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Many of the scams are so prolific, they're given names. You've probably heard of the lottery scam. What about the jury scam, secret shopper scam or landlord scam?
Those are just some that are in circulation that people have been falling for.
The number of people taken by these scams is unknown, since many people are too embarrassed to admit they were taken.
Not Henrietta Tolhurst. The 92 year old Santa Monica woman wants her story out there so others don't go through what she did. It started with a phone call telling her she had won around $70,000 - or some other large sum, she doesn't remember the exact amount - in a lottery. To collect the winnings, she was told she had to pay about $6,800 in legal and processing fees first.
One of the scammers then came by her home in person to collect the fees. She paid in cash - wiping out her savings and going into debt with her bank in the process. Of course, she really didn't win anything and her money is gone. Several years later, she is still paying $158.00 a month to pay the bank debt off. She also had to move out of her apartment to find cheaper accommodations, since she could no longer afford the monthly rent.
It's stories like Henrietta's that Wise & Healthy Aging in Santa Monica is trying to prevent. With the help of a grant from the AARP, the group has set up a scam "war room," where volunteers call around the country warning seniors of the latest scams making the rounds.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is also warning consumers of some of the cases they've seen. Postal Inspectors also encourage people to turn in suspicious letters to them. We've provided some helpful links - including links to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Wise & Healthy Aging - at the bottom of the page.
Below is a list of some of the scams they're warning against. As you'll see, many of the scams involve bogus checks arriving in the mail - some more creative than others.
THE LOTTERY SCAM This one often fools people because the scammers will create an authentic looking letter that uses the name of a well known company or magazine. The letter tells you you've won lots of money - say a million dollars - in a lottery the well known company or magazine sponsored. Included in the letter is a check for a much smaller amount, that the letter says will cover expenses and legal fees. Either in the letter or a phone call to a number listed in the letter, you're told to deposit the check in your bank account and send a portion of it back to the lottery sponsor for those expenses and fees. You cash the check, it bounces because it's bogus, and you end up owing your bank all the money you took out plus any fines and fees for depositing the bogus check.
THE WORK AT HOME OR SECRET SHOPPER SCAM This one targets the unemployed or those looking for work. The scammer puts an ad on the internet or in the newspaper about a work at home or secret shopper opportunity. You respond and surprise - you're hired. The "company" then sends you a check to cover your fees and some cash to make your "secret shopper" purchases. You're told to cash the check, take your fees and expenses out and then wire the leftover money back to the "company." After wiring or sending a check or money order to the "company," you find out it's all bogus - but it's too late. They've got your money and now your in trouble, and in debt, with your bank.
THE LANDLORD OR RENTAL SCAM This one targets people who have a home or apartment they're trying to rent. Someone answers your advertisement and says they want to rent the home. They're relocating from another city and their company gave them a lump sum check for relocation. The scammer says he can forward you the lump sum relocation check for the first and last month's rent to hold the place until they get there. In the meantime, the scammer asks you to send the remaining portion of the lump sum check to his mover. Of course, the mover doesn't exist and the check
THE JURY SCAM You get a phone call asking why you didn't show up for jury duty. You're told there's now a warrant out for your arrest. You can take care of the warrant by paying the fine with a credit card over the phone or by wiring the money to the "court." It's a scam that gives the scammer a two for one hit. They not only can get away with your credit card information, in the process of removing your arrest warrant from the system they also say they need to confirm your information and ask for your social security number. So they steal money from your credit card and steal your identity at the same time. Don't fall for it - that's not how a typical police agencies or courts would operate.
LINKS
Here are some links to some helpful web sites:
Wise & Healthy Aging - Santa Monica
http://www.wiseandhealthyaging.org/cms/home.html
U.S. POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE LINKS
http://www.fakechecks.org/
http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov
We will periodically update this page with new scams and helpful information. If you have a scam you want us to report on or warn about, you can e-mail KTLA Reporter Chip Yost at cyost@tribune.com.
Those are just some that are in circulation that people have been falling for.
The number of people taken by these scams is unknown, since many people are too embarrassed to admit they were taken.
Not Henrietta Tolhurst. The 92 year old Santa Monica woman wants her story out there so others don't go through what she did. It started with a phone call telling her she had won around $70,000 - or some other large sum, she doesn't remember the exact amount - in a lottery. To collect the winnings, she was told she had to pay about $6,800 in legal and processing fees first.
One of the scammers then came by her home in person to collect the fees. She paid in cash - wiping out her savings and going into debt with her bank in the process. Of course, she really didn't win anything and her money is gone. Several years later, she is still paying $158.00 a month to pay the bank debt off. She also had to move out of her apartment to find cheaper accommodations, since she could no longer afford the monthly rent.
It's stories like Henrietta's that Wise & Healthy Aging in Santa Monica is trying to prevent. With the help of a grant from the AARP, the group has set up a scam "war room," where volunteers call around the country warning seniors of the latest scams making the rounds.
The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is also warning consumers of some of the cases they've seen. Postal Inspectors also encourage people to turn in suspicious letters to them. We've provided some helpful links - including links to the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and Wise & Healthy Aging - at the bottom of the page.
Below is a list of some of the scams they're warning against. As you'll see, many of the scams involve bogus checks arriving in the mail - some more creative than others.
THE LOTTERY SCAM This one often fools people because the scammers will create an authentic looking letter that uses the name of a well known company or magazine. The letter tells you you've won lots of money - say a million dollars - in a lottery the well known company or magazine sponsored. Included in the letter is a check for a much smaller amount, that the letter says will cover expenses and legal fees. Either in the letter or a phone call to a number listed in the letter, you're told to deposit the check in your bank account and send a portion of it back to the lottery sponsor for those expenses and fees. You cash the check, it bounces because it's bogus, and you end up owing your bank all the money you took out plus any fines and fees for depositing the bogus check.
THE WORK AT HOME OR SECRET SHOPPER SCAM This one targets the unemployed or those looking for work. The scammer puts an ad on the internet or in the newspaper about a work at home or secret shopper opportunity. You respond and surprise - you're hired. The "company" then sends you a check to cover your fees and some cash to make your "secret shopper" purchases. You're told to cash the check, take your fees and expenses out and then wire the leftover money back to the "company." After wiring or sending a check or money order to the "company," you find out it's all bogus - but it's too late. They've got your money and now your in trouble, and in debt, with your bank.
THE LANDLORD OR RENTAL SCAM This one targets people who have a home or apartment they're trying to rent. Someone answers your advertisement and says they want to rent the home. They're relocating from another city and their company gave them a lump sum check for relocation. The scammer says he can forward you the lump sum relocation check for the first and last month's rent to hold the place until they get there. In the meantime, the scammer asks you to send the remaining portion of the lump sum check to his mover. Of course, the mover doesn't exist and the check
THE JURY SCAM You get a phone call asking why you didn't show up for jury duty. You're told there's now a warrant out for your arrest. You can take care of the warrant by paying the fine with a credit card over the phone or by wiring the money to the "court." It's a scam that gives the scammer a two for one hit. They not only can get away with your credit card information, in the process of removing your arrest warrant from the system they also say they need to confirm your information and ask for your social security number. So they steal money from your credit card and steal your identity at the same time. Don't fall for it - that's not how a typical police agencies or courts would operate.
LINKS
Here are some links to some helpful web sites:
Wise & Healthy Aging - Santa Monica
http://www.wiseandhealthyaging.org/cms/home.html
U.S. POSTAL INSPECTION SERVICE LINKS
http://www.fakechecks.org/
http://postalinspectors.uspis.gov
We will periodically update this page with new scams and helpful information. If you have a scam you want us to report on or warn about, you can e-mail KTLA Reporter Chip Yost at cyost@tribune.com.
