ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — People ripped off by one scam could be targeted for dozens more. A database of easy targets is now being used by con-artists.
Stuart Childers said a stack of documents he showed WFTV Wednesday is paper trial of the hundreds of wire transfers his 75-year-old mother sent to scam artists.
"She put it to us she wanted to leave a legacy, do something good for the family," Childer said.
Childers said his mother fell victim to a Jamaican lottery scam and gave the thieves close to $300,000 in a one and a half year period. She wired so much money that she even made the FBI's watch list for money laundering.
"She has given away, not to a charitable organization, not to a good cause, she gave it away to thieves," daughter-in-law Pam Childers said.
The Postal Inspector's Office says the thieves in Jamaica are targeting elderly people in Central Florida. A fake letter is sent in the mail and claims the recipient won the lottery. But in order to collect the money, the person has to fill out forms and send money back for taxes.
Once a victim calls or send backs information, the scam artists will use the information to make more money.
"They will sell to other mail operators, to other fraud operators, so they will get solicitation from any fraud scheme imaginable," postal inspector Ed Moffit said.
It turns out Childers' mother had second-stage dementia. The postal inspector says, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
The Childers say you should check up on your parents' finances and go as far as monitor their phones.
The postal inspector says, if you receive a letter that looks like it could be a scam, then you should taker it to the post office and send it to the postal inspector.
So what is the FBI going to do about this growing trend? It seems they have an idea which rocks to look under but does nothing.
Taking the letters to the post office or to the postal inspectors is a joke. All those "joke"ers are going to say is throw it away. It is obvious the "powers that be" that can eradicate most of these scams deign not to intercede on behalf of the general public.
Once again it is the family members who can prevent these stories from becoming a commonplace in the headlines. But that also comes with a crap load of pros and cons.
You know as well as I do that most family members can't be trusted with honestly handling anyone's finances. So the elderly run the risk of being ripped off by the family member they trusted with their life's savings.
Plus all of the legal horse and pony show you must participate in just to get guardianship, power of attorney, or whatever just to protect the elderly relative. Not to mention all of the in-family squabbles that arise if the amount of money is large enough.
Bottom line "Getting old sucks!!" Once you're old your odds of being a victim of a crime skyrockets 190%.
This is a TRAGEDY, the woman should have kept her money, with 300,000 dollars in the bank she was RICH according to many people today, she would have been better off leaving her family a legacy of $200,000 and living off the remaining $100,000. That would have at least helped the children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren, at least they would have had something. It is a tragedy that Jamaicians got her money, this woman will NEVER see that money again.
Perdue, That is a sad commentary on Humanity!!! May the Law of retribution fall on those Ungodly people like ten Tons of Bricks, and they will shed bitter tears for this dastardly act!!!
"It turns out Childers' mother had second-stage dementia.
The postal inspector says, if it's too good to be true, it probably is.
The Childers say you should check up on your parents' finances and go as far as monitor their phones.
The postal inspector says, if you receive a letter that looks like it could be a scam, then you should taker it to the post office and send it to the postal inspector."
The mom has stage 2 dementia. She should have had an overseer of her finances once she was diagnosed with dementia.
Notice how everone in this article "says" butno one does or did anything in this case or any of the cases you hear about.
That is what I do not understand. If this was our children we would never allow them to enter into a situation like this. Yet everyday we wrap ourselves in our own lives and watch this happen to our parents and grandparents.
These are the same people who took care of us when we had no decision making skills ourselves. These are the same people that tolerated our stupidity in our early years.
Yet once the tables are turned we are so quick to pass the buck and make excuses to justify our selishness and self-centerdness.
so this don't keep happening to Parent and grandparents. I am not privileged enough to have a grandparent or parent they are all gone they died sort of young except for my grandmother she outlived her daughter..I did take care of my mother and then my grandmother until the end...maybe that is why this story bothers me so much!! It should not just let die; like nothing has happened!!
We should at least be able to write to someone, some official; we can do more than just shake our heads in disapproval!
You are so right Perdue!...So right!!
So sad
I try to check on my 86 year old Mom every DAY!
Check on your elderly parents often!
Y'all must forgive me, but this story stirred me to the very essence of my being.
For years I worked with the elderly in the home environment and in facilities.
During those years at least 97% of the time I drove home with tears in my eyes.
Why?
Because I saw first hand and up close the cruelty of aging.
Physically, mentally, and socially.
During those years I seriously questioned everything I believed in.
My breaking point that made me call it quits was when I discovered my favorite patient ever, fought death just to see me everyday.
This man endured 2 years of awful pain, discomfort, and the indignities of a failing body just so I could come to baby and spoil him.
I was happy to see him hit the 100 year mark and I was glad to be able to tell him happy birthday. Three days later he died 15 minutes after my visit.
Most of the people I cared for were what I would call abandoned.
They lived in the home with family members but they were not part of the family.
It is a very lonely existance.
If any of you have the elderly living with you please be patient with them and pull them into the fold.
They can work a nerve and drive you completely mad and certifiable nutts, but that's part of being old.
What we have to remember is the tables have turned and we are now the responsible one and we need to make sure they are taken care of.
We also need to instill this into our children and our grandchildren.
What this woman did and the amount of time she was doing it is sad.
She made the FBI list and the everyone was too busy to see that something was wrong.
Even the FBI knew something was going on and they sat on their butts doing nothing.
Why didn't they question the family? Or question the woman herself?
I've yet to see a child that does not snoop when they visit their parents.
I do it all the time.
And when I find something amiss I take care of it without my mom knowing it.
Most of the time I get away with it. But sometimes I call her on the carpet and after getting blasted from all sides for snooping in her mail, I get the full story.
Years ago I made it a point to be on all of her bank accounts so I could access her accounts.
I make deposits and withdrawls at her request. I can also get a copy of her bank statement so I can see what is going on.
When I go through the mail, if I see something that I don't like I talk to her about it and when I leave the house I take the questionable letters with me and shread them myself.
Good question jrosina.
What can we do to nip this dispicable crime in the bud?
Who can we petition and get results?
We don't need more laws on the books. Anything less than life in prison and 100% reimbursment to the victims is unacceptable.
How is it the government can freeze the drug cartel's assets and take all of their stuff no matter what country the assets are in, yet when it comes to the working class American we are just S.O.L.??
What purpose does the elected officals serve if they are not willing to assist us when we ask for help?
If they are not willing to assist you right a wrong that's been done to you no matter how insignificant, then they serve no purpose.
There are a lot of very-very smart people here at Lottery Post. Do any of you have any ideas of what can be done to stop this horrible horrible trend and others like this?
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It's a shame that most country's societies continue to teach folks that they are supposed to strive to have money left over to WILL to family or friends once they pass away. It would be good to circulate that folks shouldn't make this one of their important passing away goals.
As a related topic, it would be good if each city would issue a 1 month advanced notice reservation room and lethal liquid drink, that is easily consumed, painless, and 10 minute activated, $150 cremation, and mandatory $150 cremains urn for burial, and a $500 burrial dig and indentification concrete block by any adult who chooses to pass away on semi-demand.
These two changes in societal thought processes would be a good aid to our society.
I average about 2 spam emails a week saying my email address won a prize in every lottery they can think up. And I get emails from bankers and widows of super rich people asking me to help them collect "their money" using "my bank account".
While I feel genuinely sorry for the people getting conned, it's still their greed and ignorance that creates the problem.