San Antonio Express-News
January 28, 2003

Fraud Alert

copyright 2003, Paul Premack

In Austin, women between the ages of 60 and 73 have been told that mold had been detected or removed from their homes while they were gone. The con artist said that if they didn’t sign a document and pay for the work, they would be sued by the city. In fact, no work had been done and the city was not involved. Legally, you are not required to pay for work done without your permission.

Another scam involved pressure from two conmen against an elder woman. The Houston police report that two men claimed to have worked on the woman’s roof several years before. They told her it had been damaged by bad weather and needed repairs, and that they had already started the repairs. The woman wrote a check for several thousand dollars just to get the men to leave her home.

This woman then acted promptly and minimized the damage. While she called the police, her daughter called the bank to stop the check. The police arrested one of the men when he tried to cash the check at her bank. If you have been the victim of a scam, emulate this woman and report it.

The National Fraud Information Center (whose website can be viewed at www.fraud.org) gives many tips to help you decide if the pitch you are receiving may be a scam. For instance:

* You get a call or an Email telling you that you've won a prize but saying you need to pay processing fees, taxes, or other costs. It is illegal for sweepstakes or prize offers to ask you for any type of payment, so don't send any money.

* You are approached by someone claiming to be collecting funds for charity. Before you contribute, check on the charity’s validity. The Better Business Bureau website ( www.give.org ) maintains reports on hundreds of charitable organizations. The IRS website lists organizations that are registered as tax-exempt. And the Guidestar website ( www.guidestar.org ) includes the tax returns of thousands of charities, so you can see how they spend the money you might be giving.

* You receive a telephone solicitation that sounds interesting, but the caller refuses to send you written information unless you commit to buying first. A legitimate company would give you information and time to think. Pressure indicates you may be in a scam.

* You receive an Email asking for help moving a large amount of money from a foreign bank account to the US. The Email promises you a large share of the money if you let them deposit their money to your account. This is a dangerous scam. They may use information you provide to empty your account or to lure you into a dangerous face-to-face meeting.

Don’t be embarrassed to make a report if you are a fraud victim. Holding back just protects the con artist. You should report any scheme to the Attorney General’s office and to the local police. Your warning may help save others from the same harm.