Lottery scam targets elderly

(CBS) Every year, one out of three adults in the United States gets a call from a con man, and the very best in the business of telemarketing fraud are known in the con game as "the closers."

Recently, the most talented closers in the business have been working something called the Canadian lottery scam, one of the largest, most successful cons ever.

Authorities believe variations of it have been used to swindle American victims - most of them retirees and widows - out of as much as $5 billion.

www.cbsnews.com...

One of the men involved in this scam is up on federal charges, but this scam is ongoing. These people who commit these crimes are the lowest form of scum, swindling the life savings from little old ladies, what ever punishment they receive is not enough!

Did you see the 60 Minutes piece tonight? Oh my.

Apparently you can call just about anyone in Texas and they'll send you their life savings.

All cons work of the victims own greed. Send me $10, $70 or $200 grand, and I'll send you $2 million. :shk:

It's not enough to just be stupid. You have to be greedy and allow it to blind your better judgement.

It's horrible these people fell for it and got taken, but they gleefully participated in their own demise. They weren't exactly feeble either. The women that had a fight with her bank manager about the withdrawl was telling. He TOLD her it was a scam and not to send the money. She did anyway. :shk:

Stubborn blind greed.

These scams never seem to die. My friend and business partner Mbuto Nkomo (son of the former Nigerian Finance Minister) says one must be very careful when turning over ones life savings.