The main entry point of the elder scammers is the landline phone.

By James Ward

James Ward

My client’s wife was ill, and then soon after she died. She had dementia for a few years, so it was very difficult for him, but he was always by her side.

Within less than two weeks after her death, he found out that he had won millions in the Publishers Clearing House Sweepstakes. Such an incredible financial windfall for him at such a tragic time in his life.

But it wasn’t.

There was no windfall of millions. It was a scam, and they hit him at a weak time.

He called me after he had already lost his money, but he was still convinced that he had won because they were real people with real phone numbers. And yes, but they were real bad people with real bad motives.

The story was that he had to pay the interest and fees in advance, and then he’d get millions of dollars deposited directly into his bank account. He sent them $118,000. Yes, $118,000. That money is likely lost forever. I urged him to contact the police department, and he is now working with them.

I wrote about this scam before, but this is a different client. Different client, but same story. Yes, two different widowers in two different counties.

This morning I got a call from another client who told me that her husband had just died three days earlier. We spoke at length about not making any important decisions in haste, and then I mentioned the Publishers Clearing House scam, and she said that there was already a message on her home answering machine advising her that she had just won $18 million. Wow. So soon after the death. But this widow wasn’t falling for it.

What happens that people who wouldn’t have fallen for the scam before suddenly become victims? In the cases of the scam coming soon after a death, the person is hit with the possibility of a windfall benefit of wealth at one of the lowest times in their life.

But it’s not only following a death. My client two days ago had to take his parents’ checkbook away from them because the mom and dad, both in the 90s, were writing checks to make contributions to charities that nobody had ever heard of, but the parents said that the people who called them were very friendly on the phone and seemed like nice people.

Yes, this is how they do it. They are professional scammers. This is how they make their living.

Watch out. The main entry point of the elder scammers is the landline phone.

The Internet scams typically target a group a bit younger. Maybe an answering device to screen calls is helpful, or maybe it’s time to get a new land line number so that only a few people have the new number.

Protect yourselves and protect others. Getting money back from scammers is nearly impossible — especially if the money has already left the country. Be proactive and think about steps you can take before someone gets scammed.

Do you have the right legal documents in place so that a trusted person can step in and help you thwart attempted scams? Do your parents have the right defenses in place now? Who can handle your affairs, or your parents’ affairs, when someone needs to step in? Are the right legal documents in place today?

Have you selected the right people to help you? Does everyone trust that person?

Think about it.

Take proactive steps.