U.S. Attorney Launches Ad Campaign Aimed at Protecting Maine’s Elderly from Fraud

PORTLAND, Maine: U.S. Attorney Halsey Frank today announced the launch of a video public service announcement aimed at protecting Maine’s seniors from fraud.

Every day, thousands of older Americans fall victim to financial fraud. Scammers, both here in the U.S. and abroad, target our seniors. Their tactics include deception, demands, and in some cases, outright threats. They use phony lottery and sweepstakes scams. Among the other methods used are posing as government officials demanding back taxes that are not actually owed, unsolicited tech support, and other scams. The fraudsters steal an estimated $3 billion from American seniors every year.

“Increasingly, these scammers are becoming very sophisticated in their tactics,” said U.S. Attorney Frank. “That is why it is important for seniors and their caretakers to always be suspicious of any unsolicited requests for money and offers that sound too good to be true. If you didn’t play the lottery, you didn’t ‘win’ the lottery.

Never, under any circumstances, give your Social Security number, banking information, or any other sensitive information to anyone you don’t recognize.”

The video will appear as online ads, and eventually on social media platforms. The ad can also be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRWKSMG8AvI

The YouTube channel for the U.S. Attorney’s Office contains public service announcements on several topics in addition to elder fraud, including human trafficking, the Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative and money mules. The channel can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtSYDXolTp8Y2fDnIUsh4FQ/videos

Anyone who has been contacted by a suspected scammer or is the victim of one should call the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.