GuideStone Financial Resources issues urgent warning as FBI reports billions lost to evolving cyber scams, with older adults disproportionately affected by the growing threat of ‘Phantom Hacker’ schemes leveraging AI and impersonation tactics.
GuideStone Financial Resources is warning its members about a fast-growing fraud known as the “Phantom Hacker” scam, a scheme the FBI says has already cost Americans billions of dollars and has hit older adults especially hard. The warning follows a recent attempted fraud against one of GuideStone’s members that the organisation says was stopped before any money was transferred.
The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center said it received more than 47,000 tech support scam complaints in 2025, with losses topping $2.1 billion. A separate FBI report released in April 2026 said cyber-enabled crime overall cost Americans nearly $21 billion in 2025, while people 60 and older accounted for roughly half of victims and losses. The bureau has also said government impersonation scams and AI-assisted fraud are becoming more common and more costly.
GuideStone said the Phantom Hacker scheme typically unfolds in three steps: a fake tech support worker claims a device has been hacked, a second fraudster poses as a bank or financial institution employee and a third impersonates a government official to push the victim into moving funds to a supposedly safe account. In reality, the money is sent to criminals. Brandon Waldeck, GuideStone’s director of enterprise risk, said the scams work because they exploit fear and trust, and he urged people to independently verify anyone who contacts them about alleged fraud.
The organisation advised members not to click unsolicited links or pop-ups, not to download software or grant remote access at someone else’s request and not to transfer money based on an unexpected call, email or text. It also said caller ID can be spoofed and that government agencies will never tell people to move money to cryptocurrency wallets, gift cards or overseas accounts. Anyone who suspects fraud should contact local law enforcement and file a report with the FBI’s IC3.
Disclaimer: This article is intended to inform and educate, not to recommend or endorse any financial product, investment or strategy. Please consider your own financial circumstances and seek professional advice where appropriate before making financial decisions.
