

Keeping Sun City safeSouth Carolina’s Lowcountry is a haven for seniors. Spanish moss drips from trees, beautiful beaches abound, and golf carts share slow roads with cars. In Beaufort County, more than a third of the population will be 65 or older by 2040. That makes it attractive to scammers, too.People 60 and older are more than three times likelier to report being scammed at bitcoin ATMs, according to the data from the Federal Trade Commission.Eric Calendine, a lieutenant with the Beaufort County Sheriff’s Department, said one of the worst cases he has seen involved a retired couple deceived for months into thinking they were protecting their savings by depositing them at bitcoin ATMs. The couple went to several ATMs in Savannah, Georgia, and Beaufort County. In the end, they lost almost $390,000.“We can’t keep doing this,” Calendine told NBC News. “$390,000. $30,000. $80,000. “We can’t keep going down this road of our victims going to these ATMs, just putting a large amount of money into them and there not be any regulation.”Beaufort County Sheriff’s Lt. Eric Calendine takes questions from Sun City residents after a presentation about crypto scams.Henry Taylor for NBC NewsOn a Tuesday evening, a small crowd gathered in a meeting room at a retirement enclave of about 18,000 just outside Hilton Head known as Sun City.“It’s easier to take your money than to rob a bank,” Calendine said as he launched into his presentation on scams. There hasn’t been a bank robbery in Beaufort County since 2016, Calendine told the room. Two years ago, the largest losses from scams involved wire transfers. But last year, cryptocurrency scams, including ones involving BTMs, rose to the top of his list. One of the most common, he said, was the jury duty scam.  Retirees are targeted, experts say, because of savings they’ve built up over decades. Hilton Head’s affluence might also be drawing scammers.“They’re targeting where the money is located at, and they know that through census data,” Calendine said. But many of the victims he deals with can’t afford such hits.“Eight thousand dollars is still a lot of money when you’re living on a budget,” he said. Law enforcement have tapped social media and community meetings to educate the public about crypto scams.Henry Taylor for NBC NewsThe Federal Trade Commission shows that reported losses in scams involving crypto kiosks grew from $12 million in 2020 to $114 million in 2023. Victims have been misled to believe they’re speaking with tech support about computer troubles, receiving sound investment advice, or bailing a loved one out of jail.Most victims don’t realize the “warrant numbers” they’ve been given for missing jury duty or the QR codes they’ve been provided to scan at the machines are actually the scammers’ virtual wallets.Once that money reaches a fraudster, it can be nearly impossible for funds to be recovered — even when authorities can see wher