4/20/2012 – Prime Targets for Scam Artists

Here’s a question you’d think would be simple to answer: How many older Americans fall prey to frauds and scams each year?

We’re talking about fake lotteries (“You’ve just won $10,000 in the Spanish lottery! To collect your winnings, send $29.95 to….”) and about phony investment schemes (oil drilling, gold mining, gold coins and other “opportunities” of dubious value). And the latest wrinkle, a heartrending call from someone impersonating a grandchild, claiming to have been robbed in some overseas city and needing several thousand bucks wired right away.

Read the full article at The New York Times.