Quarterly Crime Watch Meeting for Seniors- Addressing the recent increase in Phone Scams

The Community Engagement Unit is currently conducting Quarterly Crime Watch Round table meetings at our various Senior Living Centers in DeLand. In response to several incidents of Scam phone calls received by residents in the greater DeLand area, The Community Engagement Unit with the Police Department has begun to conduct Crime Watch Round Table meetings at various locations. Those locations which have hosted the Round Table meetings are: The Cloisters, College Arms, Hugh Ash Manor, Lynn Village and the Good Samaritan Center. The Unit will be hosting several more in the weeks to come.

Scam Calls experienced by some of our residents have included bogus calls from the I.R.S., and Law Enforcement. These bogus calls tell the unsuspecting victim that there is a warrant for their arrest, but if they post a gift card bond from a provider like Amazon gift cards they can take care of the warrant by paying for it. The unsuspecting victim then purchases sometimes thousands of dollars in gift cards and calls the scammer back and provides the information.

If you receive such a phone call, hang up and block the number.

If you or your organization is interested in hosting a Crime Watch Round Table Discussion, please contact Officer Rod Hancock at 386-626-7472 or Officer Latisha Pasley at 386-626-7468.

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