3/11/24

Fifty million adults per year fall victim to frauds and scams, and billions of dollars are lost, most of which are never recovered.

Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office Fraud Investigations official Ron Norfleet advice to anyone who gets such a call, e-mail of text is, “Slow down, take your time, think about it, and investigate it for yourself.”

Norfleet addressed a group of senior citizens at the Landings of Prescott Valley last week, saying, “No matter how dramatic the story is, you don’t need to do something right now. Take your time, think about it, and investigate it yourself.”

Norfleet pointed out that recently someone in Yavapai County lost $12,000 in a “grandparent scam”, responding to what they thought was a call from a grandchild in trouble and needing immediate financial help via a wire transfer. Norfleet mentioned artificial intelligence is aiding criminals in more convincingly impersonating their victims by reproducing a voice identical to the relative supposedly in danger.

“Hang up and call that relative directly to see if they really are in trouble,” he advised.

Norfleet and Dennyse Loll of YCSO urged the seniors to refrain from clicking links on cell phone texts and emails that appear to be from financial institutions.

“Look up the phone number to your bank and call them directly to see if it’s for real,” Loll suggested.

They also warned against the use of Bitcoin, the so-called “electronic money”. Norfleet shared a local case where someone lost $40,000 in a Bitcoin wallet deposit, emphasizing, “Those types of payments cannot be traced. You will never get your money back.”

Other current scams involve lottery jackpots, home repairs, computer tech support, online romance, and phony payments due to the IRS or other governmental agencies.

If you suspect a fraud or scam, immediately call the YCSO Fraud Unit at (928) 771-3299.