With so many different ways scam artists trick consumers into fraudulent transactions, Maine’s Attorney General Janet Mills told residents in Newcastle May 28, buyers need to beware, but if scammed, they need to forget the embarrassment and report it to authorities immediately.
District 51 Maine House Representative Mick Devin, who co-hosted the event with Mills, said nearly one-third of all scams are directed towards the elderly. He said the statistic concerns him because Lincoln County has the oldest population in the state.
“I know there are a lot of people getting scammed,” Devin said.
To a small crowd gathered at Spectrum Generations in Damariscotta, Mills presented a Power Point presentation entitled, “How to Avoid Fraud.”
Scam artists are clever in using phone calls, email, and the Internet to defraud millions of people each year, Mills said.
“Millions of dollars are leaving the state of Maine each year,” Mills said.
Mills offered tips to consumers to prevent being victimized from a scam or fraud, including the advice of never wiring money.
“It’s like sending cash. You don’t get it back,” she said.
Consumers also need to ignore email messages which ask for personal or financial information. “Delete, delete, delete,” Mills said.
Mills advised no money should be sent to anyone that is unfamiliar, including online merchants, people claiming to a relative or requests from met in an online dating site. Mills said many people have fallen for requests for bail, fines, travel money, and claims of emergencies. Request for funds from the courts or police are never made by email or by phone, Mills said.
Mills said when making purchases online always use a credit card, never send cash or use a wire service. She suggests doing Internet searches on companies to see if there has been any negative reporting. Reputable merchants will always provide a physical address, Mills said.
“You have to be suspicious. I am afraid it has come to that.” Mills said.
Robocalls are illegal and people should hang up immediately and report the call to the National Do Not Call Registry at www.donotcall.gov, Mills said.
Receiving calls or mail claiming you won something is almost always a scam, Mills said. With the claims of winning, scammers will often ask for money for taxes, fees, or customs. Mills said if an area code of 876 shows up on the caller ID, don’t even answer it, it’s a Jamaican area code and the caller will ask to play the Jamaican lottery.
“Don’t even answer it, there is no such thing as a Jamaican lottery.” she said. “You will always lose out.”
It’s very important for consumers to review monthly bills to check for unauthorized charges or fees, Mills said.
Scammers will also take advantage of national disasters or a local crisis to get money from people.
“They are very smart. They play on your sympathies,” Mills said.
Mills highly recommends giving to only established charities. Legitimate charities are required to register with the Maine Office of Licensing and Registrations, Mills said. To verify a charity is registered call 624-8617 or email charitable.sol@maine.gov.
Victims of a scam or fraud are encouraged to file a complaint with the Attorney General’s officer or the local police department.
Mills said last year her agency received nearly 7,000 emails and phone calls of fraud complaints and was able to satisfy 40 to 50 percent of those complaints. She said her agency recovered nearly $375,000 for consumers.
“It’s so important to report it so we can track it down,” Mills said.
For more information about fraud visit the AG’s Consumer Protection Division online at www.maine.gov/ag/consumer or call 1-800-436-2131, or email at consumer.mediation@maine.gov.
