Sheriff's office details fraud surge, new financial-crimes unit and concerns about public-records exploitation

Sergeant Mike Anderson and other Volusia County Sheriff's Office staff told City of DeBary officials that fraud complaints are a large and growing share of property-related reports and that criminals are exploiting public records to target victims.

“It’s not me. I'm not trying to take people's money,” Sergeant Mike Anderson said, describing how scammers have impersonated law-enforcement personnel to demand payment. He urged residents that the sheriff’s office will not call to ask for money or cryptocurrency to resolve tickets or warrants.

Speakers described a newly organized financial-crimes capability that the sheriff’s office said includes a sergeant and four detectives assigned to handle larger-scale and complex fraud investigations. Staff said the unit is reviewing dozens of cases, has acquired software to trace cryptocurrency transactions, and is identifying rings that span multiple jurisdictions. Investigators said they have multiple pending arrest warrants in an ongoing multi-jurisdictional fraud case and expect additional arrests in coming weeks.

The briefing also discussed the public-records angle: presenters said fraudsters appear to be using citation and arrest information published online to find and contact recent ticketed individuals. Staff discussed legislative remedies, saying they are exploring redaction or other record changes during the next legislative session to limit data that scammers use as identifiers; the briefing did not propose a specific statutory change during the meeting.

The sheriff’s office emphasized outreach: every fraud complaint is contacted regardless of dollar value and victims are given guidance for reporting and possible recovery efforts. The briefing urged residents to verify any unexpected call claiming to be law enforcement and to report suspected scams.