Attorney General Philip McLaughlin has issued a consumer advisory regarding fraudulent telemarketers operating out of Canada who are targeting elderly citizens with promises of having won money.

The scam begins in the traditional manner with an intended victim receiving a call in which he or she is told that they have won a monetary prize and the caller instructs the victim to send a certain amount of money to pay Canadian taxes. In cases where the victim sends the money, they, of course, do not receive the promised winnings. A while later, the telemarketer calls the victim and introduces himself as an attorney from a fictitious law firm and advises the victim that his or her name was included in a class action suit related to the scam and that he or she is slated to receive proceeds from the suit. The telemarketer tells the victim that he or she will receive a check for half of the total amount that is due. The victim receives a counterfeit certified check, which appears valid. In some instances, the amounts have been $125,000.00. The checks are the product of a highly sophisticated forgery. For the last two years, the fraudulent organization has been using a fictitious bank account with the Bank of Montreal.

The "lawyer" then calls the victim a second time and instructs her to send several thousands of dollars or payment will be stopped on the first certified check, and the second payment will not be made. A phony bank verification telephone line has even been set up, so if the victim calls to verify the check, someone in the telemarketer's organization answers the phone "Bank of Montreal" and verifies the check. In some instances, the victim's bank has cleared the counterfeit check. If the victim sent the telemarketer a check drawn on his or her own account, the victim will be held liable for the full amount.

According to Attorney General McLaughlin, more recently, the telemarketers have added another step. They are asking the victim to send large sums of money to cover attorneys fees for the class action suit. The telemarketers advise the victim that after receiving the second check (for the remaining portion of the money due from the class action suit) he or she will receive instructions on how to send the money. Victims have reportedly sent between $40,000 and $80,000.

Senior Assistant Attorney General M. Kristin Spath, Head of the Consumer Protection Bureau, cautions New Hampshire citizens to be aware of these scams and to avoid being victimized by remembering to:

Never give a telemarketer personal information, such as credit card numbers, bank account numbers, driver's license, or your social security number.

A consumer never has to "pay" for a prize. That includes paying postage, shipping and handling, or any other costs associated with something you have supposedly "won."

"Never allow a telemarketer to pressure you into acting immediately on any offer, and insist on getting the details of any offer in writing," Attorney Spath advises.

For further educational information on telemarketing fraud, please contact the Consumer Protection and Antitrust Bureau at (603) 271-3641 and ask to have information sent to you, or visit the Bureau's website.

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