I am an American taxpayer, and what I am reading feels unreal—but it is real, and people like me are paying the price.
The Somali fraud scandal in Minnesota didn’t just catch the public’s attention; it exposed how easily the system can be looted. Fraudulent housing services, meal programs, and autism-therapy operations were allegedly set up as part of a massive web that stole billions of dollars in taxpayer money. According to federal law enforcement sources, some of that stolen money ended up in the hands of Al-Shabaab terrorists. That means money taken from people like me didn’t just vanish—it was allegedly funneled to extremists.
While that was unfolding in Minnesota, another kind of fraud was taking root on the West Coast, and people like me were becoming targets.
Foreign criminals developed sophisticated schemes designed to cheat and steal from unsuspecting Americans. A veteran police detective from a blue city—someone with two decades of experience investigating serious crimes—described how this works. He spoke anonymously because he said telling the truth openly would come at a cost. His words confirmed what victims already know: this isn’t random, and it isn’t small-scale.
According to him, the most common schemes are credit-card fraud and elder fraud. When the amount is high—$1,000 or more—and the crime targets a stranger, he says it is almost always foreigners doing it.
In one common scheme, organized credit-card crews from Romania move through the United States along the I-5 corridor. They steal credit cards from gym lockers at fitness clubs. They don’t waste time. They carry computers and printers in their cars. If a phone is stolen with the card, they take the SIM card too. Within minutes, they create fake identification that matches the victim’s credentials.
Then they walk into a jewelry store and buy a $40,000 Rolex.
When the bank sends an alert asking whether the purchase is legitimate, the criminals respond “yes” because they have the victim’s phone. By the time law enforcement catches up, the crew has already moved on—Los Angeles, Salem, Portland, Vancouver, Olympia, Seattle—leaving victims behind to clean up the damage.
These crimes involve massive sums of money, but because they are nonviolent, the justice system does not treat them seriously. The criminals are eventually caught, do a few months of time, and then walk free. Immigration authorities are not contacted. Nobody calls ICE. They carry foreign passports, and nothing happens. Then they do it again.
That’s not the end of it.
Elder fraud is just as brutal.
An older woman uses her computer. A pop-up appears, claiming to be from Microsoft, warning that her computer is infected. She calls the number. On the other end is a call center in Eastern Europe—sometimes Moldova. She’s told her account has been compromised and that her money needs to be “protected.”
She is convinced to withdraw tens of thousands of dollars in cash, place it in a paper bag, and hand it to a courier. In recent cases, those couriers are often Chinese nationals who do not speak English. They show up, say a code word, take the cash, and disappear.
The money is gone. Tracking it is nearly impossible. Everything is coordinated overseas, in languages investigators can’t easily penetrate. Once the money leaves the country, the case hits a dead end.
There are other layers to this.
South American theft groups carry out organized robberies and burglaries. They conduct surveillance, gather inside information, and strike fast—sometimes targeting immigrant businesses making cash drops, sometimes targeting celebrities and professional athletes. They are armed, professional, and efficient.
Nigerian fraud is mostly online. Romance scams pull in emotionally vulnerable people. Fake stories are used—soldiers overseas, hidden gold, export fees. Victims drain their life savings and send the money abroad. Once it’s gone, it’s gone.
The detective’s explanation is blunt. A huge share of the world’s wealth is concentrated in the United States. Criminal groups know this. At the same time, in blue states, focusing on immigrant crime is politically taboo. Sanctuary laws and reduced penalties send a clear message: enforcement is weak, consequences are light, and removal is off the table.
From his experience, nearly all high-dollar, stranger-on-stranger fraud is committed by foreigners. He says he cannot recall a single case in his career where a native-born American committed a fraud over $1,000 against a stranger.
For victims like me, the reality is devastating.
Most fraud cases go nowhere. Reports are taken. Files are closed. Only a small fraction are investigated, and even those often collapse once the money crosses borders. Victims are left angry, ashamed, and financially wrecked—while the people who did this move on to the next target.
Fraud isn’t a side issue. It’s a massive problem. And right now, Americans are the target.