Gift cards are an easy option for holiday
giving, but Hall County Sheriff’s investigators warn shoppers to be
cautious, especially if they’re buying from racks in big box stores. The
warning comes as a gift card scam has surfaced in nearby counties, the
sheriff’s office says.
Investigators have found that scammers will print out their own
barcodes and place those over the real barcodes on gift cards at local
retailers. When the card is activated, the money is added to an existing
card owned by the scammer instead of the card being purchased, so not
only is the buyer being ripped off, but the gift recipient gets a card
with no value.
To safeguard against such scams, HCSO offers these tips:
Always examine the back of the gift card before buying it. Check for signs of tampering, such as a barcode sticker.
Compare the gift card’s barcode number, visible on the back of the packaging, to the number on the packaging itself.
Select a gift card from the middle or the back of the rack. They’re less likely to have been tampered with.
If you find you’ve been victimized by a gift card scam, you should
contact the company that issued the card. You can also file a report
with law enforcement in the jurisdiction where the card was purchased.
Benito
Navarro is 92 years old. His daughters, Zoraida and Maritza Navarro,
say for 63 years, their dad was married to their mom until she died.
Soon after his wife’s death, Navarro started talking about marrying a
woman from Peru whom he had spent time with on the phone.
His
daughters worried their dad was about to enter into a fraudulent
marriage. Maritza Navarro recently told WPBF 25 News. "We said, dad, you
can’t do this. You don’t know this woman. This is illegal. She’s coming
here for citizenship fraudulently. You cannot do this."
The
sisters turned to the Palm Beach County Guardianship program hoping to
protect their dad from an illegal marriage. The court placed him under
an emergency temporary guardianship that is supposed to last 180 days.
Nearly two years later, their father is still under a guardianship.
"It's been horrible. Beyond horrible. I wouldn’t recommend anyone going
through it," said Maritza Navarro.
While under the court-ordered guardianship, Benito Navarro has
been moved from his home and placed in three different facilities. His
long-time home was about to be sold, but the sisters went to court and
managed to stop the sale. And according to his daughters, most of his
belongings have moved out of his home.
Anthony Palmieri is the
Deputy Inspector General & Chief Guardianship Investigator for the
Clerk of the Circuit Court and Comptroller's Office in Palm Beach
County. He told WPBF 25 news that guardianship is a last resort when all
other alternatives have been exhausted. Palmieri also said families
need to put a plan together before considering guardianship.
"Best
practices are all your advanced directives, durable powers of attorney,
joint bank accounts and putting assets into a trust. The best thing
that elders can do is to communicate their wishes to their family
members," Palmieri said.
The sisters must now get court approval to visit their dad. Last
month, a judge granted them permission to visit him. It was the first
time they were allowed to see him since May. But they said he wants to
come back and live with them. But they must now wait until the court
decides his future.
"I feel sad that we had wasted time. It’s just been a nightmare," Zoraida Navarro said.
A former lawyer for scammer Anna Delvey was disbarred for her own
alleged financial crimes this month, leading the fake heiress to mock
her with a sketch illustrating their troubled relationship.
Audrey A. Thomas, of Queens, was disbarred on Nov. 9, court documents show.
The results of a disciplinary hearing published Tuesday allege that she
misappropriated $630,000 in escrow funds from Rhea Murray, an elderly
client who hired Thomas to oversee the sale of her Brooklyn apartment in
2013.
Thomas, who is also the author of the book “Ego Has No Place in the
Law,” claimed that she had Murray’s permission to take the money, which
she reportedly used to “promote [herself] as an author and radio show
host.”
Murray’s daughters confronted Thomas about the missing cash in 2016,
at which point the lawyer promised to repay the money over several
months. Disciplinary proceedings against Thomas began in 2018, after she
defaulted on the payment plan.
Fake heiress Anna Delvey alongside former lawyer Audrey A. Thomas in an undated photo. Twitter/Audrey Thomas
Audrey A. Thomas was disbarred this month.Twitter/Audrey Thomas
The Queens District Attorney’s Office subsequently took Thomas into custody in July 2019 on second-degree larceny charges, qns.com reported. She pleaded not guilty and is awaiting trial. If convicted, she faces up to 15 years in prison.
In a text message statement to The Post on Thursday morning, Thomas denied the allegations against her.
“I did not misappropriate anyone’s funds,” she wrote. “The Appellate
Division got their facts wrong.” When pressed on what happened to
Murray’s funds, Thomas retorted, “Call her and ask her! Or call her
daughters and ask them.”
Delvey near her apartment in October 2022.Getty Images
Amid her own legal woes, Thomas was reportedly hired by Delvey in March 2021, when the German native was taken into ICE custody shortly after being released from Rikers Island. The would-be socialite — whose real name is Anna Sorokin — was famously convicted in 2019 of scamming New York businesses, banks and upper-crust individuals as part of her fake heiress act.
Delvey fired Thomas in April this year, citing a lack of progress in
her criminal and immigration cases due to Thomas’ lax work habits.
“I do not work the month of April for it is my birth month,” Thomas explained in her formal response to Sorokin’s new lawyers. “Anna is fully aware of this.”
Delvey’s mock book cover aimed at Thomas’ disbarment.
In a statement to Insider after her firing, Thomas referred to her former client as an “ungrateful b—h.”
Delvey subsequently sued Thomas in September, claiming she was withholding recordings of her deportation hearings and some of her personal effects.
Speaking to Insider this week
from house arrest — where she remains since being released from ICE
detention in October — Delvey says she is glad Thomas can no longer
represent other clients.
“I’m happy that the real story is being told and shedding light on my
issues,” she told the outlet. “I’m mostly comforted that she cannot do
damage to anyone else’s case and life.”
Delvey, who is currently earning thousands of dollars hawking her
prison artwork, also included a cheeky drawing of a mock book cover
titled “How to Get Disbarred in 10 Days.” In addition to “ungrateful
b—h,” the pencil sketch pays homage to Thomas’ “birth month” demand.
The hand-drawn details are set against what appear to be collaged
elements from alleged exchanges between Thomas and Sorokin. “You are
incorrigible and for now the Anna Delvey show is not my favorite
program,” one text says. It is unclear if Thomas actually wrote these
words or if Delvey made them up.
Thomas shared her own mock book cover with The Post on Thursday.Audrey A. Thomas
In the image, Delvey included Thomas’ byline with her legal credentials crossed out.
Thomas, however, appeared nonplussed by her former client’s taunts,
and called out both Delvey and one of the Insider authors, Jacob
Shamsian, alongside an image of the mock cover on Twitter early Thursday.
“Jacob Samshian [sic] and Anna Sorokin are having a great time
serving as Penninah. I guess I must be Hannah,” Thomas wrote, referring
to a story in the Old Testament Book of Samuel in which Peninnah mocks
her husband’s favored wife, Hannah, for her childlessness. After
enduring Peninnah’s attitude for several years, God blesses Hannah with
several children of her own.
Delvey’s ankle bracelet that she wears after being released from ICE custody.Getty Images
Speaking to The Post on Thursday, Thomas accused Sorokin of “puppeteering” Shamsian.
“I can still appear [on my own behalf],” she argued. Thomas, who is
Jamaican American, also said Sorokin is “evidence that it is great to be
white in America.”
Thomas also countered Delvey’s snark with her own proposed book
cover. In an edited mock-up shared with The Post, the tome titled “The
Anna Delvey Reality: Social Antagonism is the Worst Form of Oppression”
is splashed with images of Thomas alongside Delvey. In one picture,
which shows the pair in what looks like a prison yard, Delvey is clad in
a high-end Canada Goose puffer.
Anna Delvey in court in May 2019.AFP via Getty Images
“Anna and I can release our books at the same time,” Thomas wrote.
“Thank G-d I can’t get disbarred again. Maybe we will both make [the New
York Times] bestseller list side by side.”
News of Thomas’ disbarment comes at a busy time for Delvey, who shuttles from her East Village apartment to parole meetings in expensive Ubers with a tracking device clipped to her ankle. Earlier this month, The Post reported that she is hoping to parlay her newfound freedom into hosting a series of free, trendy dinners.
“Although not yet confirmed, the dinner series is one of the many
projects Anna currently has in development,” her rep said at the time.
Image Group LA/Disney Channel via Getty Images Image Group LA/Disney Channel via Getty Images
Britney Spears unleashed another poignant essay
about adjusting to her life post-conservatorship, and this one raised a
few eyebrows over what she said about wanting to persecute her family.
Taking to Instagram on
Sunday, the pop singer hinted that she doesn’t want to go through the
lengthy process of going to court over the alleged abuse she suffered
during her 13-year conservatorship.
“People say you will have to put up a lot of money and sue and sit
for hours and not be able to use my feet again. When I want to run
outside … NO THANK YOU to prove these allegations are true !!! I will
never put up more money to go to court to see if my dad gets
prosecuted,” she wrote.
The singer added, “I choose to smile and put it in my family’s face until the day I die.”
This is an about-face from what she said a year ago to California Superior Court Judge Brenda J. Penny.
“I’m in shock. I’m traumatized. … I’m so angry it’s insane,” she
expressed in her bombshell testimony that laid out the alleged abuse she
suffered. “I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest
with you.”
Britney also told the judge, “My dad and anyone involved in this
conservatorship and my management who played a key role in punishing me…
They should be in jail.”
ABC Audio has submitted a request for comment to Britney’s attorney Mathew Rosengart.
Seven Tips from the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America
(November 15, 2022)— With
Thanksgiving approaching, the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America (AFA) is
offering seven tips to help families affected by Alzheimer’s disease
and other dementia-related illnesses ensure their Thanksgiving
celebration is dementia-friendly.
“Families caring for a loved
one with a dementia-related illness deserve to join together and
celebrate Thanksgiving, and there a few simple steps they can take to
make that celebration as joyful as possible,” said Charles J. Fuschillo,
Jr., AFA’s President & CEO. “Being proactive and prepared are the
best tools caregivers can use to give their loved one a Happy
Thanksgiving.”
AFA offers the following tips to help make a Thanksgiving celebration dementia-friendly:
Prepare your loved one. Try
to familiarize them with the guests beforehand by showing photos,
sharing stories, or arranging a phone or Facetime chat prior to the
celebration. You could also make an invitation to the event to share
with your loved one so they know details and that it will be happening.
Prepare your guests.
Consider sharing beneficial information with guests about your loved
one—such as ways to communicate with the person, what they respond well
to, and what may cause distress—especially if they have not seen the
person recently. This will help facilitate positive interactions and
engagement.
Factor the person’s routine into the scheduling. Changes
in daily routine can be challenging for someone living with dementia,
so to the greatest extent possible, plan the celebration around that
routine. For example, if the person usually takes an afternoon walk,
build in time for that.
Hold the celebration early. Individuals
living with dementia are prone to “sundowning,” a syndrome which can
cause agitation and confusion in the late afternoon-early evening as the
sun sets. This can be compounded when adding a celebration with a house
full of guests. Consider holding the celebration earlier in the day so
your loved one feels more comfortable.
Plan for help.
Preparing and holding a holiday gathering can be stressful even without
the additional responsibilities of caring for a loved one with
dementia. Relatives and friends are often eager to help, but may not
know how. Don’t be afraid to let them know what you need, whether it’s
asking them to bring a dish, help with cooking, shopping, or decorating,
or spending time with your loved one while you are preparing for the
celebration.
Keep your loved one involved. Make
adaptations that enable your loved one to participate in the
celebration by focusing on what they can do, rather than what they
cannot. Invite them to help by preparing ingredients for a simple dish,
setting the table, decorating, and other activities. Playing familiar
music or going through old photos are great forms of reminiscence that
can bring joy and foster positivity during the celebration. For
intergenerational activities, try singing familiar songs together, doing
art activities, and having a snack together.
Have a quiet space available. Prepare
a quiet place away from the crowd where the person with dementia can go
if the celebration becomes too much for them. Have familiar comfort
items available (i.e., favorite blanket, sweater, stuffed animal) that
will help them feel safe and comfortable. Try to control the flow of
visitors when possible; those in early stages are better able to
interact than those in later stages.
Families who have questions
about creating a dementia-friendly Thanksgiving celebration or any other
question relating to dementia or caregiving can contact the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America’s Helpline,
seven days a week, by phone (866-232-8484), text message
(646-586-5283), or web chat (click the blue and white chat icon in the
lower corner of the page).
A Fort Worth woman is in jail accused of scamming money from an elderly Indiana man online, according to court documents.
Lorraine Rew, 46, is being held at the Tarrant County Jail without bail, listed as a fugitive, according to court records.
Rew is accused of stealing around $1.2 million from the man in what authorities described as an “elaborate sweetheart swindle,” according to a search warrant affidavit filed by the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. The warrant describes how Rew told the man she needed money for medicine and paying bills for another person. The warrant also suggests how charges of elder exploitation, theft and money laundering might be applicable based on evidence for which investigators were looking.
Rew took that money to casinos in Oklahoma, visiting nearly 160 times in the less than two years, according to the search warrant. Information from a gambling W2 included in the warrant showed Rew won more than $1.45 million at the casinos from Dec. 30, 2019, to Jan. 1, 2022. She also used the money to buy a new Buick Enclave, according to the warrant.
Rew scammed the man starting on Twitter before moving to cell phone, according to the warrant. She would send documents to the man that looked like medical and insurance information about her and her children, asking him for money to help pay for it and promising to pay him back when the insurance company reimbursed her.
The man took money from retirement funds, savings and checking accounts, credit-card cash advances and personal loans, according to the warrant.
Inspectors with the United States Postal Service, which investigated the scam because money was sent via the postal service, said they tried to find evidence that Rew used the money to pay medical expenses but were unable to do so, according to the warrant.
When they interviewed the man he showed USPS inspectors pictures of himself and Rew together in August of 2021, as well as text messages the two exchanged, according to the warrant. In those texts, Rew told the man she would die if she couldn’t get money to pay $18,000 and $2,000 to doctors and pharmacies.
In the warrant, investigators got permission to search Rew’s property and records including her home, vehicle, cell phone, computers, casino membership cards, bank records, employment documents, medical records and documents, electronic storage devices and credit- and debit-card statements.
Financial exploitation is the most common type of abuse towards elders in America (Getty Images)
EUREKA, Calif. — As an ombudsman,
Leanne Langston advocated for those in skilled nursing and residential
care facilities across the North Coast. Part of her job includes looking
for the warning signs of elder abuse.
"I see a lot more than what
I would like to see, which is unfortunate," Langston said. "It could be
as simple as trying to scam somebody out of their money, it could be
physical, it could be isolation, a form of neglect."
Humboldt
County is home to more than 25,000 seniors and that number is expected
to increase over the next few years. That segment of the population was
the subject of a recent Humboldt County Grand Jury report examining the issue of elder abuse and the services and safety nets for those affected.
Adult
Protective Services is one of the agencies mentioned in the report.
This division of the Humboldt County Department of Health and Human
Services is a key resource if elder abuse is suspected.
"We respond to reports of abuse and neglect and we have a phone
number, where that's kind of the first start if somebody is concerned
about somebody in our community," Adult Services Program Manager Keri
Schrock. "One in 10, people over the age of 60, have experienced some
form of elder abuse."
The Grand Jury report found in part that APS could do more to publicize elder abuse awareness.
"We
have been tabling now that things have kind of opened up," Schrock
said. "We do provide mandated reporter training for any agencies or
programs that work with the elderly."
While the pandemic has
limited its ability to do community outreach, APS has been able to start
it up again recently. However, the pandemic has also created challenges
when it comes to reporting given some victims could be stuck with their
perpetrator.
Humboldt County District Attorney Maggie Fleming
created the Elder and Vulnerable Adult Service Team or EVAST shortly
after starting her term. The Grand Jury report said it has significantly
improved the prosecution and conviction rates for elder abuse cases.
"We can say this is something we really have to put our resources into
investigate and really see what's going on here," said Fleming.
The Grand Jury recommended the DA and APS continue their joint application for Measure Z funds for EVAST.
If
you or someone you know may be a victim of elder abuse, you can contact
Humboldt County Adult Protective Services at 707-476-2100. You can view
more of Adult Protect Services' resources on its website.
SALEM — A Salem woman was indicted Wednesday in a months-long
campaign of physical abuse and threats against an elderly Vietnam
veteran who thought he could help her.
Tina Lizotte, 62, who was
arrested in June, now faces a potential state prison term if convicted
of charges that include five counts each of assault and battery on a
person 60 or older and assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, as
well as a charge of witness intimidation.
The victim, 75, is a
now-former neighbor of Lizotte at the Salem Heights apartment complex at
12 Pope St., a privately operated low-income development where both
lived at the time.
The
man’s family had grown increasingly concerned for his well-being after
noticing unusual financial transactions on his bank account and that he
was more and more difficult to reach. When they did see him he would
sometimes have bruises, which he would attribute to falls.
Even as
police, elder services and the complex’s management became involved,
the man minimized the situation, telling them that Lizotte would
reimburse him for expenses, and she was only holding onto his wallet
inside a safe in her apartment for safekeeping.
Both the victim and Lizotte initially told investigators the man’s family was simply meddling.
But at the end of June, police encountered the man as he attempted to seek medical attention.
He
would eventually disclose that over the course of their friendship,
Lizotte had grown increasingly demanding and when he didn’t accede to
her demands, would become physically abusive, according to police
reports.
The man told investigators that Lizotte hit him with a
mop, a broom and a belt, bit him, jabbed him in the eye, and cut and
burned him, according to the indictments.
He said he’d felt sorry for Lizotte, who uses a wheelchair and
suffers from a long list of health issues, and offered help when her
daughter, who has been paid by the state to care for Lizotte as a
personal care assistant, was pregnant. Later he continued caring for
Lizotte because her daughter was busy with her own children.
The
man, who still drove, offered to bring her to medical appointments and
pick up medications for her at the pharmacy, among other chores.
But
as police and other investigators began asking questions last spring,
he told them, Lizotte’s anger grew — and so did the abuse, according to a
police report.
At her initial court appearance in district court,
Lizotte threw a headset across the courtroom. She was sent for an
evaluation, which found that she suffered from multiple physical
illnesses but no psychiatric diagnosis other than a personality
disorder.
She did acknowledge her anger issues, a judge noted in a subsequent order releasing her on conditions in July.
The indictments move the case from Salem District Court to Superior Court.
An arraignment date had not been set as of Thursday.
Randolph County prosecutors charged Paula Blackston this month with
financial exploitation of an elderly person and misappropriation of
funds of an elderly nursing home resident.
From about Oct. 22, 2020 to Feb. 1, 2022, Blackston , a Moberly
resident, took control of social security benefits and the retirement
pension of her mother, according to a probable cause statement from the
Special Investigations Unit of the Missouri Department of Health and
Senior Services.
Blackston is accused of using $23,618 in social security benefits and
$2,136 in retirement funds, two $1,400 government stimulus payments, a
$600 stimulus payment and a $423 tax refund belonging to her mother for
her personal use.
Some of the money was withdrawn from an ATM at Isle of Capri Casino.
Blackston failed to pay the nursing home bill for her mother, esulting
in a past due balance of $10,374, the court document says.
Blackston was convicted of forgery in 1996 and 1998, assault in 1997
and theft in 2009, according to the Special Investigations Unit.
