I must say when my parents got called out of the blue and told they had won a lottery they had never even joined, I was glad my mother had the sense to say 'no thanks' in a sense. A lot of elderly people accept that they have won and think maybe they just forgot about it. With the advent of research online it is easier for confidence artists to know all about their mark(s). I have noticed, though, that one has to pay for the information; it is no longer free as it once was to get at least some information just by typing in a telephone number into the search engine (such as Google). I've tried it a few times when we got called by people leaving messages but did not tell us who they were. We also see ads in the paper with telephone numbers but no names or locations. At least it says where the number is from (city) if nothing else.
Where is this seemingly lost strand of information leading? One way con artists can find the city you are from is using a phone number if they get hold of discarded entry forms for drawings which often only require a name and phone number. Then all they have to do is type in the name and city and providing they have an account with an information company - BINGO! They have a whole lot of data you will wish they didn't have. They use this information to scare the elderly or uninformed into thinking they know where they are and can get to them at any time. My mother called law enforcement and filed a report and got information when the calls kept coming on how to stop them. That didn't stop her or my dad from being wary that they were being watched or followed. They knew not to fall for the scam, but they did not know that the people involved were not coming after them for turning them in. That's not to say they have no better sense than that. These people are very good at convincing other people they have won a contest and that they know where they are and can get to them at a moment's notice if need be to deliver the prize, so logically, they also can get to them in retaliation.
The reality is that they won't bother. Their telephones are not traceable, or burners (disposable), and the numbers can be set up to be call out only so that one couldn't call back if they wanted to - the call wouldn't go through. No one has seen them yet and therefore cannot identify them and so there is no reason to retaliate for anything. They will simply move on to the next person on their list.
Speaking of lists...Lists are sold all the time; it's a part of business. That's where all your junk mail from people with whom you have never done business get your name. These same lists are available to the scam artists. The people selling them don't ask their customers (in most cases) what they are going to do with the lists. States sell the names of driver's license recipients and they don't screen the customers who buy them. Most states do offer a opt out for those lists, so ask if one is available and opt out. The telephone con artists are not the only con artists buying those lists and it is possible to come up against an in-the-flesh con artist, a face-to-face meeting, and unless they are disguised, then you can identify them, although they rely on people being too embarrassed to report them and they are often correct in that assumption so they are at least 'safe' until they leave the area.
To read the article Don't Get Caught in a Con on Yahoo! Voices (formerly Associated Content) you can follow this link: http://voices.yahoo.com/dont-caught-con-10692677.html.
The article covers one type of con. There are numerous others out there, so be careful.
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