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In the News : SAIF
Publication: The Sacramento Bee
By: Edgar Sanchez
Date: October 7, 2002
recognizing Fraud is Program Focus
Whether posing as repair workers or as Santas, con artists in phony uniforms exploit the gullible, investigative reporter Chuck Whitlock said Wednesday in Sacramento.
"People trust a complete stranger because they're in uniform," Whitlock told more than 250 people at a fraud symposium at the Sacramento Convention Center.
The veteran of "Hard Copy," "Inside Edition" and other TV programs showed video clips of himself posing as a utility repairman, a donation-seeking Santa and a special-delivery person.
In each case, Whitlock found quick acceptance of his make-believe persona.
When he donned a gas worker's uniform, for instance, he persuaded a woman to stand outside her home to check for gas leaks while he went inside.
A real crook could have stolen all her valuables, and Whitlock broadcast the episode as part of his campaign to educate the public about the ways of con artists.
A savvy homeowner should call the utility company to confirm that it had sent a representative to the home, he said.
Whitlock was the keynote speaker at the Fraud Fest Senior Empowerment Conference sponsored by the state Department of Corporations.
The event featured experts in the field and 50 booths with information on fraud-prevention.
"With all the scams going on, we needed something like this," said Lou Gutierrez, 70, who went home with a bag of how-to-protect-yourself literature.
"This was excellent," said Dorothy White, 65, of Granite Bay. "There was a lot of information on fraud and how easy it is to get scammed."
Senior citizens remain the most vulnerable to pyramid schemes and other swindles, said state Corporations Commissioner Demetrios A. Boutris.
"Some end up taking loans on pretty bad terms," said Boutris, whose department regulates securities brokers, lenders and other investment professionals.
Hence, Wednesday's message was: Be careful in choosing investments.
"Ask questions," Boutris said. "There's no
such thing as a dumb question."
Some victims ask no questions at all, said Barry Goggin, chief of the Better Business Bureau of Northeast California.
"Crooks simply make up a name and a spiel that sounds like a good charitable cause," Goggin said. "Well-meaning people dig into their pocketbooks without asking even a simple question about who really gets the money."
Some nonprofits, for instance, get only 10 percent of the cash raised for them by telephone solicitors, he said. The solicitors, he added, keep the rest.
If people knew where the money went, they might choose another charity, Goggin said.
The imperative is never to be intimidated by con artists, Whitlock said.
"So many times I hear seniors say they were intimidated and afraid to not give their money to the con artists," Whitlock said. "When you get that feeling, you know it's wrong, and it's time to call the police."
For more information about the Department of Corporations, visit www.corp.ca.gov.
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