[pauld315]

It probably is.

Speaking to a friend of mine over the past few days about a dilemma his 82 year old mother has gotten herself into. He found receipts in her condo which showed she was wiring money to Jamaica using a service called MoneyGram. He also found telephone numbers written down. These numbers had an 876 area code. For those of you not aware, that area code goes to Jamaica.

To make a long story short, his mother was scammed into sending money to Jamaica in order to claim her sweepstakes winnings. Of course, the winnings never existed. He is still trying to figure out how much she has sent them over the past 3 months but is roughly in the tens of thousands of dollars. They will call constantly and once they receive money from you, your name and number gets put on a list that they sell to other scammers. He has now had her phone calls forwarded to his cell phone and yesterday alone scammers called over 20 times in 8 hours.

Be ever vigilant about people trying to steal your money with unrealistic promises of wealth. Also, be aware that the phone numbers might look legitimate but there are several area codes assigned out that go to other countries (mostly oin the Caribbean). The scammers aklso know how to display fake phone numbers making you believe they are from here in the US. They prey on the elderly and seemingly. there is very little that can be done to stop them since they are offshore.

[duffysmom]

My heart sank when I read this. There is a special place in hell for these scammers. So sorry.

[Pturner]

Originally Posted by duffysmom

My heart sank when I read this. There is a special place in hell for these scammers. So sorry.

My sentiments too. It's heartbreaking. I don't think con artists have a single redeeming bone in their bodies.

[spk7951]

My folks live on Cape Cod and about a month ago my Dad got a phone call like this saying he had won a lottery and needed to send them money so he could get his winnings. He said it was amazing how much info they had about him even noting he had a son living in TV. He rather impolitely told them to get lost and called the local police. The police told him that a few seniors in town had also recently gotten this type of call and they believed it was coming out of Jamaica.

[2BNTV]

The above scheme is the most popular scam. I had read articles where the senior citizen being scammed won't even listen to their own children when the child knows they are being scammed and tries to intervene. One mother thought more highly of the scammer than her own child, How sad.

I heard of a scam where an older person is called and the caller says it's their grandson and they are in jail and need money. The person receiving the call say,"Jason" is that you", and the scam is on.

I just read an article where senior citizens are scamming other senior citizen out of their savings by using the ploy of, "I'm a senior citizen myself, I know how you feel" or something to that effect. They claim to be a certified financial planner. A CFP can get this certificate very easliy or may have one that has expired an are still using it for their credentials.

I just received a telemarketing call. I know it was a telemarketer as he pronounced my last name wrong. I hung up. The only reason I picked-up the phone is a family member recently was hospitalized and I thought it would be a family member giving me an update on their condition. Please check your answering machine for a number you recognize and not get an unwanted call. I should follow my own advice, DOH!

It's heartbreaking to think of one's life savings being taken by uncaring people who are lowlifes.