Miami-Beach-Firefighters-Save-Nonagenarian-from-Senior-Fraud
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
City of Miami Beach, 1700 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, FL 33139, www.miamibeachfl.gov
OFFICE OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS, Tel: 305.673.7575 PRESS RELEASE
Tonya Daniels, E-mail: tonyadaniels@miamibeachfl.gov
Melissa Berthier, E-mail: melissaberthier@miamibeachfl.gov
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 17, 2021
Miami Beach Firefighters Save Nonagenarian from Senior Fraud
— Miami Beach Firefighters Ryan Yuhr and Armando Albaladejo were honored by the
Miami Beach City Commission for exemplary public service —
Miami Beach, FL – When two Miami Beach firefighters arrived at the home of 96-year-old
Morry Sunshine on Jan. 11 to give him his first of two COVID-19 vaccinations, the
nonagenarian shared that he was planning to withdraw $10,800 from his bank account to send
to his daughter, whom he was led to believe was being held in a New York City jail.
“I told them that just before they arrived, I had received a phone call from the NYC's Public
Defender's Office to tell me that my daughter had been arrested and jailed for hitting another
vehicle and injuring a pregnant woman,” Sunshine said in a letter to the City of Miami Beach.
“During this conversation, I could hear my daughter screaming in background: ‘Daddy, help
me!’ I promised to call him back because Fire Rescue was actually at my door.”
The story raised the suspicions of the two firefighters — Ryan Yuhr and Armando Albaladejo —
who “urged me, very vigorously not to do that,” at least before doing a little more homework on
the caller who claimed to be from the New York City Public Defender’s Office.
“It is, they said, a new way to scam elderly people,” Sunshine recalled being told by the
firefighters. “I promised them I would take their advice and check it out.”
As the firefighters had surmised, the story didn’t hold up and Sunshine was spared from
becoming a victim of elder fraud.
“Later, I learned that the phone number was not in NYC, but in Atlanta, Georgia,” Sunshine
explained. “When I called my daughter's cell phone, she was safe at home.”
Firefighters Yuhr and Albaladejo were recognized for their exemplary public service at the
March 17 meeting of the Miami Beach City Commission.
“We were already proud of our firefighters for their work in getting 80 percent of Miami Beach
seniors vaccinated against COVID-19,” Miami Beach Interim City Manager Raul J. Aguila
observed. “Mr. Sunshine’s story illustrates that our firefighters are willing to go above and
beyond the call of duty to protect vulnerable senior citizens from any threat.”
To report a suspected case of elder fraud, call the Miami Beach Police Department at
305.673.7900. You can also file a report with the Federal Trade Commission via the agency’s
website at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov.
We are committed to providing excellent public service and safety to all who live, work and play in our vibrant, tropical, historic community.
“Caring for another isn’t a thoughtless action,” added Deputy Fire Chief Digna Abello of Miami
Beach Fire Rescue. “It comes from a place inside and not a book.”
###
To request this material in alternate format, sign language interpreter (five-day notice required), information on access for persons with disabilities, and/or any accommodation to review any document or participate in
any city-sponsored proceedings, call 305.604.2489 and select 1 for English or 2 for Spanish, then option 6; TTY users may call via 711 (Florida Relay Service).