Seniors Getting Ripped Off Through Junk Mail

Seniors getting ripped off through Junk Mail

My mother is 80 years old and everyday the high light to her day is walking out to the mailbox to get her mail, and one day I was there to watch her bring in the mail, and to my surprised I could not believe the junk mail she was receiving. The mail she was getting was pieces of mail that looked like it came straight from the government, asking her to send money or her social security would be at risk, I tried to tell her that this was all a scam and that whom ever was sending these letters were just out to get her money and her bank account information. My mother also received letters telling her that she had won millions of dollars from lotteries as long as she sent them fifty dollars they would send her the check.

I have no idea if this is happening to your parents or to you but this is just not right. My mother spends time reading all of mail and believing all things that are written on these pieces of junk mail.

Because the U.S. Government is saying that we may not see our social security checks it has my mother believing everything that comes her way making her worry about money all the time and because the mail is telling her that she could have millions of dollars waiting for her, I found out that she has been sending them money, so much money that my now 80 year old mother is forty thousand dollars in credit card debt and has nothing to show for it but more worry now as to how she will pay for the credit card debt she has acquired.

I am writing this in hopes that if you have an aging parent that you check their credit card and bank statements and make sure that they to have not became a victim of mail fraud that is becoming a rip off to our aging seniors. Our parents worked hard to save money for their retirement and to see them getting ripped off in this way is a crime that needs to be stopped.

Ways to stop this from happening is to start by using the Sign up for the national "do not call" registry. It's easy and it's free! Call (888) 382-1222, TTY (866) 290-4326 from the phone number you want to register. This will stop the phone calls, which often confuse seniors thinking that they have to give out bank or credit card information.

Also you can go to the National Do Not Call Registry at https://www.donotcall.gov/

Telemarketing fraud tips http://www.fraud.org/tips/telemarketing/

The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) runs a "Mail Preference Service" that will put you on a "do-not-mail" file, which is sent to the major junk mailers several times a year. Note that some, but not all, big junk mailers honor this. You should see an appreciable reduction in the amount of junk mail you receive.

You can contact them at:

Direct Marketing Association Mail Preference Service

P.O. Box 9008

Farmingdale, NY 11735-9008

I hope this information will help you from becoming another victim.