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Terrance Alonzo Pruitt, a 47-year-old from Bessemer, Alabama, was sentenced to 50 months in prison for defrauding an elderly family member with dementia of $550,000 between September and December 2023. Pruitt obtained a Power of Attorney without the victim's knowledge, made himself a joint account holder, altered beneficiary designations, and transferred funds to personal accounts, later providing inconsistent explanations when confronted. His sentence was enhanced due to perjury committed during his trial testimony, and he was convicted on two counts of wire fraud.

Terrance Pruitt, a 47-year-old from Bessemer, Alabama, was sentenced to 50 months in prison for defrauding an elderly family member with dementia in 2023. Pruitt fraudulently obtained power of attorney, became a joint account holder, and transferred $550,000 from the victim's bank accounts to his own personal accounts, using the funds for personal benefit. He was convicted on two counts of wire fraud in December 2024.

Taneshia Brown, owner of Bella Wood Senior Living in Jemison, Alabama, was arrested and charged with first-degree financial exploitation of an elderly person after investigators found she conducted unauthorized transactions totaling several thousand dollars from a 76-year-old resident's bank account. The investigation is ongoing, and authorities are exploring whether other victims exist at the facility.

Scammers are placing fake QR code stickers over legitimate parking meter codes in Birmingham and Mobile, Alabama, to redirect payments to fraudulent accounts instead of actual parking vendors. The Better Business Bureau advises verifying QR codes by physically checking for stickers or scanning with a phone camera to confirm the website address matches the official parking company before paying. Victims should dispute charges immediately with their credit card company and avoid using debit cards for parking payments, as credit cards offer fraud protection that debit cards do not.

The Alabama Tombigbee Regional Commission held a free Fraud Summit in Selma to educate residents about common scams targeting seniors, including text messages impersonating postal services or toll road operators. Attendees were advised not to respond to suspicious communications, avoid clicking links, and contact police if targeted, as these scams aim to steal personal information from victims' phones.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) warned residents of a nationwide phishing scam using text messages falsely claiming to be from a nonexistent "Alabama Department of Vehicles (DMV)," threatening driving privilege suspension and vehicle registration cancellation unless payment is made for fabricated traffic tickets. ALEA clarified that it does not send unsolicited threat messages and advised citizens to avoid clicking suspicious links, refuse to provide personal information, and report phishing attempts to the Federal Trade Commission or IC3.

The Alabama Securities Commission reported a record 200 elder fraud cases since January, with women aged 71-90 being disproportionately affected, and identified social isolation as a key vulnerability factor that scammers exploit during periods of grief or health crises. Fraudsters use social media information and infiltrate senior groups to build trust, with exploitation ranging from online romance scams to financial abuse by family members and caregivers. The ASC recommends maintaining regular contact with seniors, adding "trusted contacts" to financial accounts, and sharing fraud awareness information to reduce vulnerability to these increasingly sophisticated schemes.

Alabama securities regulators recovered over $125,000 in crypto assets for two residents who lost a combined $580,000 to "pig butchering" romance scams—schemes where victims met scammers on dating apps and messaging platforms and were convinced to invest in fraudulent trading platforms over several months. One victim lost $185,000 after meeting a scammer on Bumble, while another lost $395,000 after responding to a WhatsApp advertisement for a fake platform falsely claiming Charles Schwab affiliation. Pig butchering scams accounted for 33.2% of the $9.9 billion in global crypto fraud in 2024, with criminals increasingly

A Chinese national with a revoked student visa was arrested after scamming a retired educator in Spanish Fort, Alabama, out of approximately $400,000 in life savings over three weeks. The suspect posed as a U.S. Marshal and convinced the elderly victim to liquidate her cash into gold bars, which he collected during four in-person meetings before she became suspicious and contacted police. Spanish Fort Police and the FBI collaborated on the arrest, which occurred just before Elder Abuse Awareness Day, and the case reflects a broader trend—the FBI reported $219 million in gold bar scam losses nationally in the previous year.

**Summary:** Ewa Maria Ciszak, a 64-year-old civilian employee at the U.S. Department of Defense's Missile Defense Agency in Huntsville, was arrested and charged with unauthorized removal and retention of classified documents. Between February and June 2025, Ciszak allegedly removed multiple classified materials marked at the SECRET level from MDA facilities and transported them to her unauthorized personal residence and vehicle. Federal agents executing a search warrant on June 18, 2025, recovered the classified documents, some of which were found in her backpack.

A 36-year-old Canadian man, Jia Liu, was arrested on July 2 at Louisville's Muhammad Ali International Airport for defrauding elderly people across multiple states. Liu targeted an elderly man in Charlestown who withdrew $27,000 from his retirement account in May, and investigators linked him to at least five additional victims in Indiana, Ohio, New Mexico, and Tennessee, with total losses exceeding $309,000. Liu faces charges including theft, fraud, conspiracy, and money laundering, and authorities are seeking additional victims who may be in Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Illinois, Georgia, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Senior citizens in Vestavia Hills are invited to an educational presentation on July 16 at the New Merkel House where Russell Lowe from the Alabama Cooperative Extension System will teach about common scams and fraud targeting older adults. The free presentation at 11 a.m. includes coffee beforehand and a $1.50 lunch afterward, designed to help seniors protect their finances.

An 80-year-old woman from Childersburg, Barbara J. Kornegay, was killed in a head-on vehicle collision in November 2024 when the car she was a passenger in crashed with a pickup truck driven by 71-year-old James M. Hollingsworth, who was driving under the influence of alcohol. Hollingsworth was indicted for criminally negligent homicide as a Class-C felony in June 2024, carrying a potential sentence of one to ten years in prison, and was held on a $150,000 bond.

The Central Alabama Aging Consortium's Ombudsman Program held its annual Elder Justice Fraud and Caregiver Conference on July 17 to educate professionals and caregivers about identifying and preventing elder abuse and fraud. Over 1,200 Alabama seniors report being victims of elder fraud annually, resulting in losses exceeding $17 million per year, with 10% of seniors nationwide experiencing fraud victimization yearly. The conference featured experts in financial exploitation, elder law, and protective services who provided tools and resources for professionals to assist fraud victims and prevent future incidents.

The Central Alabama Aging Consortium held its annual Elder Justice and Fraud Conference in Wetumpka to educate the public about elder abuse and scams. Elder abuse takes multiple forms including financial exploitation, neglect, and abandonment by caregivers. Conference organizers emphasize the importance of staying informed about evolving fraud tactics and recognizing warning signs of elder abuse.

This article is not related to elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. It discusses a U.S. Supreme Court ruling regarding parental rights to opt children out of classroom instruction on LGBT-themed content, and the Alabama Policy Institute's advocacy calling on parents and school districts to implement opt-out policies. This is a political/educational policy matter and falls outside the scope of the Elderus fraud research database.

This article does not contain information relevant to the Elderus database, as it describes a fundraising event for youth sports safety rather than elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. The CoachSafely Foundation is hosting an August 26 event to raise funds for injury prevention among young athletes, featuring Senator Tommy Tuberville and sports personality Paul Finebaum.

Legal experts from LSC-funded organizations discuss how civil legal services address critical needs of aging Americans, with LSC programs assisting over 312,000 seniors age 60+ annually with issues including wills, powers of attorney, and advance directives. Seniors face particular vulnerability to scams and fraud, and these legal crises compound other challenges like housing costs and medical issues that threaten their safety, stability, and ability to age independently with dignity.

Scammers are posing as University of Alabama students on GroupMe, Snapchat, and other social media platforms to sell fake football tickets, requesting untraceable payments through Venmo, CashApp, or Apple Pay before blocking victims and disappearing with their money. To protect against this fraud, the university recommends using official platforms like MyTickets or SeatGeek, avoiding social media ticket sales, meeting sellers in person at safe locations, and never sharing personal information or using untraceable payment methods. Victims should immediately report scams to University Police at 205-348-5454.

**Not applicable for Elderus database.** This article describes a charitable initiative providing beds and meals to food-insecure children in rural Alabama and does not involve elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse.

A mother and daughter who worked as in-home caretakers in Alabama were sentenced to prison for defrauding an elderly victim of approximately $500,000 between December 2020 and February 2022. Mykia L. Henderson, 32, received 87 months in prison and Cynthia H. Mixon, 50, received 57 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. The defendants used their access to the victim's financial information to create fraudulent payment accounts through Square and Stripe, charged unauthorized credit card transactions, wrote bogus checks, and concealed their activity with false descriptions.

Two Alabama women—32-year-old Mykia L. Henderson and 50-year-old Cynthia H. Mixon (mother and daughter)—were sentenced to 57 months in prison for defrauding an elderly victim of nearly $500,000 between December 2020 and February 2022. While working as the victim's in-home caretakers, they used fraudulent payment accounts (Square and Stripe) to charge the victim's credit cards, wrote unauthorized checks, and concealed their activities through false descriptions on transactions. Both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

The Better Business Bureau is warning Alabama shoppers about a rising scam involving fake websites and misleading social media ads that mimic legitimate retailers but only accept payment methods with no fraud protection, such as debit cards, Venmo, and Cash App. In the last month and a half, the BBB logged nearly 100 cases of fraudulent online storefronts in the region. Consumers are advised to verify website security by checking for "https" URLs and using credit cards, which offer fraud protection, rather than peer-to-peer payment apps or debit cards that provide little recourse once money is transferred.

Senator Rick Scott led a bipartisan effort to introduce the GUARD Act, legislation designed to equip local and state law enforcement with advanced tools—including blockchain tracing technology—to investigate and combat financial scams targeting older Americans. The bill addresses a growing crisis: Americans over 60 lost $4.8 billion to scams in 2024, while those aged 50-59 lost an additional $2.5 billion, with estimates suggesting total fraud losses affecting seniors range from $28.3 billion to $137 billion annually. The legislation aims to expand federal grant programs for specialized training and improve coordination between federal and local agencies to prosecute scammers and recover stolen funds.

TARCOG is hosting a free Fraud & Scam Summit on August 20, 2025, in Athens, Alabama, to educate the community about elder fraud following reports that seniors lost nearly $5 billion to financial scams across the U.S. in 2024. The summit will cover topics including recognizing common scams, identity theft prevention, the role of caregivers in detecting fraud, and reporting procedures, with exhibitors from state programs and community organizations providing resources.

A mother and daughter from Alabama were sentenced to prison after pleading guilty to defrauding an elderly victim of over $500,000 between December 2020 and February 2022. While working as in-home caretakers with access to the victim's financial information, Mykia L. Henderson (32) and Cynthia H. Mixon (50) created fraudulent payment accounts through Square and Stripe to charge the victim's credit cards, wrote unauthorized checks, and deposited stolen funds into their own accounts. Henderson received 87 months in prison and Mixon received 57 months for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

Elderly fraud in the U.S. resulted in nearly $5 billion in losses during 2024, representing a 46% increase in complaints and 43% increase in financial losses compared to 2023, according to FBI data showing 147,127 complaints. TARCOG's Senior Medicare Patrol is hosting a free Fraud & Scam Summit on August 20, 2025, to educate seniors, families, and caregivers on recognizing common scams, identity theft prevention, detecting financial abuse, and reporting resources. The event at Athens State University will feature local experts and community organizations providing educational information and support.

Senators Katie Britt (R-Alabama) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) introduced the bipartisan GUARD Act to combat financial scams targeting older Americans, particularly those using cryptocurrency and blockchain technologies. The legislation would allow state and local law enforcement to use existing federal grant funding to hire personnel and deploy advanced tracing tools, addressing gaps that enable scammers to escape prosecution. According to the Federal Trade Commission, Americans aged 60 and older lost over $2.3 billion to fraud in 2024—a 21% increase from 2023—with experts estimating total unreported fraud at $61.5 billion, including growing "

TARCOG is hosting a free Fraud and Scam Summit in Athens, Alabama to educate seniors, caregivers, and professionals about recognizing and preventing scams, which cost Americans nearly $5 billion annually. The event features experts from law enforcement and the Alabama Securities Commission discussing common fraud tactics, identity theft prevention, and reporting procedures, with particular focus on romance scams as the fastest-growing threat targeting vulnerable seniors. Attendees can register on the waiting list by contacting TARCOG at 256-830-0818, and resources will be available online for those unable to attend.

This content does not contain information relevant to elder fraud, scams, or elder abuse. The articles cover local news topics including a civil rights commemoration, healthcare policy, a shooting investigation, and municipal ordinances. No summary for the Elderus database is applicable.

Romance scams, increasingly prevalent on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, target vulnerable older adults—particularly widows and widowers—by creating fake identities to extract money and financial information. According to Advocating Against Romance Scammers (AARS), perpetrators use fabricated stories (such as being stranded overseas or in jail) to convince victims to send money, with one documented case involving a widow losing over $40,000. Scammers typically initiate contact on public platforms, move conversations to encrypted messaging apps to avoid law enforcement detection, and exploit emotional vulnerabilities and declining cognitive health in their victims.

Two Alabama residents were arrested in an undercover operation targeting impersonation scams targeting elderly victims, after attempting to collect a package containing $250,000 in bait money that an elderly man had been instructed to send via FedEx to Mountain Home. Josiah Kamal Smith, 25, and Briana Brittany Norwood, 33, were charged with criminal attempt to commit theft of property, conspiracy to commit theft of property, and financial identity fraud; Smith had been recruited as a "money mule" for $500 to pose as a deputy and collect the package, while Norwood drove him for the same amount. The arrests are part of a larger investigation that began in July

This is an educational alert highlighting emerging scams in the Mobile, Alabama area, including AI-enabled fraud schemes. The piece emphasizes the importance of recognizing these scams and provides guidance on protective measures and victim resources, though specific scam details and techniques are not elaborated in the provided excerpt.