Thread: Scam artists aim to swindle older residents

http://www.bakersfield.com/102/story/59716.html

Scam artists aim to swindle older residents
BY SHELLIE BRANCO, Californian staff writer
e-mail: sbranco@bakersfield.com | Thursday, Jun 29 2006 9:55 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, Jun 29 2006 10:17 PM

Celestine Peevy thought she hit the jackpot two weeks ago. A Canadian letter informed the 80-year-old southeast Bakersfield resident she won $250,000 from a lottery.

Instead, she almost lost $2,900.

Local law enforcement officials regularly receive complaints of such scams that seem to originate internationally.

Whether by e-mail, snail mail, phone or even in person, most target the elderly.

That's because they tend to be more trusting, said Kern County Sheriff's Department Sgt. Richard Wood.

Another elderly woman wasn't so lucky with an in-person lottery scam Wednesday.

Linda Corona lost $20,000 after two people claiming to be illegal immigrants asked her to help them cash a winning lottery ticket, said Detective Ryan Paslay of the Bakersfield Police Department.

And there's no way to get that money back, he said.

Banks won't reimburse the money. It's tough to track down these criminals, to boot.

Corona, 80, was at Wal-Mart on White Lane around 11 a.m. when she was approached by a Hispanic female in her 30s, Paslay said.

The woman told Corona she was sick and her doctor had a winning lottery ticket, he added. She said the doctor agreed to give her part of the money to pay for treatment, but because both were illegal immigrants, they could not cash the ticket.

The "doctor," a Hispanic male in his 50s, met them and said the ticket was worth $2 million. He told Corona he would give her $6,000 for her trouble, but needed $20,000 from her as collateral, Paslay said.

She brought them $20,000 and eventually drove the couple to the 2700 block of Ming Avenue so the woman could use a restroom. The man said he would leave to find his car and the pair never returned, Paslay said.

The department received reports of possibly two or three similar scams in the past few months, Paslay said. The scams also involved a Hispanic male and female targeting an elderly Hispanic person, he said.

Peevy's family reported their lottery scam run-in to Bakersfield police Wednesday. Peevy received the letter with a $4,900 check about two weeks ago, said her daughter, Elaine Gray.

The letter came from a company called Fidelity Trust International Inc. and showed an address in British Columbia, Canada. The check was supposed to help pay a "clearance fee" on the winnings, according to the letter.

The company supposedly deducted $4,900 from the prize, and $2,900 of that was to be wired to cover the fee. The letter instructed the recipient to call a phone number for "claims agent" Charles Brown to start the payment process.

Gray said the check looked legitimate.

"It was real because the bank took it," Peevy said.

Peevy deposited the check, but placed a hold on it. The bank notified her it was fraudulent. Gray called Brown and told him the check wasn't good, which he disputed.

"I don't think it's fair people are running around trying to make fools of the elderly," Gray said.

Paslay and Wood said you should be suspicious of contests or lotteries you haven't entered.

Also avoid business transactions involving companies that aren't currently working on a transaction with you, Wood said.

Tips to avoid scams:

• Thieves often use convincing rhetoric, high-pressure tactics, and professional-looking Web sites to lure their victims. No reputable banking institution or credit card company will ever call you and ask you for your personal information.

• Don’t let a little greed get you in big financial trouble. Keep your personal financial information secret.

• If you do receive a request for your personal information that you believe is legitimate, get the caller’s name and ID number along with a call-back number.

Look through your own records and locate a telephone number that you know to be legitimate for the company in question. Call that number and ask about the incident.

If it is legitimate, you should not have a problem being connected with the person you just spoke with. If not, the legitimate company representative will tell you the initial caller is not employed there and they are not conducting such a program.

• Report scams to the Bakersfield Police Department or the Kern County Sheriff’s Department.

Source: Bakersfield Police Department

They would take the pennies off of the eyes of dead men.