A scam investigation in Roanoke Rapids which bilked an elderly person out of $230,000 in life savings now has a person of interest.

The case file and some of the mail notices.

Nearly a third of the money has been returned to the victim, who is in their 90s, Captain Andy Jackson of the Roanoke Rapids Police Department said today.

Investigation led Jackson to inquiries across the country and overseas and the identification of other victims, not only in North Carolina but in other places across the country, including Minnesota.

The scams show just how vulnerable people, especially the elderly, can be. “In the world today, if you’re not careful, your money is under siege. There are more and more elaborate scams designed to get your money.”

The main scams law enforcement sees are those through the mail and telephone, envelopes marked with, “This is your only notice,” and a claim the victim can collect cash and prizes worth $125,000 over 12 years equaling $1.5 million.

The catch is to return a form and enclose a $2.75 fee, a small sum but when sent to hundreds of thousands of people means a hefty haul for the scammers. “Some ask for larger fees,” Jackson said, warning, “You’re not getting something for nothing. If it’s too good to be true, it’s not going to be true.”

The scammers use various methods to find their prey. “The scammers have means of finding lists. They will pay someone inside to provide them with information to accumulate and maintain a list.”

Hitting home

The Roanoke Rapids case, in which a person living in Florida is a person of interest, involved a phone scam in which the victim was told they won a $1.4 million sweepstakes. To claim the prize the victim needed to pay taxes and insurance to collect the larger prize.

The scammers provided a list of phone numbers for the victim should they be skeptical, numbers which sound like government agencies with the proper area codes. “The scammers will rent a block of phone numbers, typically broadband phones where they can get any area codes. The victims are actually talking to the bad guys to reassure them it’s a legitimate sweepstakes,” Jackson said. “Once the victim feels comfortable they will send insurance and tax money. To some people if they send a couple of hundred of thousand dollars with a chance getting a million, they think that’s a good deal.”

Luck and perseverance helped lead Jackson to a person of interest in the case, he said. “It’s very difficult. There are multiple jurisdictions, crossing into countries that don’t have agreements with the United States. That really makes it quite difficult. That’s why people need to learn to protect their money.”

The scammers in the local case wired $1 million to Venezuela, Jackson said. “It hard to track and in some countries law enforcement is corrupt.”

Some of the scam letters.

New cases

This week the police department received calls from a scam targeting the elderly in which threats of harm to the victim is done if they don’t send fees. “They’re pretty pushy about it,” Jackson said.

There are also scams where you can pay $299 to get a list of six banks that may agree to loan you money, something you can do yourself. “Many of these operate on the border of New York and Canada where it is illegal to request a fee.”

There are safeguards, Jackson said. “I would urge the public to take heed about guarding their hard earned money.”

One way is to call the national Do Not Call line and register your phone number by calling 1-888-382-1222.

You can also call the Federal Trade Commission at 1-877-ID-THEFT.

“Never give your social security numbers or bank numbers. Don’t give your drivers license number over the phone.”

If you’ve been a victim, place a fraud alert on your cards, close affected bank accounts and file a police report.

“You don’t pay to collect winnings in legitimate sweepstakes,” Jackson said. “Hold on to your money. People pressure you to wire money because it’s the same as sending cash which gives little chance of recovery.”

The elderly is preyed on, Jackson said, because they saved up retirement money. “Younger people are still paying for their houses and cars. Scammers attack retirement money and there’s not enough law enforcement to track down all the scammers in the world.”