| Beware
of "Sweepstakes" Scams
In hindsight, Mildred Allen says she should have
known her $2.5 million "prize" was too good to be true.
But hindsight came too late for the Garden Grove widow, who shelled
out more than $7,000 before realizing she was being scammed by a
telemarketing con called the Jamaican sweepstakes.
"They told me my son had won the money,"
said Allen, 83. "I told them he was dead, and then they said
if I could prove I was the beneficiary, I could have the prize.
But they said there were these legal expenses I had to pay."
Allen never questioned the expenses until after
she had wired $6,750 in cash to an address in Jamaica.
She never wondered how they knew her son - who
played international lottery games - had died until after she spent
more than $300 to wire the money.
She didn't ask why it took sweepstakes officials
more than three years after his death to contact her about his winnings
until she racked up $220 in long-distance telephone charges.
Three times, she just followed telephone instructions
to quickly wire funds and call the sweepstakes to confirm the money
was on its way.
The Jamaican sweepstakes telemarketing fraud puts
a new name on an old con game, said Deborah Zuckerman, attorney
with the AARP Foundation, which monitors scams against seniors.
"We can't understand why seniors continue to fall victim,"
she said. A scam is easy to avoid, she said. Her tips:
•Don't believe a stranger who says you have
to send money to claim a prize - especially if you have to wire
money right away to claim your winnings.
•Don't give out your Social Security number, credit card number
or bank account information to anyone calling on the telephone.
While most cases of financial abuse against the
elderly are committed by family members or caregivers, telemarketing
and Internet schemes are claiming increasing numbers of victims,
said Rebecca Guider, deputy director of Adult Protective Services.
Seniors who are victims of financial abuse should call (800) 451-5155
to file a report, she said.
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