They were conned by skilled online criminals into draining their retirement savings. After the shock, shame and grief that followed, the victims were often left with something else: an enormous income tax bill.

Mary Ellen Strange, a 75-year-old widow who was deceived by fraudsters impersonating federal investigators, now owes the Internal Revenue Service an estimated $100,000 this year.

Linda Gilmore, an 80-year-old former nurse, has to pay nearly $50,000.

Cindy, 62, and Tina, 51, a married couple in California, owe roughly $250,000 to the federal and state governments.

Lori, a sales executive in North Carolina who owed $225,000 in the 2023 tax season, decided that filing for bankruptcy was her best option. (Several victims agreed to participate in this article if only their first names were used because of privacy concerns.)

Like thousands of others, they were drawn into cybercriminals’ fabricated worlds, which are built upon intricate plot lines and a mastery of manipulation. They had been led to believe that the scammers were government officials, Amazon fraud investigators or potential love interests, and they were tricked into transferring large sums for any number of concocted reasons.

The punishing tax bills arise because the victims pulled from individual retirement accounts or 401(k) plans, where money is taxed when it’s taken out. The withdrawals inflated their incomes, even though the funds disappeared shortly after being passed to the criminals. The victims are left with few options.