28 ~ North Shore News - Wednesday, December 13, 2000
Se Ss SS A OES ERE RATA CR ED

EEP OWNERS.

ATTENTIONS -

J

at Wary vey 04

Compiete mechanical & electrical repairs
by factory ‘rained technician
IMPEX AUTO 1 166A West 14th Street Tel: 985-6237

{off Pemberton Ave., entrance at rear) -
._Visit our web ste: wwe.impexeuto.com

‘Look like vouive arrived
before you get there.

spacious

KI

cores

; i |
Buy

cover their

Take the time to Say ‘no’

From page 25

A retired couple is excited
to receive a phone call advising
them that they have won a
“free”. car_im a sweepstakes
drawing. They quickly send
$2,500 via express mail to
“tax” liability so
thar the. luxury car can be
delivered to their home. .

If you assumed. that these
individuals were targeted
because of their age, you’d be
right. If you assumed that the
victims had to be lonely, con-

. fused or lower-income, you'd

be wrong.
“It’s not necessarily the
senile widow living on limited

‘income who falls victim to

scam -artists,” said Valerie
MacLean, Better

- Bureau spokesperson.

The BBB, which. fields
numerous .complaints each
month from: seniors who've
fallen victim to fraudulent tele-

‘marketing or direct mail pitch-
es, advises family and friends of .

the elderly to learn to identify
common types of fraud.
Con artists typically enter a

 senior’s home by. one of three

- routes: the phone, the mail- °

the’ largest and “one” of | the most, respected authorities | in

; _2vatuating cost of ownership, has chosen it

“feather |

inte rior,

“ad vanced All-Mode whee

drive ond

it as “Best Overall =

box, or‘ the’ front. door: The

- BBB offers’ the following tips.

to help older adults idenufy an

illegal telemarketing : offer,
‘weedout the disreputable

direct. mail solicitations. and

* resist- tempting’ offers from

: unannounced visitors.

Avoidin, hony pitches
Studs show that . most

elderly. fratid ‘ victims: don’t.

make the connection between
illegal telemarketing and crim-

inal activity. They don’t associ-

© ..the. friendly voice on the

: phone with. someone who’.
», could’ be trying to steal their’

Business

Money. Illegal telemarketing i is
@ serious crime.. The friendly
person on the other end of the
line who expresses such sincere
interest in your health, person-

_al problems or financial condi-

ten could be a crook.

There are. many reputable
companies that telemarket
products and services. A reli-
able business will not:

_ _B Pressure you to send money

immediately — no matter what

the reason!

@ Hesitate ro provide the full
name, physical address and
phone number of the business.
Require payment to enter a
contest. or sweepstakes, or

require payment to claim a

prize.

B Hesitate to. send written
information about the prod-
uct, service or charity i itis pro-
moting.

M Refuse to permit you the
time to check with a twusted

financial or investment advisor.

Identifying the bandit’.
‘Most. mailbox scams are

just variations on the same

themes: _ promises of easy

: money “or” guarantees “that

“you're a winner of a fabulous
or valuable prize. The. same
tempting offers now. arrive
clectronically as more seniors

_ discover the wonders of. the
Web: Whether the offers arrive -
* by snail mail or ¢-miail, seniors -.

should automatically toss any
-tharre 07

~ E Ask for payment for a “free”
gift. If it’s
shouldn’t have to pay; And, a
payment.
(taxes, customs duties, whate'
er) is still a payment.
Don't. clearly . identify the
company and its street address
and phone number. ' Be. espe-

» dally careful if you are dirécted :

ee or a gift, you.

any" other, name ..

to call a: toll-free: number for
More information — . you.
could end up connected to a-
pay-per-call 900 number that
delivers a sales pitch for a prize *:
or contest. .

B Ask for your bank account.
number, credit card account *
number or social insurance
nuniber. s

@ Look like, 2 government:
document: and suggest thar...
you'can, for a small fee, collect;
contest winnings or unclaimed .
assets. The government does...

. nc solicit money from citizens! :

i “Guarantee” casy money, no

"experience necessary, , Working he
from home.

Saying “no” ‘to swangers
Do not feel pressured | to

respond: to: salesp¢ople who:

arrived unannounced on your:

_ doorstep. Even young children
can be fronts for disrzpurabl

businesses. Close the door
unanneunced » strangers, ti

“ matter how tempting the offer,’

if they exhibit any. of the fol.
lowing red flags: -"

B Workers.

unmarked. trucks with ‘out-of
province licence ~ plates, :, war

offer special deals on. driveway
paving, roof repairs, “replace

“ment windows, pest: con

E! Requests ‘for cash’ paymi
up front, with no written infor
mation. that: spells: out “th

_ product _or service to. be del

cred.

“IR Lack of references; 6 or vagu
_claims of satisfied custorners

your “neighborhood.”.
2 High tia ictics.: with

oan Salespeople who ‘offer, med
teal alert “devices: or “medicat

equipment and discourage yor
from: consulting |
health experts