| NEWS | Scams from p 14 porting the victim to a homeless shelter. “Flora was stuck in Arizona with no means to survive,” Walicke said. Romance scams rank seventh among the most prevalent crimes against people over 60, claiming about 6,800 victims in the U.S. last year, according to the NiceRx study. However, romance scams are the most costly. Those 6,800 victims doled out more than $281 million last year — an average loss of more than $41,000 per victim. “Playing on the vulnerabilities and even the good nature of the elderly victims, romance scams use personal relationships to secure payments and even fraudulent investments,” the study’s authors wrote. “These relationships may involve the crim- inal impersonating a loved one or may involve them creating an online persona to win the trust of a victim.” Flora sent her faux beau money consis- tently for more than a year before flying to Phoenix, according to a Gilbert Police Department investigation report. “Scammers will create a sense of urgency and indicate there will be conse- quences if fees are not paid,” Carrasco said. “Victims can be instructed to make several purchases at different stores. Some scam- mers may keep their victims on the phone while they complete the task.” Fraud cases in Gilbert jumped more than 30 percent from 2019 to 2020, according to police records. Although local cops never determined if the charlatans in Flora’s case were oper- ating their scam in metro Phoenix, the U.S. Department of Justice later nabbed a Phoenix woman in a “nationwide grand- parent fraud scam.” In October 2020, the Justice Department vowed to curb the financial exploitation of elderly Arizonans with a $1.5 million injection into two anti-fraud organizations in Tempe and Whiteriver in Navajo County. “With lockdowns in place across the country, older adults are especially vulner- able to fraud, neglect, and abuse, and crim- inals have not hesitated to take full advantage,” then-Deputy Assistant U.S. Attorney General Katharine Sullivan said in Phoenix at the time. “These grants will help to turn the tide of deception and predation and restore victims to fiscal security and physical safety.” In August 2021, a federal grand jury indicted eight people, including a Phoenix woman, in a $2 million scam that victim- ized people over 70 by feeding them phony stories that their grandchildren were in trouble and needed quick cash. “This scheme has left many elderly victims financially and emotionally devas- tated,” Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said in a statement. “It is uncon- scionable to target the elderly and exploit their love for their grandchildren. Elder fraud is a serious crime against some of our nation’s most vulnerable citizens.” Lyda Harris, from Laveen Village in Phoenix, was arrested last year hiding out in Albania. Federal prosecutors are seeking her extradition back to the United States. Harris is accused in federal district court in Southern California of posing as a distressed grandchild, using a well- rehearsed script to convince victims that she was in dire legal trouble. The scam generated as much as $57,000 per day, according to the indictment. The scammers “took elaborate steps to conceal their true identities from victims and law enforcement,” federal prosecutors said. They used fake names, rented cars and apartments to receive and pick up cash, which they would then convert to untrace- able cryptocurrency within minutes, according to the indictment. Harris’ co-defendants would play other actorial roles in the scam, including lawyers, bail agents, and medical workers. “I know some victims may be reluctant to come forward because they feel embar- rassed that they fell for this hoax,” Grossman said. “But I want to assure victims that it is not your fault. You are one of many, many people who were deceived by a sophisticated criminal organization whose members concocted a number of plausible storylines and conspired together to trick you. These are unscrupulous manipulators who prey on the elderly. They are to blame, not you.” Popular YouTube channels churn out videos where pranksters waste the time of potential scammers and lead them on a series of ludicrous diversions. The increasing popularity of such videos could have had a hand in the increased aware- ness of fraud and scams, especially those targeting elderly people. In 2021, the term “elder fraud” saw a 32 percent increase in searches, with 6,120 such queries in the U.S. compared to 4,620 in 2020, according to data taken from Google Keywords Planner for the NiceRX study. Still, elder fraud is up more than 150 percent in Arizona since 2019. More than half of elder fraud victims in Arizona are duped at the hands of trusted family members, friends, and neighbors, according to the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Authorities agree that educating elderly loved ones is the best way to combat the most pervasive cons — extortion, phishing, and tech support scams. “We encourage our community members who may have family members at risk of falling for these scams to check in on them routinely,” said Carrasco, the police spokesperson. “Establish a system where they notify a trusted contact imme- diately should someone ask for their personal and financial information.” 17 phoenixnewtimes.com | CONTENTS | FEEDBACK | OPINION | NEWS | FEATURE | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | PHOENIX NEW TIMES APRIL 21ST– APRIL 27TH, 2022
