Palm Beach County officials met with Delray Beach residents to warn against rising scams, particularly those targeted at seniors.
From fake SunPass charges and Bitcoin ATM schemes to suspicious text messages meant to exploit identities, these are just some of the common scams affecting seniors in Palm Beach County.
State Attorney Alexcia Cox said her office has created special prosecution units focused on issues like elder abuse, cybercrime, property deed fraud and a special robbery unit to crack down on repeat violent offenders.
"We're working with law enforcement to build better cases, and we're also successful in the work that we're doing and holding offenders accountable. Again, our goal is not to pursue convictions, our goal is to pursue justice," she said.
Cox told WLRN her the rise of AI and overseas offenders has made it harder to prosecute for fraud and cybercrime.
"We have the people, the resources, the education, the expertise and I send folks out to training on these specific issues so that we can make sure that we’re bringing the best and brightest folks in our office that are able to respond well to whatever the trend is and also keep up with the advancements in technology," she said.
According to FBI data, cybercrimes cost Americans more than $16 billion in 2024. That’s up 33% from the year before.
READ MORE: Trump administration rollback raises alarm over racial inequities in housing in South Florida
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