By eradicating the use of the courier service, perhaps we can work to combat the popularity of these schemes. Pistella said couriers are privately hired and prey on seniors who often are housebound and live alone. Typically, seniors are contacted by telephone and told they are guaranteed to win a prize if they agree to buy a specific product. Seniors also are contacted to make contributions to charities that sound legitimate, but are in fact fraudulent.
Telemarketing fraud is a growing problem.
Pistella suggested seniors be leery of lottery promotions via telephone solicitation, as well as solicitations from anyone utilizing a 900 number. Lost money is rarely found. It's our responsibility as legislators to do everything we can to put a stop to this fraudulent practice. The legislation would amend the Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law.