Saturday, January 10, 2004

´Lottery´ scam victimizes local woman

By MARK I. JOHNSON
NEWS-JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

NEW SMYRNA BEACH — When Richard Van Treuren escorted his stepmother to the bank recently, he had no idea she had joined the growing list of seniors preyed upon by con artists.

"I took her to get money to pay her bills and (the bank) said she had no money in the account," he said.

The Edgewater resident questioned his step-mother and discovered she had been sending funds to a Canadian firm. It claimed she had won a lottery in that country but needed to pay taxes on the winnings before her prize could be delivered.

Van Treuren and police said, between October and December, the victim sent the "lottery" three payments totaling approximately $2,500 -- enough to pay her rent for half a year -- and never received a dime.

However, even when officers told the 93-year-old woman she had been victimized, she still believed she had won, Van Treuren said.

Unfortunately, this story is not unique, according to New Smyrna Beach Police Detective Tony Ford.

Ford is leading the investigation into the Van Treuren complaints but said there is little local officials can do to fight an international confidence game.

"We are going to turn our information over to the U.S. Postal Inspector and the U.S. Secret Service because she mailed the money," he said.

The "Canadian Lottery" scam is just one of dozens of international efforts to separate local residents from their money.

"I have copies (of e-mails and letters from international con artists) that stretch from the ceiling to almost the floor," Ford said. "When you receive these types of correspondence by e-mail, in the mail, or by phone, 99.99 percent of the time, they are a scam."

The cons range from lotteries to people seeking help getting money out of foreign countries. They all offer something for the victim -- usually a percentage -- and are designed to open their mark´s bank account to the scam artist.

An agent with the FBI, who also investigates such crimes, indicated they have not had a marked increase in such criminal activity recently.

"They are always out there," said Special Agent Jeff Wescott, a spokesman for the Jacksonville office. "And unfortunately, some people still fall prey to them."

They also are not the only confidence games in town.

Ford said he has seen a case recently where a person selling a boat received a call from an out-of-state resident saying he wanted the craft.

The "buyer" sent the victim a check for more than the cost of the vessel, then contacted the owner saying he made a mistake and asked he send back the difference.

Unfortunately, when the honest owner did so, he soon discovered the original check was no good and he was out the refund.

On a more personal level, Ford said officers are looking for a man going door-to-door telling residents he needs money to unlock his car, buy gas to get to a sick family member or some other sob story.

"He usually asks for between $18 and $38," Ford said.

In one case, a person called the victim claiming to know a family member and asked for help getting the caller´s son to his mother´s funeral. When the victim agreed, the con man showed up at their door to receive the money.

"Last year, we had similar incidents where a suspect was arrested," Ford said. "This new suspect matches that man´s description."

While other local police agencies say they have not had similar reports, Ford and other law enforcement officials said the only way to stop these crimes is to be questioning, cynical and second-guess everything a stranger tells you.

"If it is too good to be true, it usually is," Ford said. "If you did not enter something, what makes you think you have won? Anytime someone approaches you with something for nothing, you need to reflect on it. Why would they give you their hard-earned own money?"

When a stranger comes to you asking for money, he said the best course of action is to contact police because he or she may be trying to victimize you through robbery or some other means.

Van Treuren said he has been in contact with Canadian officials in an effort to catch the person who ripped off his step-mother but is resigned to the idea her money is gone.

"My lawyer said it best," he said. "These crooks who prey on old people, the death penalty is too good for them."

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