An 82-year-old couple believed they were 'helping' a federal investigation. It was a $1.3 million scam.

The offers and details on this page may have updated or changed since the time of publication. See our article on Business Insider for current information.

The Cooks thought they were helping the FTC catch cybercriminals — but were victims themselves.

Courtesy of Larry Cook

• Larry and Barbara Cook, 82, thought they were doing the right thing by "helping" the FTC.
• They converted their $1.3 million life savings to bitcoin and gold, which was stolen by scammers.
• It took them seven months to identify the con.