Lottery Scams, Financial Rescue Fraud Keep Brandon Investigator Busy

Con artists, crooks and hustlers all hate Eric Olsen. An investigator for Hillsborough County’s Consumer Protection Agency, Olsen knows all their moves. And he’s on a mission to educate the rest of us.

 There’s no shortage of swindlers out there. To wit:

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office deputies are looking for a male and female team targeting the elderly in a lottery scam. There have been five cases since last October, including one in Brandon. In that case, according to a , the pair approached a 62-year-old man at Denny’s, 1301 West Brandon Blvd., and conned him out of money.

“Scams like lottery scams or identity theft are very common,” said Olsen, who works from an office on Falkenberg Road.

Swindlers increasingly are stealing identities, Olsen said.

“The identity theft is sometimes not the primary interest of some con artists but a means to commit other fraud. [Stealing] allows them to commit additional crimes.”

 Although construction fraud investigations once were very common, the economic downturn has seen the number of those cases dwindle. Olsen’s office also investigates unfair and deceptive business practices and landlord-tenant issues. They also will mediate those disputes.

 “We’ve seen a shift to more financial-rescue type frauds,” Olsen said. In those cases, con artists claim they can help get you out of foreclosure or bankruptcy, for a fee of course. “But in many cases, the service they are offering is available for free,” he said. "That’s the most common fraud we are seeing today.”

 The Hillsborough County Consumer Protection Agency offers online identifying and protection against foreclosure rescue scams.

The National Consumers League, a nonprofit, advocacy group founded in 1899, offers online tips to protect against scams. Here’s a sampling:

Advance Free Loans

• Don’t pay up front. Legitimate lenders don’t usually ask for a fee up front. If there is an application or processing fee, it should be very small – not the hundreds or even thousands of dollars that con artists request.

•  Don’t fall for promises that you’ll get a loan regardless of your credit problems. If you have poor credit or haven’t established a good credit record yet, it’s unlikely that anyone will lend you money. Your credit history is one of the main things that legitimate lenders use to decide whether you are a good credit risk.

•  If you have credit problems, get counseling. Your local Consumer Credit Counseling Service (CCCS) can provide advice about how to build a good credit record. The CCCS may also be able to make payment plans with your creditors if you’ve fallen behind. These services are offered for free or at a very low cost. To find the nearest CCCS office, call toll-free, 800-388-2227, or go to www.nfcc.org.

 Charity Scams

• If you’re approached by an unfamiliar charity, check it out.  Most states require charities to register with them and file annual reports showing how they use donations.  Ask your state or local consumer protection agency how to get this information.  The Better Business Bureau Wise Giving Alliance also offers information about national charities.  Call 703-276-0100 or go to www.give.org.
•  Be cautious about emails seeking charitable contributions.  Many unsolicited emails are fraudulent.
•  Beware of sound-alikes.  Some crooks try to fool people by using names that are very similar to those of well-known charities.
•  Ask how donations are used.  One of the most important things to consider is how much of your money goes to fundraising and administrative costs, rather than to the charitable work itself.

 Pyramid, Multilevel Marketing Schemes

• Plans that promise profits mainly for recruiting new members are illegal pyramid schemes. In legitimate multilevel marketing plans, profits come primarily from selling goods and services to consumers.
•  Be cautious about emails for moneymaking opportunities. Many unsolicited emails are fraudulent.
•  Be aware that some pyramids are disguised as “gifting clubs.” New recruits give money to current members with the promise that they will receive money from future recruits.
•  Know that all pyramids are doomed to collapse. That’s because it’s impossible to keep getting fresh recruits who will pay to participate.
•  Legitimate multilevel marketing plans succeed only if they offer products or services that customers want. All successful businesses depend on repeat sales. If there isn’t constant demand for the products or services, the business will fail.

 Phishing

• Watch out for “phishy” emails. The most common form of phishing is emails pretending to be from a legitimate retailer, bank, organization, or government agency. The sender asks to “confirm” your personal information for some made-up reason: your account is about to be closed, an order for something has been placed in your name, or your information has been lost because of a computer problem.
• Don’t click on links within emails that ask for your personal information. Fraudsters use these links to lure people to phony Websites that look just like the real sites of the company, organization, or agency they’re impersonating.
•  Never enter your personal information in a pop-up screen. Sometimes a phisher will direct you to a real company’s, organization’s or agency’s Web site, but then an unauthorized pop-up screen created by the scammer will appear, with blanks in which to provide your personal information.
•  Protect your computer with spam filters, anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a firewall and keep them up to date. A spam filter can help reduce the number of phishing emails you get.    
•  Know that phishing can happen by phone, too. You may get a call from someone pretending to be from a company or government agency, making the same kinds of false claims and asking for your personal information.
•  Act immediately if you’ve been hooked by a phisher. If you provided account numbers, PINS or passwords to a phisher, notify the companies with whom you have the accounts right away.
•  Report phishing, whether you’re a victim or not. Tell the company or agency that the phisher was impersonating. You can also report the problem to law enforcement agencies through NCL's Fraud Center, www.fraud.org. The information you provide helps to stop identity theft.