On Alert for Telemarketing Fraud : Task force enlists volunteers to combat scams against elderly

Along with all the good things Orange County is known for, it has earned the unfortunate distinction of being known as the capital of telemarketing fraud in the nation. Investigators have targeted an estimated 400 illegal businesses this year for preying on retirees. With the holiday season upon us, it is a good time to be especially alert to phony solicitations.

A task force made up of the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office has joined with the American Assn. of Retired Persons in the campaign this year. The group has been called the County of Orange Boiler Room Apprehension Task Force, so named for the rooms where telemarketing firm solicitors work. Nationally, U.S. Atty. Gen. Janet Reno has said that telephone pitches from illicit boiler room operations cost Americans $40 billion a year.

One scam artist, sentenced over the summer to nearly four years in prison, was so bold as to assert that his elderly victims “enjoyed� sending him money. Recently, a two-day “reverse boiler room� operation was organized by the task force, in a worthwhile effort to enlist senior volunteers. The callers telephoned as many as 2,000 seniors who may have been targeted for fraud. The goal was to warn them about con artists who may try to get them to give money for illegal scams. Having neighbors alert neighbors is a good idea.

The horror stories are enough to give everyone pause. One senior citizen recently lost more than $75,000 and others have lost thousands. Since the task force began its work, 11 people have been arrested. More than $345,000 was seized from illegal operations.

Prosecutors promise that many more arrests and convictions are on the horizon, which is promising. In the meantime, the volunteers are warning people to beware of pressure telephone tactics.

The calls also have put investigators onto other possible scam operations. Having this system in place involves seniors protecting one another. It alerts those who may be targeted to the threat. And it puts the scam artists on notice that authorities are watching them.

It is unfortunate that the county, with its agreeable climate that is so attractive to seniors, is also a home to the con artist. But a forewarned call recipient is the best defense.