Winter Park business owner accused of scamming the elderly

One Winter Park business owner is accused of making a nefarious living off unexpected victims: elderly residents who’ve already been scammed.

June Andriulaitis of Winter Park was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement agents last Thursday and charged with preying on elderly victims who had already been scammed by timeshare fraud. She faces multiple charges of grand theft.

Andriulaitis did business under the name Advocates for Seniors, LLC, allegedly seeking out victims of timeshare fraud and offering to recover their money for a fee of $99.

She would then collect her payment and do nothing to help the victim, duplicating the payment process and collecting the $99 payment multiple times.

“We will not allow unscrupulous individuals to further victimize consumers who have already been victimized by timeshare fraud and are seeking financial help," said Attorney General Pam Bondi in a press release. "My Office of Statewide Prosecution will continue to partner with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to ensure any scammers seeking to make money with false promises are held accountable.”

An investigative report claims that Andriulaitis stole $105,083 from nearly 450 victims across the country over the span of two years.

A report from the FBI in 2012 regarding timeshare fraud claims that scams almost always come from an unexpected e-mail or phone call with someone posing as a sales representative.

“The representative promises a quick sale, often within 60-90 days,” the report reads. “The sales representatives often use high-pressure sales tactics to add a sense of urgency to the deal.”

“Many victims have provided credit cards to pay the fees ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. Once the fee is paid, timeshare owners report that the company becomes evasive – calls go unanswered, numbers are disconnected, and websites are inaccessible.”

It wasn’t the first time FDLE cracked down on a Winter Park scammer. In September 2015, Winter Park dentist Dr. Merys Downer-Garnette was arrested after allegedly making more than $5,500 in fraudulent claims to Medicaid for procedures that were never performed on her child patients – some of whom fell victim to alleged medical malpractice.