Preying on the Elderly - Phone scam

[HiredGoon]

This really sucks big time. These scammers need to be caught, punished and taught a lesson.

State warns elderly of false calls for help
Saturday, September 13, 2008
By Lawrence Walsh, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania consumers, especially those in the Pittsburgh area, are being warned about a new type of aggressive financial scam involving con artists who pretend to be family members supposedly involved in a traffic accident in Canada.

Attorney General Tom Corbett yesterday said his office has received several complaints from senior citizens who have been targeted by the scam, including an 86-year-old man from Westmoreland County who lost more than $13,000 and a 71-year-old woman from Washington County who lost $4,500.

"Criminals are trying to use fear, sympathy or emotion to convince consumers to quickly send money to a relative who has run into trouble while traveling," Mr. Corbett said. "This disturbing new telephone scam is focused on Pennsylvania seniors who believe they are doing the 'right thing' by helping a family member return home safely."

Mr. Corbett said potential victims are receiving calls from a person claiming to be their grandson, who has been involved in a traffic accident in Canada. The "grandson" says he doesn't have insurance on his car and needs several thousand dollars -- either to pay for repairs to his own car or to pay for the damage that was done to another vehicle.

"In two incidents this week, victims were instructed to visit their local Wal-Mart store and send a MoneyGram wire-transfer of $4,500 to $5,000 to a store in Ontario, Canada," he said.

"In both of these cases, the victims then received a 'thank you' call from their 'grandson,' followed by a request to send more money to pay for additional repairs, fines or travel expenses."

How did the scammers convince the victims they were their grandchildren?

"They used cell phones with bad connections, muffled their voices or said they had a cold," said Deputy Press Secretary Nils Frederiksen. "These scammers are very good at what they do. They are professional story tellers, but they are thieves.

"They make so many calls to so many people that they eventually get lucky. They reach elderly persons with grandsons who, plausibly, could be in Canada," he said. "That's what happened here. We're not identifying the victims at this time in order to protect them.

"Our senior population has a bulls-eye on them," Mr. Frederiksen added. "They are being targeted in a number of ways. This scam is particularly reprehensible and we wanted to get the word out about it right away. We also want consumers who have been called or victimized by these scammers to contact us so we know how extensive this is."

Consumers with questions about this scam or other problems should contact the Consumer Protection Hotline at 1-800-441-2555 or the Elder Abuse Hotline at 1-866-623-2137. Both numbers are toll-free.

Complaints also can be filed online at www.attorneygeneral.gov. Highlight the "Complaints" button on the front page of the Web site and select "Consumer Complaints" from the menu.

Mr. Corbett urged consumers who have lost money as the result of these scams to contact their local police department and the nearest regional office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation in order to file a criminal report.