There was a crime-drama TV show in the early-1950s called "Racket Squad." At the end of each show, after the bad guy was caught and charged, Capt. Braddock would look right into the camera at us and say, "I'm closing this case now - or, rather, the courts will - but there'll be others, because that's the way the world is built. There are people who can slap you on the back with one hand and pick your pocket with the other. And it could happen to you."

Introducing each show, Braddock tells us that the program is intended to expose the confidence game - "the carefully worked-out frauds by which confidence men and women take more money each year from the American public than all of the bank robbers and thugs with their violence."I was thinking about "Racket Squad" as I read about how a Schuylkill County woman was ripped off to the tune of $4,000 when a scammer emailed her an offer to become a Walmart secret shopper. At about the same time, an Allentown woman lost $14,000 in a similar scheme.Despite the many public warnings, con artists still manage to part people, particularly the elderly, from their hard-earned money. According to the FBI, senior citizens are most likely to have a "nest egg," to own their home and have excellent credit, all of which make them attractive and lucrative targets.On top of that, those who grew up in the 1930s, '40s and '50s were generally raised to be polite and trusting, the agency says. Con artists exploit this trusting nature, knowing that it is difficult for these people to say "no" or just hang up.Statistics also show that older Americans are less likely to report a fraud because they are too ashamed at having been scammed. In some cases, they don't know for a long time that they have been scammed, or they don't know to whom to report the incident.They also might fear that if they report the crime, their children or relatives might think that they no longer have the mental capacity to take care of their own financial affairs. Here is what the FBI says are warning signs of telemarketing fraud and what a caller might tell you to get you to agree to the sales pitch:• You must act now or the offer won't be available after today.• You've won a free gift, vacation or prize, but you have to pay postage and handling or other charges.• You must send money, give a credit card number or bank account number or have a check picked up by a courier. You do not need to check out the company with anyone, including the family lawyer.• You can't afford to miss this "no-risk offer."If you hear these or similar "lines" from a telephone salesperson, the FBI suggests that you just say "no thank you" and hang up.Once you have paid one of these unscrupulous individuals, it is next to impossible to get your money back, so the FBI says never buy from an unfamiliar company, always ask for and wait for written material about any offer or charity, check out an unfamiliar company with your local consumer protection agency, Better Business Bureau, state Attorney General office or other watchdog groups, and get a salesperson's name, business identity, telephone number, street and mailing address.The FBI also says to never pay in advance for services; pay only after they are delivered, take your time in making a decision; never feel pressured to make one immediately. Never pay for a "free" prize. If the caller says the payment is for taxes, this is a violation of federal law.If you have been victimized once, be wary of people who call offering to help you recover your losses for a fee to be paid in advance.The FBI urges that if you have been defrauded that you report it to state, local or federal law-enforcement agencies.Whenever someone offers you the so-called "deal of a lifetime," and your brain is telling you one thing but your heart is telling you another, think about the logic of the offer.According to consumer-protection advocates, if something sounds way too good to be true, it generally is and requires rational investigation and discussion with a knowledgeable individual.By Bruce Frassinelli |

tneditor@tnonline.com