The ‘FBI’ called. Then she got scammed.

Americans are being conned every day by increasingly sophisticated scams. Today, we hear the story of one woman who lost her life's savings to a government impersonation scam. Read more: According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans were scammed out of more than $10 billion in 2023. And that’s just what’s been reported. Most scam victims never report the crime because they feel shame and embarrassment . In “ Scammed ,” a seven-part series, personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary explains how con artists exploit human nature and technology to manipulate their victims. She joins “Post Reports” to tell the story of how Judith Boivin lost her life’s savings to a government impersonation scam. Today’s show was produced by Charla Freeland. It was edited by Maggie Penman and Ted Muldoon, who also mixed the show. Thank you to Joshua Carroll and Amber Ferguson. Subscribe to The Washington Post here .