Placer PROTECT

07/21/2026

SCAM ALERT!

https://fox40.com/placer-county-2/phone-scam-targeting-inmate-relatives-placer-county/?fbclid=IwY2xjawTMvjZleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFmS3pHNEFvSW1IME1qQVFwc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHlHPMHQPHEKgldXzO8M1mhwaIaSGsQEUm1X7dlMhKhlYv-q9s7RR6SdMtO_a_aem_i1bsNFFz9IbxMc6PznmT-Q

Education is key - here are consistent RED FLAGS to recognize a SCAM:
1) Urgency & Scare Tactics: Messages threatening arrest, legal action, or immediate service disconnection if you don't "pay now". Legitimate entities will never rush you into paying on the spot.
2)Unusual Payment Methods: Demands to pay via cryptocurrency, gift cards (e.g., Apple, Google Play), wire transfers, or by mailing cash/gold bars. These are untraceable and are massive warning signs.
3)Unsolicited Requests: Someone contacting you out of the blue claiming you won a lottery, inherited money, or have a "problem" with your account.
4)Suspicious Links & Info Requests: Emails from generic domains (e.g., Gmail) or links that look almost—but not exactly—like an official website. Never reply to requests for passwords, PINs, or Social Security numbers.

CALL OUR FRAUD HOTLINE FOR RESOURCES: 916-645-7226

A phone scam taking advantage of inmates' relatives is on the rise, and this isn't the first time.

07/21/2026

New Resource Alert! A first-of-its-kind, pro bono (FREE) legal assistance to victims of online scams, The Scam Justice Legal Clinic!

Empowering Survivors. Disrupting Scammers. Advancing Justice.

How to Access?
https://www.dwt.com/about/pro-bono/scam-justice-legal-clinic
To request services, email [email protected]

The Scam Justice Legal Clinic: in-house attorneys, legal professionals, and consumer protection advocates in the fight against online fraud. By equipping survivors with legal knowledge and resources, SJLC helps them move forward with clarity, confidence, and an understanding of their rights.

Additionally, you can always CALL National Elder Fraud Hotline (U.S. DOJ): 1-833-372-8311

Report Fraud to Local Police or Adult Protective Services (APS) or trusted Federal Government Agencies:
• FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center www.ic3.gov
• Federal Trade Commission (FTC) www.reportfraud.ftc.gov
• Report on Identity Theft to the FTC www.identitytheft.gov
• U.S Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) 1-877-876-2455 https://www.uspis.gov/report

• If Crypto Investment Confidence Fraud/Crypto-Relationship Investment (Pig Butchering)- contact local U.S. Secret Service office, in addition filing a complaint with [email protected] and www.ic3.gov.
• FBI Guidance for Crypto-Currency Fraud Victims in Completing an IC3 report https://www.ic3.gov/Media/Y2023/PSA230824

https://www.dwt.com/about/pro-bono/scam-justice-legal-clinic?fbclid=IwY2xjawTMm89leHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFXRG9UMmZEVmI0QzhLcWxRc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsz6vOeST5TlP8sdyc1VMR4u23CMaUMdNbFQW3JBT6g14XUeKfmPMnI2hwHa_aem_zpgqYi3ZSbOA7HiT7_BMhg

The Scam Justice Legal Clinic (SJC) is the first-of-its-kind pro bono initiative dedicated to providing free legal assistance to victims of online sc

06/23/2026

Our Investigative Assistant, Cassidy Paganucci, was asked to write a blog at the conclusion of her Keck School of Medicine of USC National Center on Elder Abuse Mentorship program!

Goals: Support researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with a broad range of interests to improve elder mistreatment identification, intervention and prevention.

Cassidy attended the National Collaboratory to Address Elder Mistreatment's Mentorship Program Convening to network with program participants, members, and consultants working diligently to help prevent elder mistreatment!

PREVENTION IS POWER.
Everyone at every age can prevent abuse. Raise awareness, take action and help stop elder abuse before it starts - as simple as - right in your very own local Grocery Stores.

The blog highlights our innovative Shop Safe program! Learn and share below, keep Placer County a safe place to shop.

National Center on Elder Abuse

Every day, older people across Placer County, California visit local grocery stores, pharmacies, banks, and shopping centers to run errands and stay connected to their community. Unfortunately, these everyday activities can also present opportunities for fraud, scams, and other forms of elder ...

06/19/2026

Our seniors deserve support, compassion, and a helping hand when navigating the criminal justice system.

We are fortunate to have a dedicated Elder Victim Advocate who works every day to ensure older adults receive the resources, guidance, and support they need during difficult times. Whether offering reassurance, connecting seniors to services, or helping them understand the court process, their impact is felt throughout our community.

We are incredibly grateful for our entire Victim Services Unit and the compassion they bring to those they serve every day.

06/17/2026

Celebrating today!! Placer PROTECT Day is June 17th!

"WHEREAS, this day shall serve not only as a recognition, but as a call to action, affirming our shared responsibility to remain vigilant, to speak up, and to ensure that every older adult is treated with dignity, safety and respect."

It is estimated that one in ten older adults experience abuse, impacting millions of seniors annually and resulting in billions of dollars in losses, underscoring the urgency of coordinated prevention, enforcement and community education efforts.

Placer County's senior population continues to grow at a significant rate, with nearly one in five residents over the age of 65, and projections indicating continued increases that will shape the future needs, services and protections required to support aging populations.

Today, we proudly recognize the people and partnerships that have spent the last decade making Placer County a safer place for older adults to live, work, shop and retire.

As our Placer County District Attorney's Office Morgan Gire, said, "Placer PROTECT was built on a simple but powerful truth: Elder Abuse cannot be solved by any one agency acting alone."
Auburn Police Department (CA)
Rocklin Police Department
City of Roseville, California Police Department
Lincoln Police Department
Placer County Sheriff's Office
Auburn Interfaith Food Closet
Del Oro Caregiver Resource Center
Seniors First
Placer County Probation Department
Placer County Government
FBI - Sacramento
Meals on Wheels America
Legal Services of Northern California
National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA)
Alzheimer's Association
Placer Independent Resource Services - PIRS
Placer County Veterans Service Office
AARP

*please tag yourself if you are our partner and your FB did not populate :)

06/11/2026

Thank you for the spotlight in your June Newsletter!!
June is Alzheimer's., Elder Abuse and Brain Awareness Month - our partners in Placer County Healthy Aging, Public Health Program, have a monthly newsletter sharing healthy aging tips, workshops & resources. This month our PROTECT team was honored to be spotlighted and hope you subscribe at their website today.

You can learn about trending SCAMS seen in our office in their "Scam Alert" section, future events, brain game challenges, and ways to help you maintain physical, cognitive and social well-being as you age!
https://www.placer.ca.gov/10058/Healthy-Aging

Healthy Body, Healthy Brain:
We would like to remind you that significant memory loss is not a normal part of aging. While some changes in memory and processing speed can occur over time, there are many proactive steps you can take to support brain health and maintain cognitive function.

This month, focus on simple, actionable lifestyle changes that can strengthen memory, improve mental clarity, and support long-term brain health. Prioritizing quality sleep, regular physical activity, balanced nutrition, stress management, and social connection can all play an important role in keeping your mind sharp. Remember, a healthy mind starts with a healthy body.

Placer County Healthy Aging page for older adults. Health tips and resources for older adults.

06/05/2026

A community is judged by how it protects its most vulnerable. In Placer County, ensuring seniors can age safely, independently, and with dignity is a core responsibility of a strong justice system.

Elder abuse and financial exploitation can devastate families, drain life savings, and destabilize households. A proactive justice system works to hold offenders accountable, deter scams, and coordinate prevention efforts so that seniors can enjoy retirement without fear.

Protecting seniors is not just about prosecution—it is about preserving dignity, stability, and quality of life.

That commitment is part of the Placer PROMISE.

Learn more at www.placerpromise.com.

Placer County is special.

At a time when many communities across California are seeing people leave, Placer County remains one of the few places people continue to move to, invest in, and raise their families. That doesn't happen by accident.

It happens because of a countywide commitment to taking care of one another while also holding one another accountable. It happens because residents, businesses, schools, nonprofits, first responders, and community leaders work together to protect and strengthen the place we call home.

We are proud of what we have built.

Our children can still enjoy our parks. Families can gather in our neighborhoods. Women can walk in our communities with confidence. Residents can shop, dine, and spend time in our town centers knowing that safety, opportunity, and quality of life remain priorities.

These things don't happen by chance. They are the result of thousands of people making daily investments in their community, looking out for their neighbors, and refusing to settle for anything less than a county where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

That is the Placer Promise.

Learn more about the movement and how you can get involved at www.placerpromise.com.

06/02/2026

Today, our Board of Supervisors approved a Proclamation establishing June 17 as Placer PROTECT Day in honor of the program's ten-year anniversary!!

Our Placer County District Attorney's Office District Attorney, Morgan Gire, said it best, "To the partners involved, your commitment has made a difference. Your partnership has changed lives and your work has strengthened this community."

We want every senior in Placer County to know:
You are not alone. Help is available. This community stands beside you.

BACKGROUND:
As Placer County continues to become one of the state’s top places to retire, so do the public safety challenges facing vulnerable residents, seniors, and local businesses. In response, the Placer County District Attorney’s Office has developed collaborative prevention-focused initiatives designed to improve public awareness, strengthen victim support services, and proactively address emerging crime trends impacting the community.

Placer PROTECT demonstrates Placer County’s proactive approach to public safety by focusing not only on enforcement and prosecution, but also on prevention, education, and coordinated victim support services.

Elder abuse remains significantly underreported nationwide, despite growing prevalence and increasing financial losses targeting older adults. Programs such as Placer PROTECT are designed to improve prevention efforts before crimes occur while ensuring seniors and caregivers have access to critical education and support resources.

"I am grateful to the team behind me, because they do not just show up for their jobs, but they restore dignity, they provide peace, they seek justice and every day they are impacting the lives of our seniors," said our Supervising Deputy District Attorney, Shannon Quigley.

We will share the Youtube link soon - another great way to kick-off June Elder Abuse Awareness month!
Placer County Government

05/16/2026

Today we gathered “in the spirit of community, compassion & generosity to support children, individuals & families in need of hope, healing & connection”- we love seeing our Placer County MDIC and Children's Advocacy Center Coordinator on the Board of Directors because her work & heart are rooted in helping children facing difficult circumstances.

We love our office, we love our community & we love when they combine together for a good cause!! Lighthouse Counseling and Family Resource Center

You can follow our office’s sweet comfort K9 Toast on IG: https://www.instagram.com/toast_comfort_k9?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==