Florida seniors lost approximately $90 million to investment scams in 2023, according to the FBI.
Since then, recent spikes in spoof calls — scammers pretending to represent legitimate businesses — has prompted entities such as The Villages Community Development Districts and Citizens First Bank to issue warnings to Villagers and other residents to be cautious about responding to unexpected phone calls from individuals claiming to represent them.
Meanwhile, in an effort to address the rise in fraud and scams targeting seniors, Sumter County Sheriff Pat Breeden hosted a meeting April 22 with several Central Florida law enforcement agencies and Seniors vs. Crime, a free statewide project started in 1989 to help seniors fraud victims.
Steve Renico, executive director of Seniors vs. Crime, said the number one benefit of the meeting to him was getting the rare chance to network with the other attending agencies, which included the Lake and Marion County sheriff’s offices; the Lady Lake, Fruitland Park, Leesburg, Tavares, Howey-in-the-Hills, Mount Dora, and Mascotte police departments; the State Attorney’s Office; and the Florida Department of Health.
“When I was a student at Quantico, they encouraged networking,” Renico said. “There were a lot of business cards exchanged, I got the names and faces of many officers. What that does is break down barriers and make it easier to make connections across jurisdiction lines.”
Breeden agreed that networking, which was the overall goal of the meeting, is important because “there is strength in numbers.”
“The Villages reach across three counties, and our criminals work through the whole area,” Breeden said. “The key is sharing intelligence and making contacts.” Renico said he read through nearly all of the 1,881 complaints investigated in 2024. Those complaints led to over $1.1 million in cash recoveries. Renico, of the Village of Hadley, said he thinks seniors are victimized and taken advantage of because of their good moral character.
“We need to have a bit more cynicism,” Renico said. “We grew up believing a person’s word is their bond and a deal is sealed with a handshake. Then we got down here to The Villages, what we call ‘the bubble,’ where we like to think nothing bad happens. That’s just not true.”
Renico advises seniors to take basic but important steps to protect themselves from being scammed, like not answering phone calls or emails from individuals they don’t know and having the Senior vs. Crime check their database for complaints before contracting an HVAC or other home repair company to work at their property.
“We have a database that allows us to see complaints, though our bylaws restrict how much information we can share,” Renico said. “That’s why it’s important to ask questions. If the person tells you to pay with Bitcoin or in gift cards, it’s always a scam. With most of this stuff, just hang up and don’t even worry about it.”
Renico said everyone should be especially careful when using the internet. Law enforcement is starting to see AI used to create scams.
“Scammers use technology like a weapon,” he said.
Nicole Anderson, an instructor with the Villages Health, gave similar advice April 25 during the “Pig Butchering and Other Scams” class at the Pinellas Care Center, where she described various types of scams, the five signs to spot a scam and steps to take if you have been scammed.
Taken from the farming practice of fattening an animal before they are slaughtered “pig butchering” is when scammers gain the trust of their victims for weeks or months before convincing them to invest in a fake cryptocurrency.
Other scams covered during the class included email bombing, tech support, phishing, IRS imposters, counterfeit cashier’s checks, home repair, cookies and more.
“When in doubt, stop and think,” Anderson said. “You can wait a few minutes before giving away your money. Ask questions to help clarify who you are talking to or hang up and call the company’s verified number.”
Anderson also advised updating login information, contacting bank and credit card companies, and contacting law enforcement and Seniors vs. Crime if you have fallen victim to a scam.
Seniors vs. Crime has four offices around The Villages: the Fruitland Park Police Department Annex at Moyer Recreation, the Marion County Sheriff’s substation near Mulberry Grove Recreation, The Villages Sumter County Government Annex and at Brownwood town center.
“We have 32 offices statewide,” Renico said. “The Villages is the only place with four offices, because there is a need here. Residents need to ask questions and not get pushed around by these scammers. It’s about awareness and communication.”
To help increase communication and awareness, the Seniors vs. Crime project includes a speaker’s bureau that gives presentations to senior community groups, homeowner associations, church groups and others.
“We give presentations to groups or law enforcement agencies,” Renico said. “Anyone can feel free to call and request a speaker. We will get a speaker who can come talk about these things face to face. Agencies were unaware we will do training for their officers.”
Seniors in need of assistance can download the Sumter County Sheriff Office app to see updates about current scams or contact Seniors vs. Crime at (352) 689-4600, extension 4606, or via email to sumter@svcinthevillages.org. For more information about the upcoming “Pig Butchering and Other Scams” class help May 9 at Eastport Care Center, visit thevillageshealth.com.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
5 Signs of a Scam
1. They contacted you.
2. They are offering prizes or money for nothing.
3. They want your personal information.
4. You must pay them to get a gift.
5. You must wire money or send gift cards.
Source: Nicole Anderson, an instructor with The Villages Health, in her presentation “Pig Butchering and Other Scams.”
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Looking to keep their savings and sensitive documents safe, Villagers and other Lady Lake seniors were lined up in their cars in the American Legion Post #347 parking lot during the “Shred It and Forget It” drive-through event April 26, co-hosted by the Lady Lake Police Department. Organizers said cars started arriving at 7a.m. for the 9 a.m. event. By 9:02 a.m., 180 vehicles were waiting in line.
Tina Burgess, first vice commander for the post, said over 900 cars participated in the two-hour, free event. Residents could bring up to two banker boxes full of shreddable, sensitive documents including tax documents, bank statements, blueprints, newspapers, magazines, brochures, mail, photographs and file folders.
Burgess said organizers anticipated the event, in honor of National American Legion Family Day, was going to be busy because of the need for scam protection among seniors.
“The objective is to open up the post to the local community, not just members,” Burgess said.
Lady Lake Police Chief Steve Hunt said the event provided a safe way for seniors to dispose of documents and increased awareness of easy ways to avoid being scammed.
“As part of our ongoing community outreach, we educate seniors about the importance of shredding unnecessary paperwork that might contain sensitive information,” Hunt said. “Getting rid of your sensitive documents that have your personal information like social security number or date of birth can help you become less vulnerable for bad actors. “
“If someone calls you and wants you to withdraw money, stop and wait,” he said. “If there is a sense of urgency, become suspicious. Call a family member or law enforcement and ask for help with navigating the situation. People are not as aware as they should be. Our goal is to get this messaging out to everyone.”
The last previous Lady Lake document shredding event was held several years ago. Event organizers and volunteers unloading the documents said they hope “Shred it and Forget it” becomes an annual event to assist seniors.
— Brea Jones, Daily Sun
Seniors Shred Documents to Avoid Scams
breasbuzz.com 