Wed Aug 07, 2013 Elderly woman in Cumberland County scammed out of life savings; alert issued
By Nancy McCleary
Staff writer
http://fayobserver.com/articles/2013/08/06/1274316?sac=fo.local
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is warning older adults to be suspicious of those bearing gifts that come with a cost.
The department issued an alert Tuesday after an 80-year-old woman was scammed out of more than $100,000 - her life savings - with the lure of $1 million and a new car, said Debbie Tanna, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.
The woman is not being identified, Tanna said.
The scam started with a May 1 phone call by a man claiming to be Mark Maxwell of Lottery International, Tanna said.
The man told the woman she had won the cash and the car, but in order to collect the items, she would have to send money to pay the taxes, Tanna said.
The woman paid the so-called taxes from May until July 26, Tanna said.
"She told him, in the last call, she said just send my money back. I don't want this prize," Tanna said.
None of the money was returned, Tanna said.
The woman contacted the Sheriff's Office Financial Crimes investigators, who traced the phone call to Jamaica, Tanna said.
"Investigators are still gathering information from that area," she said. "And it doesn't mean it (scam) stops in Jamaica."
The alert was issued in hopes of preventing other residents from being scammed, Tanna said.
"It happens all the time," Tanna said. "It happens more than you can possibly imagine, and people fall for it over and over again."
Scammers continue to target the elderly, Tanna said, especially women between 80 and 89.
Just like this victim. "She comes from an era where everybody trusts everybody," Tanna said. Times have changed, she said.
"The elderly (are) the easiest to scam. They have giving hearts and come from a different time, when people were trustworthy and dreams did come true with prizes of that nature," Tanna said.
The bottom line, Tanna said, is the old adage that if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
"Please," she said. "Do not send money to anyone who is bearing gifts. If you've won a prize, there should be no money exchanged between yourself and the person representing a company."
By Nancy McCleary
Staff writer
http://fayobserver.com/articles/2013/08/06/1274316?sac=fo.local
The Cumberland County Sheriff's Office is warning older adults to be suspicious of those bearing gifts that come with a cost.
The department issued an alert Tuesday after an 80-year-old woman was scammed out of more than $100,000 - her life savings - with the lure of $1 million and a new car, said Debbie Tanna, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office.
The woman is not being identified, Tanna said.
The scam started with a May 1 phone call by a man claiming to be Mark Maxwell of Lottery International, Tanna said.
The man told the woman she had won the cash and the car, but in order to collect the items, she would have to send money to pay the taxes, Tanna said.
The woman paid the so-called taxes from May until July 26, Tanna said.
"She told him, in the last call, she said just send my money back. I don't want this prize," Tanna said.
None of the money was returned, Tanna said.
The woman contacted the Sheriff's Office Financial Crimes investigators, who traced the phone call to Jamaica, Tanna said.
"Investigators are still gathering information from that area," she said. "And it doesn't mean it (scam) stops in Jamaica."
The alert was issued in hopes of preventing other residents from being scammed, Tanna said.
"It happens all the time," Tanna said. "It happens more than you can possibly imagine, and people fall for it over and over again."
Scammers continue to target the elderly, Tanna said, especially women between 80 and 89.
Just like this victim. "She comes from an era where everybody trusts everybody," Tanna said. Times have changed, she said.
"The elderly (are) the easiest to scam. They have giving hearts and come from a different time, when people were trustworthy and dreams did come true with prizes of that nature," Tanna said.
The bottom line, Tanna said, is the old adage that if it sounds too good to be true, it likely is.
"Please," she said. "Do not send money to anyone who is bearing gifts. If you've won a prize, there should be no money exchanged between yourself and the person representing a company."
