Con Artists Targeting Obliging Older People
By CGALOFARO
Police Beat Reporter - Bristol Herald Courier
July 25, 2009
In April, an old Bristol man died penniless because Tom Cruise called three years ago to tell him he won the Jamaican lottery.
All he had to do was send $500 to clear up some paperwork and he’d get $2.5 million in return.
Then Andre Agassi called: They needed just a little bit more to get the check through customs. The man borrowed money from friends. James Bond was on the phone. He hawked his car. Took out a mortgage. Three months and $30,000 later, Bristol police convinced the man to give up and stop mailing checks.
“That poor old guy, they sold it to him with a silver tongue,” said Bristol Virginia Police Detective Sgt. Steven Crawford. “They seem to always pick on the elderly – talk fast, sound legit and make them feel like they’re obligated. It’s rampant in this area.”
Area senior advocates say Bristol’s aging population makes it an easy – and often profitable – target for con artists. And law enforcement officers are warning residents to be wary because scams are on the rise.
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