VIDEO: AG Moody and St. Johns County Sheriff Announce Opening of New Seniors vs. Crime Office to Help Older Floridians

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Release Date
Dec 19, 2023
Contact
Whitney Ray
Phone
(850) 245-0150

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Today, Attorney General Ashley Moody and St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick announced the grand opening of a new Seniors vs. Crime office. The new facility will be located within the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office South Regional Operations Center and host Seniors vs. Crime volunteers, called Senior Sleuths, to assist older Floridians. Since 2019, the Seniors vs. Crime program is responsible for securing approximately $7.9 million in recoveries, refunds, realized gains and savings for consumers. 

Before the existence of the new office, older Floridians living in St. Johns County needed to travel more than an hour away to the Nassau County Seniors vs. Crime office to receive help. The new location enhances senior assistance efforts in St. Johns County.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Our Seniors vs. Crime program continues to grow, providing relief to older Floridians. When it comes to helping victims of scams, time is of the essence. With this new office, St. Johns County seniors no longer need to drive more than an hour away for help—increasing the chances of financial recovery. I encourage older Floridians in need to utilize this free resource.”

St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick said, "The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office is excited to be partnering with the Attorney General’s Office on the Seniors vs. Crime Project. Unfortunately, we routinely work cases where our seniors have fallen victim to scams. This program adds another layer of protection and will assist us in reducing crime to one of our most vulnerable populations. I’d like to thank Attorney General Moody for her partnership and for her office’s laser focus on this initiative.”

The new Seniors vs. Crime office serves the more than 50,000 older Floridians in St. Johns County. It is the third new office opened by Attorney General Moody and the 32nd office in Florida. Initially, two Senior Sleuth volunteers will work in the office, and there are plans to expand the number of available Senior Sleuths. 

Seniors vs. Crime obtained an estimated $2.4 million in financial relief and realized gains statewide last year. The volunteer program secured an estimated $7.9 million since 2019 in financial relief and realized gains. Senior Sleuths provided more than 25,000 hours of free services in 2022, and nearly 90,000 hours since 2019. Last year, more than 23,165 people received crime prevention training conducted through 185 speaking engagements. Senior Sleuths assisted nearly 8,000 Florida seniors in 2022.

To view the 2022 Seniors vs. Crime Annual Report, click here.

The Seniors vs. Crime Project was founded in 1989 to help prevent crime and fraud, aid seniors in resolving disputes and assist the Florida Attorney General’s Office.

Attorney General Moody also continues to release new resources to assist Florida seniors. One of these outreach programs, Scams at a Glance, provides easy-to-share resources with information about common and emerging scams—many created to assist seniors. The brochures on the website are available in both English and Spanish. To access the Scams at a Glance website, click here.

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