YCSO FRAUD INVESTIGATOR RECEIVES AWARD FROM SENIORS GROUP
Published on August 27, 2024
Although it can't be quantified, YCSO volunteer Fraud Investigator Ron Norfleet has no doubt saved county residents multiplied thousands of dollars over the past five years by warning them of the danger of frauds and scams. And for that, the Senior Referral Network has honored Norfleet with its Hometown Halo Award at a recent ceremony in Prescott.
Norfleet came to YCSO as a volunteer after spending many years as a mechanical engineer in the aerospace industry. He holds many Frauds and Scams Prevention seminars each year, primarily in senior living facilities, warning folks about the latest ongoing scams, and there are plenty. The list is large, and growing by the week, as crooks look for new ways to bilk innocent victims out of thousands of dollars. Norfleet knows he cannot stop every scammer from ripping someone off, but, as he put it, "If I can help one person from becoming a victim, it makes my day."
He has seen many county residents lose a lot of money, even their life savings in some cases, to scam artists through phone calls, e-mails, and text messages. Norfleet said although he gets a lot of reports from the public, many fraud victims will never contact him because they are ashamed or embarrassed to have fallen for a scam. Some of those that have decided to reach out to him have broken down in tears when recounting how they lost thousands of dollars to a scammer. "It's heartbreaking to hear their stories", he said.
The Senior Referral Network Hometown Halo Award "recognizes and celebrates dedicated leaders who make a difference in our senior community." The group hands out six such awards per year. The award criteria include "working with their heart to benefit others", "showing kindness in action", and "they don't search for the limelight". Those all are right on the mark when it comes to Ron Norfleet of YCSO, who volunteers his time and efforts to hopefully prevent scammers from making money off of innocent people all over the county.
Among the more popular scams in 2024:
A caller impersonates a YCSO employee (even your caller ID may show "YCSO", but it's been 'spoofed', it's not us calling you) and the caller tells the person they will be arrested and jailed if they don't pay an old fine immediately, usually by digital cryptocurrency at a Coinstar machine inside a local grocery store (no, you don't owe any fine, and YCSO will NEVER call you and ask for any type of payment for any reason).
You get an e-mail or text saying one of your accounts has been compromised and you must click on a link or call right now to get it fixed (Social Security and Medicare are popular for scammers to use...do not click on any link, or call any phone number they provide).
Other scams include long-distance romance (you meet them online and over time they "fall in love" with you, and then ask you for money), calls to grandparents (supposedly your relative is in jail or the hospital and you need to help them right now by wiring money to the caller...Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) allows scammers to impersonate the actual voice of your relative so hang up and call that relative yourself to verify they are ok), and scams involving a problem with your bank account (never give out personal or financial information to them, just hang up and then visit or call your bank directly to confirm there is no problem).
If you get contact from any type of scammer, do not panic. Slow down, hang up the phone or delete the e mail or text, then call Ron Norfleet at YCSO Fraud Investigations (928)771-3299 and give him information about the scam so he can use it to help warn others about potential fraud in the future.