Senior Fraud Alerts

Read the latest alerts about scams targeting NC seniors.

 

 

 

Telemarketers claim they will enroll you in the best overseas lottery opportunity each week. Instead, they’ll keep your money and won’t enroll you in any lotteries.

 

The scammers may collect $10 to $100 a week from you for months. They’ll pay you small prizes from time to time to keep you interested. Occasionally, they offer you a special opportunity on a “sure bet” lottery package for thousands of dollars.

 

Tip: Telemarketers who pitch lottery tickets are trying to cheat you. Don’t give them your money or your bank account or credit card information.

 

 

 

A telemarketer tells you that you appear to qualify for a free, guaranteed government grant. The caller will ask you a few questions and then tell you that you’ll definitely receive a grant. The caller then asks for your bank account number to deposit the grant money. But instead of putting money in, the scammer withdraws money from your account for “processing fees.” You might get a brochure with a list of grant programs, but you won’t get any grant money.

 

Tip: Don’t be fooled by someone who tells you you’ve unexpectedly won a government grant, and don’t give out personal information such as Social Security or bank account numbers in order to receive a grant.

 

 

 

Fly-by-night contractors approach elderly home owners and say that they’ve just paved a driveway in their neighborhood and have extra paving material. They offer you what they claim is an excellent deal on paving your driveway. But they’ll charge you thousands of dollars to put a thin layer of asphalt on your driveway. In a few days, the asphalt crumbles or washes away. By that time, the contractor is long gone.

 

Tip: If you need work done on your home, ask friends and neighbors for recommendations. Get three estimates and check out contractors’ references. Don’t pay large fees up front.

 

 

 

Telemarketers or Internet fraudsters promise to make you a “secret shopper,” someone who gets paid to do business with a company and then evaluate it. They mail you detailed instructions on how to test the Western Union or MoneyGram wire transfer system and send you a check for several thousand dollars. You’re told to deposit the check in your bank account, wire 90 percent of the funds overseas, and then fill out an online questionnaire. Days after you deposit the check and wired the money, your bank tells you it was a counterfeit check.


Read more alerts from the NC Senior Fraud Task Force.