Scam Victims Are Most Vulnerable To Second Hit
By Amy E. Feldman
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - What is one of the best ways for a con artist to know that you'd be an easy target?
TV newsmagazine Inside Edition, working on a story about the criminal prosecution of Jordan Belfort, the felon depicted in the movie The Wolf of Wall Street asked the judge for a list of the 1300 victims. In an opinion filed last month, the judge in the case refused to give out the so-called "sucker list".
Why? Because, according to the AARP, it is well known that victims of fraud are often the most vulnerable people and fraudsters are aware that the people most likely to fall victim to fraud are those who have already been the victim of fraud.
So, for example, a sham website targeted victims of Bernie Madoff by telling victims that there were assets to be distributed and all the Madoff victims had to do was to supply claim numbers from their filings and give a list of their brokerage account numbers.
If you've fallen victim to a scam, DO NOT GIVE OUT YOUR INFORMATION, even to people purporting to act on behalf of victims, over the phone or by internet. Instead, ask for documents that you can review, and submit to the court or law enforcement, to know whether you'll be scammed a second time.