According to the Florida State Attorney General’s Office senior citizens are often targeted for specific crimes or scams based on their age. The Seniors vs. Crime Project provides educational and crime prevention programs to senior citizen groups; investigates complaints and seeks restitution in respect of complaints made by seniors; and provides investigative agencies with senior volunteers to assist them with specific investigations.

Richard “Dick” Fearnow is a Polk County, Florida RSVP volunteer who serves with the Polk County “Seniors vs. Crime” project of the Florida State Attorneys General Office sponsored by the Polk County Sheriff’s Department. Dick manages offices in Lakeland and Haines City supervising approximately eight other RSVP volunteers who investigate allegations of fraud (primarily against seniors.)
These volunteers, known as Senior Sleuths, serve as eyes and ears on current issues affecting seniors, educate the public about scams and frauds, provide on-site help for seniors making large purchases, assist law enforcement as actors with undercover operations and manage consumer cases. Unethical businesses and individuals may believe that their senior target is helpless, when, in fact, the "target" may be working for the Attorney General or local law enforcement in an undercover role. Few volunteer opportunities permit this level of involvement for seniors in their own protection. According to their website, the Polk County Seniors vs. Crime program’s dedicated volunteers have a success rate of 70% and have recovered losses of over $400,000. One such success involved “An elderly female who complained that she was approached in her driveway by a man and a woman offering to sell her a new vacuum cleaner. They made a prolonged high pressure presentation and convinced her to pay $2000.00 for a new vacuum cleaner. They took her old vacuum cleaners. The next day she realized what had happened and put a stop payment on her check. When she contacted the salesman, he informed her that she could not back out and that she had committed a crime by stopping the check. When Seniors vs. Crime contacted the company, they promptly cancelled the contract, picked up their machine and returned the complainant’s old vacuum cleaners” Dick is a highly sought-after speaker, speaking to numerous community organizations alerting the community about the latest scams operating in the area. The most recent scams include “The Oprah Winfrey Show Scam,” “Work-at-Home” and “Mystery Shopper.”

This year Polk County RSVP recognized Dick with the Presidential Volunteer Lifetime Service Award for his over 4,000 hours of service.

By providing assistance to seniors who have been the target of scams Dick Fearnow helps secure the economic future of the vulnerable senior population, many living on fixed incomes.