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Avoiding the Scam Artists
Seniors vs Crime is a collection of real-life stories set in The Villages, Florida, where elder citizens find themselves targeted by a range of con artists, shady contractors, and even predatory loved ones. Why was this an important book for you to write?
I am an other-oriented person, meaning I tend to care about other people and their situations perhaps more than most people. My career as a wealth advisor afforded me an opportunity to help other people retire. When I retired in 2008 in The Villages, FL. I looked for a way to help people. Seniors Vs. Crime was that perfect opportunity. I wrote the book to provide the elderly with an opportunity to learn about scams and their artists to help them avoid possible harm.
What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this book?
One of the ideas I wanted to share was how easy it is to be duped by scam artists who credibly seem to care about you. The doctor’s wife, who befriended the Doctor’s patient and then captured the patient’s widow’s entire estate, is a good example.
I also wanted to try to urge victims to report the scam. Many people are embarrassed that they were “stupid” enough to fall for the scam. I wanted them to know that we all make mistakes, but to not report the scam is a bigger “mistake.”
Could you share more information with us about the Seniors vs. Crime program? Is it something that is still running?
Seniors vs Crime in Florida is not only still working but growing every year. It was started by the Attorney General back several decades ago as a speaker’s forum and developed into what it is today… a functioning arm of the Attorney General’s Office fighting scams and harms to seniors. It has offices all over Florida. When a senior is scammed or otherwise harmed, they can come to any of our offices to make a claim. They can also enter a claim online at Seniorsvscrime.org. The claim is entered into our system and resides at both the Attorney General’s Office as well as the local SVC office. My office is located in Brownwood, Florida in the police annex building. Once a claim is submitted the voluntary “sleuths” will begin to help the senior recover their loss.
What is one thing that you hope readers take away from Seniors vs Crime?
Many seniors feel their loss is irreparable. I want them to know that most of their losses are recoverable.
Seniors Vs. Crime
Larry G. Moran’s Seniors vs Crime is a collection of real-life stories set in The Villages, Florida, where elder citizens find themselves targeted by a range of con artists, shady contractors, and even predatory loved ones. Drawing from his own volunteer experience with the Seniors vs Crime program—a project backed by the Florida Attorney General’s Office—Moran weaves a series of gripping, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes triumphant cases involving fraud, deception, and exploitation. Each chapter focuses on a different victim and scam, illustrating not just the dangers seniors face but also the human resilience and the vital role of advocacy in protecting them.
Reading this book was like opening a window into a world most of us don’t see, one where vulnerability meets cruelty, and where the right people in the right roles can change everything. Moran writes with clarity and warmth, even as he dives into dark subject matter. His straightforward style avoids fluff or embellishment, which gives the stories a raw and real edge. The emotional arcs—despair, betrayal, shock, and ultimately relief or resolution—pulled me in case after case. One of the most affecting elements was how these crimes weren’t carried out by mysterious strangers in the night, but by trusted professionals, family members, or “kind” acquaintances who wormed their way in before robbing these seniors blind. It made me angry, and oddly hopeful, because the volunteers at Seniors vs Crime often stepped in to save the day.
What struck me most was the unvarnished truth of these stories. Moran doesn’t try to be a literary stylist, he just tells it how it happened, which actually worked better for me than fancy prose would have. It felt like listening to an old friend recount real cases over coffee. That said, a few lines of dialogue sound more scripted than conversational, and the narrative sometimes leans on exposition. But the power of the stories and the sense of justice being fought for carried the book. By the end, I felt connected to the work being done by these volunteers, and frustrated that these scams happen so often.
I’d recommend Seniors vs Crime to anyone who lives in a retirement community, has aging parents, or just wants to understand the everyday battles many seniors quietly fight. It’s equal parts infuriating and uplifting. Larry Moran has done a real service by documenting these cases, offering both a warning and a reminder that good people still step up to do the right thing.
Pages: 170 | ASIN : B0DKNTLSF5
LITERARY TITAN 