If it Sounds Too Good to be True, it Probably is!

Have you had an elderly parent, relative, or friend call you recently to tell you they've

struck it rich!

in the lotto After a few questions, it turns out that the lotto is in Canada and a small

service charge

is being requested to process the

prize.

Watch out! Lotto and internet fraud are rampant and seniors are the targeted victims. In Sacramento, a grieving widower discovered that all his property and income had been liened away by his wife (now deceased) who had gotten her name on lottery lists.

Professionals will warn that once a name in on one of these lists, the pressure and the promises never let up. Every day there is a tragic story about an elder who has lost everything to one of these phony lotteries or scams.

As a daughter, son, spouse, or friend of a senior you must be always on the alert! Financial scams-financial elder abuse-is on the rise and is the number one source of elder abuse in many places in California. These bogus offers come by mail, by telephone, by person, even sometimes by those who hold themselves out to be trusted financial advisors.

Even if the con artist is arrested and jailed, your loved one will rarely see any of the money come back. It's a crime that cuts across all income levels, all educational levels, everywhere in California. It not just a

poor person's

crime. College professors have been victimized and losses often are in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. Even houses can be lost through phony land and investment transactions and seniors have faced eviction from their own long-time homes.

Do you suspect something is wrong with someone you know? A call to a well respected elder abuse attorney in California is well worth the call and the time. Don't sign anything; don't give any information out by telephone or by mail. An experienced elder law attorney in California can save you a lifetime of grief by avoiding a scam.