{"id":316202,"date":"2026-06-22T22:48:36","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:48:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/316202\/"},"modified":"2026-06-22T22:48:36","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T22:48:36","slug":"florida-ranks-high-for-elder-fraud-as-issue-affects-over-88000-a-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/316202\/","title":{"rendered":"Florida ranks high for elder fraud as issue affects over 88,000 a year"},"content":{"rendered":"

An elderly Martin County couple lost<\/a> their home, car and life savings after falling victim to a scam \u2014 a growing problem that affects over 88,000 elderly victims annually, according to the Florida Sheriffs Association.<\/a><\/p>\n

Merdine James, 74, and her husband Fritz, 87, who is bedridden and has dementia, were the targets of a years-long sweepstakes scam<\/a> that cost them their house, their car, their relationships with family and over $141,000. The couple was already living under financial constraints and declining health when they were cast into homelessness in July 2025.<\/a><\/p>\n

More: Florida seniors scammed out of home, life savings; DCF not helping<\/a><\/p>\n

The number of older adults scammed out of $10,000 or more in the United States has\u00a0more than quadrupled<\/a>\u00a0since 2020, according to the Federal Trade Commission.<\/p>\n

Florida consistently ranks among the top states for elder fraud<\/p>\n

Florida consistently ranks among the top states for elder fraud, says the Florida Sheriffs Association,<\/a> with its abundant aging population of senior citizens and retirees making it a prime target for scammers.<\/p>\n

About $3.4 billion in losses by those over the age of 60 were reported to the\u00a0FBI\u2019s Internet Crime Complaint Center<\/a> in 2023, an 11 percent increase in losses and an uptick of 14 percent in complaints from the previous year.<\/p>\n

Florida ranked second in the nation in the FBI’s 2023 Elder Fraud Report,<\/a> with 8,138 complaints and over $293 million in total losses.<\/p>\n

Senior couple falls victim to sweepstakes scam in Martin County<\/p>\n

1 of 12<\/p>\n

Merdine James, 74, looks at what\u2019s left of her belongings at her storage unit, May 8, 2026, in Martin County. James and her husband Fritz, 87, who has dementia, were thrust into homelessness in July 2025 after falling victim to a yearslong sweepstakes scam that cost them their house, their car and over $141,000.<\/p>\n

(CRYSTAL VANDER WEIT\/TCPALM)Watch for common red flags in elder scams<\/p>\n

Knowing these common red flags outlined by the Florida Sheriffs Association<\/a> can help protect yourself or a loved one from scams:<\/p>\n

Unsolicited Contact: Be suspicious of unexpected calls, emails or messages requesting personal information or payments.<\/p>\n

Urgency and Fear Tactics: Scammers often claim there\u2019s an emergency or deadline to pressure quick action.<\/p>\n

Requests for Money: If someone asks for payment via gift cards, wire transfers or cryptocurrency, it\u2019s likely a scam.<\/p>\n

Too Good to Be True: Large prize winnings, inheritances from unknown relatives or guaranteed investment returns are major red flags.<\/p>\n

Requests for Personal Information: Legitimate organizations won\u2019t ask for sensitive details (Social Security numbers, bank info, passwords) or personal information over the phone or email.<\/p>\n

Tips to protect yourself, loved ones from senior scams<\/p>\n

The FSA also highlighted tips to verify sources and protect your personal information<\/a> from scams:<\/p>\n

Always verify the source or any phone call or request by doing the following:<\/p>\n

Hang Up and Call Back: If contacted by a company or government agency, look up its official number and call directly.<\/p>\n

Check Email Addresses: Scammers often use email addresses that resemble legitimate ones but have slight misspellings.<\/p>\n

Ask a Trusted Person: Before making any kind of commitment or decision, consult a family member or friend about suspicious messages or requests.<\/p>\n

Protect your personal information:<\/p>\n

Never Share Sensitive Details: Banks, government agencies and reputable companies will not ask for personal details over email or phone.<\/p>\n

Use Strong Passwords & Multi-Factor Authentication: Secure online accounts with unique passwords and two-step verification which provides an extra layer of security.<\/p>\n

Shred Sensitive Documents: Prevent identity theft by destroying bank statements, medical records and financial documents before disposing of them.<\/p>\n

Be Cautious Online:\u00a0Avoid clicking unknown links, use secure websites (before entering payment details, ensure the website starts with \u201chttps:\/\/\u201d and has a padlock symbol) and limit social media sharing.<\/p>\n

Who can I call if I know an elderly person being scammed?\"Kirstin<\/p>\n

Kirstin Mikalauskas, left, an outreach worker with St. Mary\u2019s Episcopal Church, and Merdine James, 74, load Mikalauskas\u2019 vehicle with James\u2019 family keepsakes at Stor A Way II on May 8, 2026, in Martin County. James and her husband Fritz, 87, who has dementia, were thrust into homelessness in July 2025 after falling victim to a yearslong sweepstakes scam that cost them their house, their car and over $141,000.<\/p>\n

If you or someone you know have fallen victim to scams or fraud, you should contact\u00a0local law enforcement<\/a>\u00a0to report the crime, says the Florida Sheriffs Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Consumer protection agencies or fraud hotlines can also provide further guidance and support. If you suspect fraud, the following are state and federal agencies to contact:<\/p>\n

The Florida Attorney General\u2019s Office of Citizen Services operates the Attorney General\u2019s Fraud Hotline at (850) 414-3990 or toll-free within Florida (866) 966-7226.<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Elder Affairs\u2019 Elder Helpline Information and Assistance provides service within each Florida County at 1-800-963-5337.<\/p>\n

The Florida Senior Legal Helpline is a free and confidential statewide telephone advice and referral service available toll-free within Florida at (888) 895-7873 or online at\u00a0https:\/\/bals.org\/senior-legal-helpline<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311).<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida ranked 2nd in elder fraud in 2023. Tips to foil senior scams<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"An elderly Martin County couple lost their home, car and life savings after falling victim to a scam…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316203,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[131416,93237,28,30,29,17675],"class_list":["post-316202","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-elder-fraud","tag-federal-trade-commission","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-florida-sheriffs-association"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316202","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316202"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316202\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316202"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316202"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316202"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}