On Wednesday, state Attorney General Ashley Moody’s office announced the shutdown of a door-to-door scam targeting South Florida seniors.
The scammers charged victims thousands of dollars for prepaid home-health services but then failed to deliver what was promised. Almost 50 seniors lost approximately $488,000 to this scheme.
“This so-called home-health service provider preyed on seniors concerned about their ability to live independently—selling services they never provided. Nearly 50 Florida seniors fell victim to this devious scheme before my office was alerted to the door-to-door scam operation and took legal action to shut it down. We will continue to take aggressive action to stop scammers targeting our seniors,” Moody said on Wednesday.
According to the investigation, Christopher Kydes and Senior America Home Care, Inc. solicited seniors door to door—falsely promising to provide prepaid home-health services. In some instances, the defendants sold one-year contracts for thousands of dollars only to return just days later to sell additional contracts to the same victim. Many of the senior victims lived alone, had altered mental statuses or were otherwise vulnerable. On other occasions, the defendants falsely claimed that SAHC worked with the seniors’ current long-term care providers.
The consent final judgment permanently bans the defendants from engaging in any in-home sales or owning any home-health business. The judgment also provides for more than $2.5 million in restitution for the victims, attorney’s fees and penalties. Based on the defendants’ affidavits showing an inability to pay, penalties of $1.9 million are suspended. The remaining payment is contingent on the sale of the defendants’ property. The suspension will be lifted, and all penalties imposed, if the defendants violate any provision of the consent final judgment.
