SPENCERVILLE – United States Postal Service Retail Associate Stacy Jorgensen received the Postmaster General Hero Award recently for helping an elderly man who had fallen victim to a scam.
A regular customer she knew very well purchased two large money orders to send internationally, and she knew this was unusual.
“I took care of him while I worked at a nursing home, and I know he does not have family oversees,” Jorgensen recalled.
Jorgensen called the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the nursing home to alert them about the incident. She confirmed the elderly customer was a victim of an international lottery scheme. She explained to the customer he was being scammed, and the man was very grateful for Jorgensen’s assistance.
“If it was my grandparent, I would want someone to step in and help them,” Jorgensen said. “We have to look out for the elderly and get involved when someone is trying to take advantage of them.”
According to the Better Business Bureau, older Americans are unfortunately an easy target for scammers. The isolation of the coronavirus quarantine and the overall persuasive tactics of scammers are leading to big financial losses recently for elderly individuals.
According to the national Better Business Bureau, an 83-year-old woman lost $295,000 to scammers identifying themselves as representatives with the Atlantic Sweepstakes Company, allegedly based in Rochester, New York. At least three individuals reported losses of well over $100,000…
