Inside ICE: Volume 2, Issue 16

Chicago ICE Returns $2,750 To 82-Year-Old Scam Victim

CHICAGO, Ill.—ICE agents returned $2,750 to an elderly Chicago man who has lost approximately $60,000 of his savings to telemarketing con artists operating from Canada.

The victim’s money was recovered by Project COLT, a multi-agency initiative targeting telemarketing fraud that includes ICE, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Service Inspection Service.

The 82-year-old victim was first contacted early this year by telemarketers claiming to be attorneys and/or government officials who told him he won the Canadian lottery. The victim was instructed to send money to cover the insurance and taxes on the lottery winnings before the money could be released. Since February the victim has sent approximately $60,000 to the telemarketing con artists. The victim recently moved in with a family member because of the sheer volume of telemarketing calls he was receiving.

Elissa A. Brown, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Chicago ICE office, warned Illinois residents to be vigilant about such scams, which have already bilked people—especially senior citizens—in the United States out of tens of millions of dollars.

“There’s no such thing as free money,” said Brown. “This victim only received a small portion back of the thousands of dollars he sent to these criminals. These sophisticated con artists appear trustworthy to their elderly victims.”

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Inside ICE is an e-newsletter produced by the ICE Office of Public Affairs to inform the public about the mission, operations and activities of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Please send comments and contributions to Russ Bergeron, Editor.

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Russ Bergeron, Editor
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