Andy's Got Your Back on holiday scam artists - Action News 5 - Memphis, Tennessee

Andy's Got Your Back on holiday scam artists

Posted: Updated:
  • News on WMCTV.comNews

  • Friday, May 24 2013 2:40 PM EDT2013-05-24 18:40:56 GMT
    (WMC-TV) - Club 152 on Beale Street has been given the OK to reopen. A judge gave the club owners permission to open the doors Friday afternoon. Since the closure, the owners have conducted background
    Club 152 on Beale Street has been given the OK to reopen.
  • Friday, May 24 2013 2:05 PM EDT2013-05-24 18:05:17 GMT
    (WMC-TV) - If you were not able to get a ticket to the Grizzlies matchup against the Spurs Saturday, you have one last chance to get your hands on one. The Memphis Grizzlies announced it will release a
    If you were not able to get a ticket to the Grizzlies matchup against the Spurs Saturday, you have one last chance to get your hands on one.
  • Friday, May 24 2013 1:06 PM EDT2013-05-24 17:06:42 GMT
    (WMC-TV) - A woman is dead and her husband is being questioned by police. The woman was reportedly shot in a domestic altercation on the 600 block of Hamilton Street in Orange Mound. Action News 5's Justin
    A woman is dead and her husband is being questioned by police.
MEMPHIS, TN -

(WMC TV) - Ever sinister and ever selfish, scam artists see the holidays as the season for taking.

Their prime target:  the elderly.

"Scammers are often using the holidays as a backdrop to solicit people," said U.S. Postal Inspector Lori Groen. "They think people are a little more trusting during that time and a little more giving."

While you visit parents and grandparents, postal inspectors suggested you look for signs that your loved ones are targets.

"First, look for solicitations of sweepstakes...things that say they have won fabulous prizes," Groen said. "Also, look for foreign lotteries. All foreign lotteries through the mail are illegal."

Also, see if your seniors are getting offers for so-called "valuables," like watches, gloves and jewelry. 

Work with your elderly loved ones to keep their charitable donations either in the family, with their churches or with charities you can verify through either the Better Business Bureau's Wise Giving Alliance, Charity Navigator or your state's charity regulator.

 

Copyright 2012 WMC-TV. All rights reserved.