I have blogged about mail scams in the past, but it never fails to break my heart when I hear about elderly people getting scammed out of thousands of dollars. If you have an elderly parent, grandparent, uncle, friend or neighbor who lives alone you may want to warn them about a new mail scam that targets senior citizens.
Authorities in New Jersey say that a number of senior citizens have fallen prey to a mail scam that has robbed seniors nationwide of more than $500,000. According to the head of the Senior Task Force for a New Jersey prosecutor’s office, one elderly resident alone was scammed of $80,000.
The mail scheme works like this: A letter is mailed notifying the recipient that he or she has won a lottery or sweepstakes and encloses a check, usually ranging between $2,000 and $10,000. The recipient is then instructed to deposit the check in a bank, and is ordered to wire the same amount of money back to the lottery to cover taxes or fees. In the end, the original check bounces because it is drawn on a phony or closed bank account, but by that time the victim’s check has cleared.
The New Jersey prosecutor’s office says in addition to the man who was defrauded of $80,000, there have been two other people who have lost a total of $43,000. Authorities say, one resident recently wired $16,000 over a five-day period before a bank teller called police. All tolled police and local banks have stopped $4.2 million in the fake checks from being cashed in the last two years.
When police ask the seniors why they sent the money the majority of them said they wanted to have money for their families, while others said they were simply “stupid.” Frnakly, I think the question is “stupid.” Anyone who has ever cared for an elderly loved one knows that often, with age comes compromised reasoning. Most of my elderly loved ones don’t look at offers as “suspicious” or “shady;” they don’t have their guards up when they open the mail. My grandmother thinks everyone in the world has a good heart and as a result has been the victim of scams. Hopefully, you can prevent your loved ones from falling prey to evil con artists.
For tips on how to avoid falling for scam artists evil ways click here.
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