Utah kids rank 3rd nationally for money lost to online scams

SALT LAKE CITY — New FBI numbers show Utah kids are losing more to online scams than kids in almost every other state.

Connor Bradshaw was 16 when someone posing as an artist found his photo on TikTok.

"He was like, this is a cool photo — can I draw it?" Connor said.

The person offered Connor $800. Then he sent two checks for more than that, telling Connor to deposit them and send some of the money back for art supplies.

"He wanted me to send some of that money back via Zelle," Connor said.

The checks were fake. Connor sent real money.

When the checks bounced, the bank reversed the deposits, leaving Connor and his parents holding the loss.

Now, the FBI's latest Internet Crime Report shows Connor's story was no one-off.

Nationwide, victims age 17 and younger reported nearly $13 million in losses.

But digging through the data, KSL Investigators noticed something troubling. Utah ranked 23rd for the number of complaints from victims 17 and younger, but third in the nation for money lost, at just over $1 million.

That works out to roughly $6,100 per complaint in Utah, more than six times the national average.

"Is it concerning?" KSL Investigator Matt Gephardt asked Robert Bohls, who leads the FBI's Salt Lake City field office.

"Very concerning," Bohls said. "As a father myself, I'm always concerned about the safety of kids."

The FBI report does not explain why Utah ranks so high, and Bohls could not identify a Utah-specific cause. But nationwide, extortion was the most frequently reported crime type for this age group.

Bohls also said kids have easier access to money.

"Nowadays it's getting more and more consistent that they are getting access to Cash App, to credit cards and different means by which they can be defrauded," Bohls said.

He said parents should engage early and make it safe for kids to admit when something has gone wrong.

"We're really trying to get the word out to these juveniles that it's OK. It's OK if something has happened. Just go to an adult, and we'll try to work through it," Bohls said.

The FBI also reports some success stopping bank transfers and getting victims' money back, but speed matters.

If you or your child realizes money has been sent to a scammer, contact the bank or payment service immediately. Save messages, screenshots and other evidence, then report the scam to the FBI through IC3.gov.

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