The Alachua County Sheriff’s Office held a press conference Tuesday morning to address the rising number of scams.
The conference featured representatives from the sheriff’s office and Elder Options, an organization focused on elderly wellness.
They addressed several types of scams, ranging from romance scams to authority scams.
Romance scams refer to instances where scammers begin a fictional romantic bond with a victim to extort them for money. Authority scams occur when a scammer pretends to be a person of authority, such as a police officer.
ACSO officials say the environment is constantly evolving.
“Scams aren’t just increasing in number,” Alachua County Sheriff Chad Scott said. “They’re becoming more sophisticated, more convincing and more financially devastating.”
Anyone can be a victim in this landscape, Scott added, and he said some scams have been sophisticated enough to make him slip up. Whether the scams are small or cost victims millions of dollars, it’s essential to talk about the issue and raise awareness, he said.
Even though the department’s scam prevention unit has a lower budget than other areas at ACSO, Scott said, it doesn’t mean the threat of scams isn’t severe. He emphasized how serious the trend is and said ACSO is beginning to put more effort into prevention and awareness.
Scam losses in Alachua County have exceeded losses from theft, burglary, robbery, criminal mischief and articles stolen from vehicles combined in recent years, according to ACSO. Last year, losses from fraud cases in the county totaled over $6.8 million.
The number is projected to increase this year to nearly $8.7 million, an increase of more than 25%. Elder fraud — carried out on a person 60 years of age or older — makes up more than half of the current figure.
Multiple officers addressed how personal experiences and cases have shown the prevalence of the issue within the county.
ACSO Deputy Cary Gallop of the crime prevention unit cited a case where a woman from Columbia County said she got a call from the sheriff’s office claiming she had an outstanding warrant. When the sheriff’s office investigated, officers discovered the number that called her matched that of the sheriff’s office, and it had been spoofed.
Gallop addressed the vulnerability of seniors in the scam landscape. Seniors are more susceptible, he said, because they often have more time on their hands and are more likely to pick up the phone. He helps his 94-year-old mother-in-law distinguish scams, he said.
Corporations also play a role in scams, Gallop added.
Online shopping platforms often gather customers’ information, such as age and what they shop for, and place them on lists for other corporations to market items to them. However, scammers all over the world can purchase the lists and target individuals with catered scams, Gallop said.
“Everyone gathers your information,” Gallop said, “where you shop, where you go, where your credit cards are. So, that information, wherever you go, is worth money.”
ACSO Detective Travis Parsons of the digital crimes unit said although elders are the most targeted demographic, he’s dealt with cases with individuals as young as 20. One of the most common scams ACSO handles is jury duty scams, and young people are often susceptible due to a lack of familiarity with jury duty laws.
“Education is so vitally important in terms of protecting ourselves and us as individuals protecting our assets,” Parsons said.
Leslie Andrews, the elder abuse project coordinator for Elder Options, said to fight these scams, individuals need to report them early, often and without shame.
For every case of financial exploitation brought to authorities, 44 cases go unreported, according to the National Center for Elder Abuse.
ACSO encourages victims of scams to reach out as quickly as possible to 911 or the ACSO phone number: 352-955-1818.
Contact Logan McBride at lmcbride@alligator.org. Follow him on X @logandmcbride.
Logan McBride is a fourth-year journalism student and this summer's general assignment reporter. He previously served as a reporter for the city/county commission, K-12 education and track & field. Logan enjoys watching sports, going to the movies and playing basketball. When he's not working, you can find him on adventures with his friends, cuddling with his cat Max, or with his girlfriend.
