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Pleasant Grove victim advocate reports steady caseload, flags holiday fraud risks
Summary
The city's victim services coordinator reviewed 2023'24 fiscal-year case counts, described services delivered and urged residents, especially seniors, to take precautions against fraud during the holidays.
Kimberly, Pleasant Grove's victim advocate, told the City Council during its Dec. 3 work session that the office's caseloads in fiscal 2023'24 remained steady but included more time-consuming cases and a rise in reported fraud.
The report covered statistics for the city fiscal year (July 1 start). Kimberly said the department recorded 362 domestic/family-problem reports, 114 offenses in a redacted category listed in the packet, 297 DCFS reports, 116 assaults and 210 fraud incidents in 2023'24; the office served 269 clients who were victims of reported crimes and handled 22,319 information-and-referral contacts.
The city's victim advocate highlighted the range of services the office delivers. "Knowledge is power," Kimberly said, describing outreach that includes court accompaniment, filing help for protective orders, and assistance with crime victim reparations from the Utah Office for Victims of Crime. She said the office provided 2,138 civil and criminal-justice assistance services, 1,445 emotional-support and safety services and 473 referrals or applications for victim reparations during the fiscal year.
Kimberly emphasized fraud as a growing issue, particularly among older residents. She said she has worked with the FBI on a multi-jurisdictional financial-fraud investigation and urged families to help seniors set up safeguards such as two-factor authentication, joint-account oversight and close monitoring of large outgoing wire transfers. She recounted an anecdote about an elderly man who nearly wired about $98,000 before the transaction was stopped; Kimberly said that incident was not in Pleasant Grove but illustrates the vulnerability of older adults to phone-based and spoofing scams.
Kimberly also warned about package theft and online marketplace scams, recommending residents consider credit-card use instead of debit cards, enable delivery notifications and be cautious about clicking suspicious links. She said the office provides referrals and will assist residents who prefer not to report crimes to law enforcement with information and services.
The presentation noted a change in federal reporting schedules: VOCA grant reporting now aligns with the city's fiscal year, which Kimberly said makes internal reporting easier. She said the office has recently brought on additional advocacy staff and is working on documenting some services more consistently.
Council members thanked Kimberly and did not take action during the work session. The item was presented to provide mandated grant reporting and to brief council on emerging fraud trends ahead of the holiday season.
