Police say a con artist scammed elderly victims out of thousands of dollars.
A 76-year old victim wants to remain anonymous but her son Michael Wyrick wants you to know the anguish his family has endured.
"She seemed very polished, convincing, like she's been doing this forever and it was basically her business and this is what she does so a very convincing woman," said Wyrick.
55-year old Sharon Harrelson worked at Soutas and Associates, a Fresno based company that helps seniors with medi-care and veterans benefits. She was fired after the company reportedly discovered she had taken clients deposit fees and also altered files to cover her tracks. Despite all this, she started her own business, The Harrelson Group. Investigators believe she continued to bilk unwitting clients by diverting their money directly into her account, eventually making off with from her victims.
"This is like targeting children because these people are defenseless and they put their trust in someone to help deal with their life savings and they get scammed and taken for all their money they put in," said Deputy Curtice, Fresno County Sheriff.
Ironically, the Better Business Bureau gives seminars at the senior centers talking about scams targeting the elderly. By sheer chance our victim asked about Harrelson at one of the BBB seminars.
"When she came to us we got all of her paper work and did some investigation and found some things that we felt were questionable so we turned it over to law enforcement," said Cindy Dudley, Better Business Bureau.
The Better Business Bureau says they see this kind of thing all too often. The best advice they give, if it sounds too good to be true it probably is.
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If you think you're a victim or may know a victim, you're urged to call Fresno County Sheriff's Department.