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Telephone Scammers Preying on Recent Widows
Aug. 10, 2005 Telephone scammers are calling
recently widowed women and, under the pretense of assistance, gaining
personal information that can be used to steal their assets.
Such scams have recently occurred in St. Joseph and
Elkhart Counties in Indiana, according to WNDU-TV in South Bend.
Police say an organized group is using area
obituaries to find names of widows and getting their personal
information.
Heres how the scam works:
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A representative calls widows, claiming to be
from the Social Security Administration, a credit card company,
banks or even credit bureaus.
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The caller expresses sorrow for the recent loss
and offers to help the widow settle financial affairs.
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In the process, these victims are asked for
personal information, such as numbers for bank accounts, credit
cards and Social Security.
The South Bend Police Department issued a warning
today. They are advising widows that if an unsolicited call is received,
do not answer any questions, but simply hang up.
The Federal Trade Commission says senior citizens
60 and older are targets for telephone scammers. Fraudulent
telemarketers try to take advantage of older people on the theory that
they may be more trusting and polite toward strangers. Older women
living alone are special targets of these scam artists.
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