Scam victims losing thousands of dollars

Kalispell attorney Amy Eddy makes her living battling consumer fraud.

But her professional skills didn’t help much when she had to protect her 88-year-old grandmother, now in assisted living.

The Stanford University graduate, who had managed her family’s investments for years, had become convinced the lottery and other get-rich come-ons in her mailbox were additional investment opportunities.

Although mentally sharp most of the time, Eddy’s grandmother has lost key critical thinking skills, Eddy said.

“She was spending hundreds, pushing $1,000 a month, in sweepstakes, thinking it was an investment,” Eddy said. “And she wasn’t receiving anything in return.”

The family and caretakers started intercepting her junk mail, up to 20 packets a day.

Then a few weeks ago, a telemarketer called, promising the senior that she’d won $10,000.

“She called all excited, saying, “See, I told you this would all pay off,’” said Eddy, who traced the call to Georgia.

When she called the telephone number, someone answered “Publishers,” and then hung up after saying, “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

Within hours, the number was disconnected, leaving the family no options.

“We had to change her address, get an unlisted phone number, close all of Grandma’s financial accounts and restrict her access to her funds, which is a huge blow to her independence,” Eddy said.

Columbia Falls resident Ruth Burke had a similar experience, receiving calls from people claiming to be representatives of Publishers Clearing House.

“During the first call, they said they were from Publishers Clearing House and that I had won $1 million and $5,000 per week for the rest of my life,” Burke said. “Then, the next day, they called and said I had won $2 million.”

The change in Burke’s prize, along with additional calls asking her to send them $2,700, tipped her off that something fishy might be going on. She had ordered from Publishers Clearing House in the past, so she searched until she found an old bill and called the number there.

“They said, ‘Whatever you do, do not send money, because we do not notify winners by telephone, mail or email, if we notify you, we come directly to your door,’” Burke said.

After receiving the false calls, Burke started receiving new calls about medical cards from people asking for her bank information. Now, she says it’s time for the public to realize exactly what’s happening.

“I think something needs to be done to let people know,” she said. “These scams are really getting bad.”

Another scam running through the Flathead Valley is from people posing as utility company employees and other “energy savers,” according to a news release from NorthWestern Energy, which states that such scams tend to see an uptick during cold weather.

“For example, one national scam that has been reported in our area involves callers claiming to be billing representatives from your utility company,” the release states. “They tell you that to avoid an immediate shutoff, you need to settle an overdue bill by providing them with your credit card number or a prepaid debit card.”

The release includes a reminder to NorthWestern Energy customers that the company provides several past-due notices before terminating service, and that people should always verify any cancellation statements made to them over the phone by calling the customer service number on their utility bills.

A Kalispell woman also recently reported receiving a call from a person claiming to be with U.S. Customs at the Miami airport advising they had a package for her from American Sweepstakes, which she believed to be fraudulent information.