When Simon's wife of 43 years passed away, it felt a bit like he'd died too.

Simon, who was targeted by a scammer that stole $800,000 from his retirement savings and asked not to be identified by his full name because he's too ashamed to tell most of his family about the crime, looks out a window from his home, Wednesday, June 17, 2026, at his home in southeastern New York.

A text message from a scammer who stole $575,000 from Brian Glick is displayed on Glick's phone as he poses for a portrait at his home, Wednesday, June 25, 2025, in Ballston Lake, N.Y. Alice Lin, who fought back to recover some of the $720,000 she and her late husband had saved over their lifetime which was stolen by an online scammer, sits at her computer at home, Saturday, May 9, 2026, in Alhambra, Calif.