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Lottery
Scam Targets Elderly (continued)
Foley said all she had to do to collect
the $240,000 dollars was to pay the taxes on her winnings,
which came to $10,000. She also had to promise not to tell
anyone, even her family and friends, until the sweepstakes
sponsor was ready to announce the winners.
Giddings sent him the check, and as soon as it cleared, Foley
reloaded the scam, telling Giddings that the first prize winner
had been disqualified, and she could claim the $2 million
grand prize if she could come up with another $70,000 to cover
the additional taxes.
"I thought, I've done this much and I've gone this far," says
Giddings. "Suppose he's telling me the truth and I'm looking
at enough money to do some things that I'd love to do."
She sent the $70,000. Three days later, Giddings started getting
nervous and contacted Foley, who consoled her and told her,
"It's well worth it."
So why did they keep sending in the money? "Because they believe
that they have a substantial amount of money coming back to
them," says Foley. "We told them that because they were over
the age of 65, that half of the tax monies that were due to
the IRS on the prize winning were going to be subsidized by
the company giving them the prize."
How could Foley do this to his elderly victims?
"There is a perverse thrill to being able to do that to somebody.
To be able to take somebody's hard-earned money," says Foley.
"How does an athlete feel when they win a big event? How does
a lawyer feel when they win a case in court? It was the same
for us. When that check was sent and we received it, we won."
The victims are told to send their checks to an address in
Montreal, which is nothing more than a mail drop. From there,
they're picked up by unsuspecting messengers who deliver them
to the con men. And then, the con men send them overseas to
be cashed.
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