Other Fraud (Page 4)

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CLERGYMAN SCAMS

A clergy member takes advantage of your religious beliefs and his position in order to take control of your finances.  Other people in authority, including law enforcement officers, may misuse their positions.  They will attempt to get you to grant them a power of attorney.  In one instance, a contractor caring for trees took control of the property of a North Carolina woman by telling her that he could manage it profitably.

PROMISSORY NOTE SCAMS

You attend a local investment seminar.  At the seminar, you invest in promissory notes issued by unheard of companies that claim to offer interest rates much higher than alternative investments.  The notes and the interest payments are purportedly backed by an insurance policy.  But the notes may be for a company in distress, and the insurance policy may be worthless as an investment.

UTILITY DISCONNECT SCAM

Someone contacts you and says they represent the utility company.  The scammer claims that your water, gas or electric bill is overdue and that your service is about to be terminated.  You can avoid losing service if you paying your bill.  If the con artist is at your door, he takes cash or check.  If he has contacted you by phone, he will ask for your bank account or credit card number.

WORK-AT-HOME SCAMS

You see advertisements about working at home.  In the expectation of large earnings, you buy hundreds of dollars of materials.  The work may be stuffing envelopes with mailings inviting others to make money at home, or it might involve painting or assembling simple items and then returning them for approval and payment. These schemes seldom earn you much, if any, money.

PAYMENT PROCESSING SCAM

Someone approaches you to assist them with the processing of international payments.  If you participate, you receive checks and wire transfers from across the US.  Your role is to deposit the funds in your bank account and send 90% overseas.  The checks they are sending you comes from seniors who have been the victims of scams.  You are sending the 90% to the scammers.  Your participation makes you an accessory to the fraud.

 

Acorn wishes to acknowledge the Office of the Attorney General of North Carolina for this valuable content.  If you think a loved one has been victimized, call the NC Attorney General office at 877-5NO-SCAM