Town and CVMO partner with banks to combat future losses
Camp Verde residents lost over $372,630 to scammers in 2025, a figure that rivals the $400,000 reported stolen from Sedona victims that same year.
The Sedona figure includes both residents and visitors, according to a previous Larson Newspapers investigative reporting while the Camp Verde number is almost entirely residents. The Camp Verde Marshal’s Office has 98 reported fraud cases since January 2025.
The largest losses since 2025 include:
■ A resident in early 2025 deposited more than $110,000 into a Cottonwood bitcoin ATM over several transactions after falling victim to a scammer who said they were with customer support for Microsoft.
■ From June 5 to 25, 2025, a resident was defrauded $142,630 in gold and $52,000 in cash that they deposited into a bitcoin ATM, by a scammer posing as a Federal Trade Commission agent by the name of “Ron Jefferson.”
“The citizen was instructed by ‘Ron’ to place a box of gold she had been instructed to purchase into the backseat of a silver or light-colored medium-sized sedan driven by a male the citizen described as possibly Middle Eastern, olive skinned, black eyes, wearing a black ball cap,” CVMO Sgt. Dustin Richardson wrote. “The citizen had been instructed not to interact with the driver and could not remember any additional details on the vehicle. The citizen had no photographs and said there was no video surveillance in her neighborhood.”
■ August 2025, a Camp Verde resident started what they believed was a romantic relationship with someone online. The scammer fabricated a story about experiencing financial hardship and requested money from the resident.
“Over the course of several months, the Camp Verde resident sent more than $50,000 to the companion,” Richardson wrote. “The companion was using a fraudulent address, and when the Camp Verde resident went to meet the companion, the address was a vacant commercial business.”
■ Aug. 17, 2025, a scammer posing as “Michael Marshal,” from the loss prevention department called the Dollar General at 2775 S. Verde Lakes Road, and said he was checking the store’s security by running gift cards through the register and refunding them — the store was scammed more than $3,000.
■ On Dec. 19, 2025, a victim was contacted by an individual claiming to be a representative of Wells Fargo,” Richardson wrote. “The alleged Wells Fargo employee threatened the elderly citizen and convinced her to meet an individual who remains unknown in Sedona and give him $15,000.00 in cash … she did.”
■ March 2026, a resident sent $10,000 in gift cards to a fraudulent charity.
Most of the other losses since the start of 2025 were under $1,000, with between $8,000 to $10,000 lost to other scams according to Richardson.
In response, the Town of Camp Verde and CVMO have partnered with local banks to help protect residents from financial scams. Under the initiative, bank staff may contact law enforcement when a withdrawal exceeding $1,000 raises red flags or shows signs of being scam-related.
“CVMO does not direct banks to stop or restrict transactions,” the Town wrote in a social media post. “This is a voluntary, protective measure designed to offer support—not control.
“Individuals may be offered the opportunity to speak with a deputy to ensure they are not being targeted by a scam. Participation is completely optional — if someone declines, their transaction proceeds without interference. No personal or financial information is collected or retained unless it is voluntarily provided and necessary for a criminal investigation.”
