July 2010

White House Blog Features World Elder Abuse Awareness Day to coincide with National and International Recognition Events

Every American deserves to live his or her golden years with dignity and respect. Unfortunately, too many of our country's seniors are abused and neglected, often by the very people responsible for their care. According to the best available estimates, approximately 700,000 to 3.5 million older Americans are abused, neglected, or exploited each year. Elders who experience abuse, neglect, or self‐neglect face considerably higher risk of premature death, up to 300% higher, than elders who have not been mistreated.  Elder abuse can occur anywhere, and it affects seniors across America, of all socioeconomic groups, cultures, and races. Across these groups, however, studies show that the majority of victims are female. To read the rest of the blog, please visit: http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/issues/Seniors-%2526-Social-Security

Get Ready for National Night Out with the Go Direct ® Campaign

National Night Out (NNO) is August 3! Go Direct® campaign messages fit well with this annual event's neighborhood safety theme, so consider handing out Go Direct campaign and Direct Express® card fliers at NNO events in your area. Getting federal benefits electronically is a simple way senior citizens and others can protect their money from financial crimes such as check theft and fraud.

In addition to fliers, free materials that can be easily added to your newsletters, presentations and other safety-related activities are available, including:

• Talking points – Include these key messages in presentations, workshops or meetings.
• Newsletter copy – Information suitable for an article highlighting the importance of getting federal benefit payments electronically.
• PowerPoint slides – These informational slides provide the basics about direct deposit, the Go Direct campaign and the Direct Express® card and can be easily added to existing presentations. 
• Website text – A brief message to include on your website about the benefits of electronic payments.

If you would like to order printed materials, make sure to place your order by mid-July to ensure supplies arrive in advance of your NNO events.

Safety Tips For Older Drivers

STATE — While traffic safety is important for all drivers, seniors experience physical changes that can affect their driving abilities. Although some seniors can drive well into their 70s, 80s and 90s, others cannot. It can be a tough adjustment for people who are used to using their cars to visit friends and family, attend doctor appointments and go shopping.

Seniors often equate losing their driving privileges to becoming dependent and losing control and spontaneity in their lives. However, there are simple safety steps older adults can take to ensure they are driving safely.

Vision
The ability to see clearly while driving changes with age. According to AAA, the amount of light needed to drive nearly doubles every 13 years. For example, a 45-year-old requires four times as much light as a 19-year-old, and a 60-year-old requires 10 times as much.

Change in vision is a common reason why many seniors have restricted licenses or have their licenses revoked. Good vision is crucial to driving and senior drivers should keep the following in mind:

• Get an annual eye exam. Your eyes change rapidly and early detection can slow the progress of many eye problems.
• Limit driving to the daytime. It takes more time for aging eyes to adjust to the glare of oncoming headlights.
• Keep your head and eyes moving. While driving look ahead of your vehicle for other vehicles, pedestrians, animals or hazards.  While driving in the city look at least one block ahead and on the highway look 12 to 15 seconds ahead. Glance frequently in your rearview mirror.
• Keep your headlights, taillights and the inside and outside of your windshield clean. Choose a car with a clear windshield as tinted windows can reduce the amount of light entering the eye.
• Avoid wearing eyeglasses and sunglasses with wide frames that may restrict your side vision. Always keep your eyeglasses clean.

Medications
Many senior drivers take medications that may affect safe driving, leading to drowsiness and confusion. Seniors should talk to their doctors about the effects their medications may have on their driving abilities and follow these guidelines:

• Read the fine print. Many prescription and over-the-counter medication labels include the message “Do not use while operating heavy machinery.” Be cognizant of the warnings on your medications before getting behind the wheel.
• Consult with your doctor before taking any new medications. The interaction between certain drugs can affect your ability to safely drive.
• If any medications cause fatigue or disorientation, stop driving.

Physical and Mental Fitness
Driving takes strength, flexibility and coordination and seniors should continue to participate in physical exercise to keep their motor skills sharp. Mental fitness is also important as older minds sometimes react more slowly than younger minds. Here are some ways for seniors to enhance their physical and mental fitness:

• Take a brisk walk every day or start a garden in your backyard to stay physically fit.
• Stimulate your brain. Activities such as crossword puzzles, brain teasers and card games stimulate your mind and enhance your problem solving, memory, reasoning and concentration skills.

Alternatives for Older Drivers
A person’s driving ability is dependent on many factors. Chronological age is not always the best predictor of one’s ability to drive safely. If you or your loved one has had a series of minor accidents, is unable to concentrate, is getting lost on familiar roads or is unable to read or recognize ordinary road signs, it may be time to step out from behind the wheel. However, there are alternatives available. In-home care agencies such as Right at Home offer many companion services including transportation to doctor’s appointments and recreational activities, as well as shopping and errand services.

“We know that living independently has many benefits and we are privileged to help older adults maintain their independence and enjoy a full life,” said Beth Sholom, Owner of Right at Home of CNJ, LLC. “All older adults and their loved ones should be aware of traffic safety.”

Seniors can also utilize public transportation where available. There are often community agencies that provide volunteer transportation services for seniors, as well. These alternatives can give retired drivers the independence they once had while keeping them out of harm’s way.

Let's work together to combat Prescription Drug Abuse

Dear Friends,

Prescription drug abuse is the fastest-growing drug problem in the United States. Because prescription drugs are legal, they are easily accessible, often from a home medicine cabinet. Further, some individuals who abuse prescription drugs, particularly teens, believe these substances are safer than illicit drugs because they are prescribed by a healthcare professional and sold behind the counter.

Physicians, law enforcement officials, teachers, parents, grandparents, and young people need to know about the dangers of prescription drug abuse. A recent national survey of high-school students reported that among 12th graders surveyed, 7 of the top 10 abused substances are pharmaceuticals. Between 1997 and 2007, treatment admissions for prescription painkillers increased more than 400 percent. Between 2004 and 2008, the number of visits to hospital emergency departments involving the non-medical use of narcotic painkillers increased 111 percent. And we know from the latest National Survey on Drug Use and Health that most people who abuse these drugs are getting them from friends and family or from a doctor.

ONDCP is committed to making efforts to prevent and reduce prescription drug abuse and emergency room visits resulting from that abuse. You can support this initiative:

• Carefully monitor prescription drugs in the home;
• If you have unused or expired prescription drugs, properly dispose of them at a law enforcement-sponsored take-back event in your community;
• Support efforts to educate physicians about opiate painkiller prescribing;
• Share information about the dangers of prescription drug abuse with your family, friends, and members of the public through newsletters, emails, and websites, including adding ONDCP's Prescription Drug image to your site to raise awareness about the issue (instructions for adding this image can be found here).

Together, we can help spread an important message: If you have unused prescription drugs in your home, dispose of them properly. Don't take medication that isn't prescribed to you. If you know of a friend, work colleague, or loved one who you think might be abusing prescription drugs, get them help.

For more information, visit the webpage, read the fact sheet, or check out the Director's blog post about the ONDCP prescription drug abuse initiative.

If you have a story about what you or your community is doing to combat prescription drug abuse, we encourage you to share it with us. We are interested in hearing from your community and believe great ideas come from inside and outside government, from large organizations, or a single, small effort. Learning about your work in prescription drug abuse prevention can help inform programs and assist us in our policy work. Let's work together to eliminate this fast-growing drug problem.

Stay Connected with NCJRS! Register Now! Free registration with NCJRS keeps you informed about new publications, grant and funding opportunities, and other news and announcements. To register, visit: http://www.ncjrs.gov/subreg.html

Scammers Cry Wolf

The Attorney General's Office has recently received reports of an international scam involving con artists hacking into Hoosiers' personal email accounts to send out crys for help in hopes they will receive money in exchange. Among those impacted was State Representative Sandy Blanton (D-Orleans).

In Representative Blanton's case, the scammer used her personal email account to send out messages that claimed she was stranded in Malaysia and in desparate need for people to wire money to her as soon as possible so she could return home to Indiana.

In another reported case, the scammer used a victim's email account to request that money be wired to a foreign county claiming that the victim was on vacation overseas and had lost their wallet.

Many international scams are initiated through the Internet; victims range in age from 18 to 81 and come from all socio-economic backgrounds.

Unfortunately hackers can sometimes prey upon the most cautious of consumers  - those that safeguard their email accounts by using hard to predict passwords. While this may be unavoidable, consumers can take precautions to protect themselves from scams by spotting red flags such as requests to wire money.

Putting Elderly Drivers to the Test

Originally printed at http://www.cbs3springfield.com/news/local/97812584.html

This fall, hitting the road will be different for elderly drivers. A new law will go into effect requiring those 75 years and older to pass a vision test every 10 years. Some locals like the state taking a harder stance on who's getting behind the wheel

"They're taking someone else's life in jeopardy," said Terri Bailey of Greenfield.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says the rate of car accidents people get into starts to grow when they hit the age of 65 and AAA says at 85 the rate of fatal car accidents is nearly four times that of teen drivers.

"Older people, I'll be surprised about the way they drive but sometimes they take their time when they cross or don't see the crossing light," said Angel Alecea or Springfield.

Just last Friday in Ware a 95 year old driver hit a person on the crosswalk by Walgreen's on West St. The driver was cited for failing to yield to a pedestrian, the victim was OK. This May in East Longmeadow an 87-year old pedestrian wasn't so lucky. He lost his life after being struck by an 86-year old driver. Some feel older drivers on the road can be a problem waiting to happen.

"You'd rather be safe than sorry. You don't want to get into a car accident because and elderly person doesn't have great site," said driver Elder Gonzalez in Springfield.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety also says the elderly driver and their passengers are in the most danger in car accidents. Meaning when this law goes into effect in 90 days. it's for the safety of elderly drivers as well.

"it's for their own protection," Alecea said.

Identity Theft Cases Up 23% 2005-7; 3% Of Households Hit

The number of U.S. households with at least one member who experienced one or more types of identity theft increased 23 percent from 2005 to 2007, says the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics. A new compilation from the agency says that in the period studied, the number of households that experienced credit card theft increased by 31 percent and the number that experienced multiple types of theft during the same episode increased by 37 percent.

BJS said that during a six month period in 2008 which identity theft victimization data was collected as part of the regular nationa crime victimization survey, 3.3 percent of households discovered that at least one member had been a victim of one or more types of identity theft. Households with incomes of $75,000 or more experienced a higher rate of identity theft than did households in lower income brackets. Identity Theft Reported by Households, 2007 - Statistical Tables Katrina Baum, Lynn Langton June 30, 2010    NCJ 230742

Presents data on identity theft victimization reported by households from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).  These statistical tables provide 2007 data on rates and types of identity theft, as well as demographic characteristics of victimized households and their monetary losses. Tables compare rates of identity theft victimization in 2005 to 2007. Estimates from the last half of 2008 are also presented and compared to estimates from the same 6-month period in 2007.

Highlights include the following:

• The number of households with at least one member who experienced one or more types of identity theft increased 23% from 2005 to 2007.
• From 2005 to 2007, the number of households that experienced credit card theft increased by 31% and the number that experienced multiple types during the same episode increased by 37%.
• During the 6-month period in 2008 for which identity theft victimization data was collected as part of the regular NCVS, 3.3% of households discovered that at least one member had been a victim of one or more types of identity theft.

Part of the Identity Theft Series, PDF(210K), ASCII file (8K), Spreadsheets (Zip format 10K)

A Novel Twist for Prosecution of Hate Crimes
Queens County District Attorney's Office

Sherry Kaslov, Shirley Miller, Wando Delmaro and Alexandra Gilmore all were convicted of crimes against the elderly. A hate crime law is being used to stiffen penalties for such offenses.

By ANNE BARNARD
Published: June 22, 2010

In the public’s imagination, the classic hate crime is an assault born of animus against a particular ethnicity or sexual orientation, like the case of the Long Island man convicted in April of killing an Ecuadorean immigrant after hunting for Hispanics to beat up.

But in Queens since 2005, at least five people have been convicted of, or pleaded guilty to, committing a very different kind of hate crime — singling out elderly victims for nonviolent crimes like mortgage fraud because they believed older people would be easy to deceive and might have substantial savings or home equity.

And this month, Queens prosecutors charged two women with stealing more than $31,000 from three elderly men they had befriended separately. The women, Gina L. Miller, 39, and Sylvia Johns, 23, of Flushing, were charged with grand larceny as a hate crime.

This approach, which is being closely watched by prosecutors across New York State, has won Queens prosecutors stiffer sentences, including prison for criminals who could otherwise go free, even after draining an elderly person’s savings. Without a hate crime, theft of less than $1 million carries no mandatory prison time; with it, the thief must serve for a year and may face 25.

The legal thinking behind the novel method is that New York’s hate crimes statute does not require prosecutors to prove defendants “hate” the group the victim belongs to, merely that they commit the crime because of some belief, correct or not, they hold about the group.

“Criminals that prey on the elderly, they love the elderly — this is their source of wealth,” said Kristen A. Kane, a Queens assistant district attorney.

Led by Ms. Kane, who runs a specialized elder fraud unit, the efforts have made the Queens district attorney, Richard A. Brown, a leader in finding new uses for hate crime laws, prosecutors in other jurisdictions say. Scott Burns, executive director of the National District Attorneys’ Association, said he had not heard of another office using hate crimes as Queens does.

Neither had Kathleen B. Hogan, president of the State District Attorneys Association. But she looked into the efforts after hearing about it from a reporter, called it “an epiphany” and said she would suggest it to the group’s committee on best practices. Some New York prosecutors, who asked not to be named because they did not intend to criticize colleagues, said that while the approach intrigued them, they were waiting to see if convictions were overturned on appeal before considering it.

The strategy has never been tested in appellate court; many of those charged have pleaded guilty, waiving their right to appeal. But Queens trial judges have allowed it against defense lawyers who argue that the hate crime charges are inappropriate.

Some people concerned about the prevalence of more classically understood bigotry say that new uses of the hate crime law could ultimately dilute its power. The main purpose of the law, said Steven Freeman, legal affairs director at the Anti-Defamation League, is to stiffen penalties for crimes that inflict additional fear on marginalized groups like ethnic or religious minorities or gays.

New York’s law is ambiguous. It says prosecutors must prove only a crime was committed “because of a belief or perception regarding the race, color, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, religious practice, age, disability or sexual orientation of a person.”

But the language that opens the legislation clearly focuses on hate: “Crimes motivated by invidious hatred toward particular groups not only harm individual victims but send a powerful message of intolerance and discrimination to all members of the group to which the victim belongs.”

For Ms. Kane, there is no debate. “We don’t have a whole lot of tools,” she said. “We should utilize what the legislature has given us.”

It all started with Sunshine. That was the nickname of Nancy Jace, who bilked five elderly men out of $250,000, pretending to romance them and persuading them to pay for fictitious family emergencies. Ms. Kane was frustrated when Ms. Jace, 37, pleaded guilty in 2004 and served just six months in jail.

When a similar defendant came along, Ms. Kane had an idea. Shirley Miller, 43, who hoodwinked four elderly men out of $500,000, became the first New Yorker charged with grand larceny as a hate crime against the elderly. She pleaded guilty and served four months, but would have faced one to three years if she had not paid $175,000 in restitution. In 2006, Sherry Kaslov, 30, pleaded guilty to similar charges; she served four months and was hit with 10 years of probation.

Those sentences may not sound huge, Ms. Kane said, but the hate charge gave her extra leverage in plea bargaining. By winning felony pleas and probation, prosecutors ensured that repeat offenders would receive strong sentences.

The cases kept coming. In 2006, Natasha Marks, 20, was convicted of swindling more than $1 million from an 86-year-old man as a hate crime, including taking out a $550,000 mortgage on his house; a fugitive, she faces two to six years. Wando Delmaro was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to a hate crime: posing as a water-company employee and distracting elderly people while accomplices burglarized them.

The next year in Brooklyn, a high-profile case bolstered Ms. Kane. Michael Sandy, a gay man, died after robbers chased him into traffic. One defendant testified that he was gay. The judge ruled that he could still be charged with a hate crime since prosecutors said he went after Mr. Sandy believing gay men were easier to rob. Jurors convicted him but later complained that they did not think the hate crime applied.

Then there was Alexandra Gilmore, 37, who took $800,000 from Artee McKoy, 93, a retired barber and old friend of her late father who had Alzheimer’s disease. She stole his house and tricked him into refinancing another. She pleaded guilty last year and is serving two to six years.

Maria Thompson, Mr. McKoy’s daughter, wanted Ms. Gilmore to get even more time. Her father died in 2008, and she is still struggling in court to get control of his estate. In the meantime, the house where she grew up is foreclosed and padlocked. She cannot enter to sort her father’s possessions or find a photograph to remember him by. She has no idea if she and her four siblings will ultimately inherit any equity in the home, which had been fully paid off before the scheme.

Mr. McKoy’s own kindness inspired the scheme, said Ms. Thompson, 69, who works as a greeter at Wal-Mart. When Ms. Gilmore’s father died, he lent her money to avoid foreclosure of her own house, revealing that he had savings, “and then she ripped him off,” Ms. Thompson said.

Ms. Kane got another crack at Ms. Jace. She is now serving 8 to 24 years for defrauding a series of landlords, a sentence stiffened by her plea to the earlier hate crime. Ms. Kane did not charge one this time.

“Most victims were elderly,” she said a bit ruefully, “but not all.”

RSVP is here to serve seniors
Janet McNeely

The Retired & Senior Volunteer Program sponsored by the City of Natchez as part of the Natchez Senior Citizen Center has served the community well for the past 36 years.

Frances Trosclair became the first RSVP director in 1974; Barbara Byrne continued as director in 1977 when Mrs. Trosclair took over as director of the Natchez Senior Center. Mrs. Byrne served as RSVP director for 15 years until she became the next director of the senior center in 1992. At that time, I moved up from assistant director to director of RSVP. Then, when Mrs. Byrne retired in 2000, Mrs. Sabrena Bartley took over as executive director of the senior center.

In my 20.5 years with the RSVP program, much change has occurred over the years. In 1974, 50 volunteers joined up at RSVP. The last charter member, who died a couple of years ago, was Johnnie Craig. Today, we have 400 senior volunteers serving 60,283 hours at 18 volunteer agencies and organizations in our community.

That Natchez Children’s Home, Natchez Community Hospital, Natchez Regional Medical Center, Natchez Retiree Partnership, AARP, Natchez Senior Center and American Red Cross are just a few of our volunteer stations where our RSVP volunteers serve.

Since 1996, RSVP has been a part of the Senior Corps under the federal agency, the Corporation for National Community Service. Since then, great strides have been made to improve and increase performance measures in many of the RSVP volunteer stations.

Beginning in 2013, all RSVP organizations around the state and country will be competing for federal dollars according to how well each RSVP program successfully performs. Currently there are 500,000 senior volunteers serving at more than 400 RSVP projects around the country. The state of Mississippi has 12 RSVP projects, plus Senior Companion and Foster Grandparent programs.

TRIAD, one of RSVP’s successful volunteer stations, is currently in its 12th year of operation. Our Natchez, Adams County TRIAD consists of the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Natchez Police Department and RSVP. TRIAD is governed by an advisory council — Seniors and Lawmen Together.

TRIAD provides the opportunity for the exchange of information between law enforcement and senior citizens. This is done through a series of mini-seminars around the community, such as Neighborhood Watch meetings, church groups, senior groups and civic organizations.

TRIAD’s mission is to educate seniors. By communicating with senior citizens about their needs and concerns on crime prevention, both the community and law enforcement can develop solutions in reducing crime in our area.

TRIAD also concentrates on safety at home and away from home, heat safety and storm safety. TRIAD recently purchased weather radios and personal assistance security systems. These items will be given away upon request from a senior citizen over the age of 50. To be able to get a weather radio, the senior must live outside the city limits. Sirens can be heard in the city.

Furthermore, the Senior Alert pendants with dialing voice consoles will be given away to any senior who lives alone or who is disabled. There is no service fee; the unit is connected to a land line phone. When the button is pressed by the senior a message contacts up to four responders letting whoever answers the phone know of a potential emergency.

If you are interested in these items, contact me at 601-442-5082 or come by the RSVP office on the second floor of the senior center at 800 Washington St.

Finally, the Natchez Retiree Partnership, formerly under the management of the Economic Development Authority, is one of RSVP’s volunteer stations. Since its inception in 1994, our volunteers have successfully recruited 228 retired families to live in Natchez. Our RSVP volunteers are directly responsible for recruiting the retirees from all over the country over the years. This is the equivalent economic impact of 2.1 industrial jobs for each family; that is, an economic impact equal to 500 jobs for the Natchez-Adams County area.

If you are 50 or older and desire to become an RSVP volunteer, contact me at the Natchez Senior Center. RSVP provides the opportunity to channel your skills, experience, mature and caring judgment to local community needs. You are assured of a volunteer assignment that matches your talents and interests. Volunteering with RSVP will enrich your life personally and physically, as well as improve services and overall life in our community.

I would like to thank the businesses who make generous donations for door prizes.

Janet McNeely is the RSVP director at the Natchez Senior Citizen Center.

Work-at-home job scams thrive on economic trouble
By Jayne O'Donnell and Jillian Berman, USA TODAY

Work-at-home opportunities were supposed to help Chester Mazzoni, Susan Reid and Terry Yeast make ends meet.

The only one who made money was Mazzoni — and that stopped when a court-appointed receiver shut him down. He used a work-at-home medical billing scam, EDI Healthclaims Network, to help fund his other businesses by persuading thousands of people to pay up to $6,000 for training and materials to start allegedly lucrative businesses.

Consumers got neither the clients nor the money they were promised, the FTC says. Last month, Mazzoni pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio to criminal charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud related to the work-at-home scheme. He faces up to five years in prison when he is sentenced in August.

RED FLAGS: How to avoid being scammed

Reid, who can't work outside the home because she cares for her terminally ill father, paid $1.95 to learn how to make money online. Then she was charged another $49.95 but never received anything for the money. Reid is one of more than a dozen people scammed by a company that goes by the names Search Profit System and Money Mastery, the Better Business Bureau says.

Terry Yeast, who suffers from debilitating arthritis and has two disabled children, decided to try working at home after her husband got laid off from his welding job. She was already making crafts in a basement studio when she saw information online about Darling Angel Pins. The company said individuals could earn up to $500 a week by making the pins at home. Yeast sent in nearly $600 to register and purchase supplies, but when she sent in her pins, the company always rejected them, citing quality problems.

Work-at-home scams have been around for decades, but the economic downturn has given them a new urgency for both businesses and the unemployed. While some work-at-home offers, such as home-based customer service agents, can be legitimate, the FTC and consumer advocates say most that promise generous profits from the comfort of home are not. Complaints to the FTC about work-at-home scams are increasing faster than fraud complaints overall, up from 4,004 in 2006 to 7,955 last year.

RECOVERY WATCH: Tracking the economy

JOBS OUTLOOK: Latest data for all states, 384 metros

Implausible offers are flourishing. There have also been big changes in how they're advertised, largely online. Scam artists know that many people are aware that work-at-home opportunities are often questionable, so the most egregious frauds "advertise that they are 100% scam-free," says Lois Greisman, the FTC's associate director of marketing practices. "With unemployment hovering around 10%, more people are susceptible," says Greisman, noting that the FTC is going after those "targeting people in dire need."

The Internet has also allowed scam artists to move beyond more mundane envelope-stuffing and home assembly scams.

"What we see now is people paying for information to learn how to make money on the Internet," says Better Business Bureau spokeswoman Alison Southwick. "The downturn in the economy provides a lot of great opportunities for scammers to take advantage of a lot of people who are vulnerable."

Southwick says one of the more common Internet schemes offers consumers the opportunity to sell Google ads, but recently she's also seen scams that claim to teach consumers how to make money from Twitter and other social-networking tools.

Preying on the vulnerable

Reid and her husband, Brian, a disabled veteran who has been unemployed since 1999, researched Search Profit System only after their debit card had been charged an additional $49.95.

"We figured this may not be so bad, and if we lose anything, it's only going to be $1.95," says Brian Reid.

When they did their research, the couple found numerous complaints about Search Profit System and Money Mastery, another name the company used. On the company's website, which uses both the Search Profit System and Money Mastery logo, Reid noticed in very small print that those who don't cancel their subscriptions within 24 hours would be charged $49.95. Reid says it took several calls to get his refund a month later, so he filed a complaint with the BBB.

Alan Williams, chief executive manager of Money Mastery, says his company licensed Mars Hill Media to sell his products. But once he found out about the company's tactics — such as setting up the Search Profit System website — he ended Money Mastery's licensing agreement with Mars Hill Media.

"They had an obligation to operate legally and ethically and take care of the clients and all of that," he says.

But Jane Diggs of the Utah BBB says Money Mastery was complicit in the scheme. "Obviously, Money Mastery knew about it and could've stopped those kinds of sales," she says.

Messages left for Mars Hill Media were not returned. Rosalind Jones, an administrative assistant in New York, was charged another $149.95 by Search Profit after she paid $1.95. Jones says she'll never fall for a work-at-home scam again.

"I said, 'Wait a minute, you're giving in more than you're actually making,' " she says. "Why should I have to give you money to make money?"

And that, says the FTC, is a key tip-off that a work-at-home offer might be a scam.

"One of the biggest red flags is requiring an upfront payment," says the FTC's Greisman.

When her disabled mother also paid nearly $600 to Angel Pin Creations and failed to sell any pins back to the company, Yeast filed a complaint with the FTC, the BBB and the federal Internet Crime Complaint Center. After the company was contacted by the BBB, Yeast got a check for $29.80 from the company. Her complaint led to an FTC investigation and lawsuit filed last February. After a court granted a temporary restraining order and asset freeze requested by the FTC, the company shut down. Company officials could not be reached for comment.

In a sworn statement filed for the FTC's case, Yeast wrote, "Every time I walk into my craft studio, I see all the Angel Pin supplies, and my heart drops to the floor." She noted her family could have used the money "to pay next month's mortgage."

"When I discovered that they had been in business since 1986, and they had been able to defraud so many people for so long, I had to do something," says Yeast, who is working a temporary accounting job that ends Thursday. "I lost the rest of my savings that I thought I was going to turn into an income for my family."

Funding other businesses

Mazzoni used his work-at-home scam to keep four businesses, including a frozen-drink franchise company called Breeze Freeze, afloat, the FTC says. The Livonia, Mich., businessman, who did not return calls seeking comment, told Crain's Detroit Business in 2005 that he invested more than $2 million in Breeze Freeze over the previous two years for equipment and a new headquarters.

From 1997 to 2006, Mazzoni and Leo Lepo, an officer of EDI, told consumers that EDI Healthclaims Network would help them set up a medical billing business after they paid a "licensing fee" of $4,985 to $5,985, the FTC said in its lawsuit. Consumers, who were promised they would earn at least $1,200 a month, often made nothing and lost their upfront fee, according to the FTC's lawsuit. Company representatives also presented themselves as satisfied customers when consumers asked questions, the FTC said.

The FTC obtained a judgment against Mazzoni and others for more than $17 million in 2008, according to the U.S. Attorney's office for the Northern District of Ohio. But Mazzoni declared bankruptcy after the FTC filed its lawsuit in 2006, and the government was able to recover only $50,000 from EDI or its related companies to distribute to consumers who were victimized by the scheme. After more assets were turned over, an administrator working for the FTC last month was able to send checks totaling $95,000 to 3,500 people defrauded by the scam.

"Thousands of innocent consumers have already paid the price for the alleged fraud described in today's charges," U.S. Attorney Steven Dettelbach said when he announced the mail fraud charges in April. "Now, perhaps, those who perpetrated (the) fraud will pay a price at long last."

EDI victim Noel Tufele-Jones of Wichita recently received a $29 check as part of the restitution. It was a small token given the $5,900 she invested in EDI in the early 2000s. Tufele-Jones says she drove from Kansas to Michigan for EDI training, which was in such a run-down building and so cursory that she immediately suspected fraud. Worse yet, the salesman who persuaded her to sign up told her she'd be supplied with a list of clients, but Mazzoni told her at the training that it wasn't true, she says.

"It was like a nightmare," says Tufele-Jones. "I'm still struggling, but even more so with that setback."

Mazzoni's is but one of a rash of medical billing scams pitched in recent years. Those who respond to such pitches rarely find clients or make any money, much less the earnings they are promised in the promotions, says the FTC.

Even if the medical billing deals weren't scams, the FTC says there's barely a market for small start-up billing companies because many doctors' offices process their own medical claims. Those that don't typically contract out their medical billing to established firms, not people working out of their homes.

"We find the scam artists follow the headlines and count on victims knowing a little bit about what they're offering," say Jon Steiger, the FTC's regional director for the East Central region. "With the changes in health care, we will see more of these frauds."

Christine Frietchen, editor in chief of the blog ConsumerSearch, which reviews products and services, says not all work-at-home deals should be written off. While, she says, "home assembly and stuffing envelopes is a total and complete scam," and "mystery shopping is a mixed bag," home-based customer service agent pitches are typically "the real deal."

The jobs, when advertised by major companies, involve taking orders, answering questions and fixing shipping problems. And anyone with "a clean record, a good head, moderate computer skills and a quiet place to work can do it," Frietchen says.

"Some of these work-at-home schemes can be really positive, and it is possible with careful research to eke out a pretty decent side business," Frietchen says.

"But just like people have been advising us for years, there's no easy answer and no get-rich-quick" guarantees.    

Show brings crime fight to catwalk
Seniors given uniform lesson to identify impostors
Jimmie E. Gates
jgates@clarionledger.com

More than a dozen telecommunications, utility, postal service, fire department, law enforcement and other workers who routinely interact with the public appeared at the Jackson Medical Mall on Wednesday in the name of safety.

Their message: Take a long, hard look at what I'm wearing.

Like runway models, about 20 workers posed on the catwalk, asking visitors to scrutinize them closely.

Impostors sometimes pose as public workers, and the Hinds County Sheriff Department TRIAD unit wants residents not to misidentify the legitimate workers.

A legitimate public employee or representative usually wears an official uniform, has an official identification badge and usually travels in an official vehicle.

"We want to educate citizens and be proactive," said Sgt. Lou Ann Jackson of Hinds County Sheriff's Department's Crime Prevention Unit. "Be aware of who is at your doorstep."

The goal was to arm senior citizens and others with what to look for to stop ruse burglaries - offenders posing as a worker from different jobs, including utility workers and city water department employees, in an effort to burglarize homes.Criminals do so because residents let them into their homes, Jackson said.

Jackson and Capt. Susan Craig, also of the Crime Prevention Unit, said the idea of the fashion show came from a March story in The Clarion-Ledger about a couple impersonating city water employees to gain entry into senior citizens' homes in Gulfport.

Patricia Collins, a U.S. Postal Service employee, modeled her mail carrier uniform with black shoes and mail satchel.

Postal Service employees are not allowed to go inside houses.

Collins said her grandmother in Terry was a victim of a ruse several years ago when two people pretending to be with Hinds County said they were there to help repair homes.

Collins said one gave her grandmother a tape measure to hold to distract her while the other went into the house.

Bernice Lee, among those in the audience, said the program reinforces to seniors that they should remain alert at all times.

"They prey on senior citizens because they think our mind isn't sharp," Lee said. "My mind is sharp."

Bono Mack, Rogers Launch Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse

Washington, Jun 3 - Today, Representatives Mary Bono Mack (CA-45) and Hal Rogers (KY-05) launched a bi-partisan Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse. As the Co-Chairs of the Caucus, Bono Mack and Rogers are long-time advocates for multi-tiered solutions to the ever-growing epidemic that has wrought havoc on communities large and small throughout the United States. The new Congressional Caucus on Prescription Drug Abuse aims to unite like-minded policy-makers to raise awareness of abuse, and to work towards innovative and effective policy solutions incorporating treatment, prevention, law enforcement and research. Representatives Bill Delahunt (MA-10), Stephen Lynch (MA-09) and Connie Mack (FL-14) are also original caucus members.

“Prescription drug abuse is on the rise, threatening the lives of more and more of our young people every day,” said Bono Mack. “Far too many Americans have the misconception that prescription drugs are ‘safer’ because they’re prescribed by a doctor, but the fact is that prescription drugs, when abused, can be just as addictive and as deadly as street drugs. Like millions of people across our country, I have seen firsthand the devastation that prescription drug abuse can cause, and I am proud to launch this Caucus with some of my colleagues who share my passion and dedication to ending this cycle of abuse that is destroying the lives and futures of too many of our young people.”

“For decades, I’ve witnessed the devastation wrought by the diversion and abuse of otherwise legal prescription drugs in Southern and Eastern Kentucky. The formulation of this bi-partisan caucus is proof that this epidemic knows no boundaries – geographic, socio-economic or otherwise. Prescription drug abuse is overwhelming our local law enforcement community, challenging our health practitioners and worst of all, is an easy predator on our young people,” stated Rogers. “In Kentucky, we’ve employed a three-pronged approach to combat the scourge of abuse – law enforcement, treatment and education – and today we’re applying this strategy, with the input of research, to tackle drug diversion. I look forward to collaborating with these and other colleagues who are similarly dedicated to tackling prescription drug abuse from the bottom-up and the top-down.”

“Prescription drug abuse across America can only be described as an epidemic,” said Delahunt. “Between 2002 and 2007, my home state of Massachusetts lost 42 times as many residents to opioid-related overdoses than in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and the Commonwealth is currently seeing 2 deaths per day. I am proud to join today with my colleagues in forming this bipartisan caucus which makes addressing this crisis a national priority.”

“Too many families and communities have felt firsthand the devastation caused by prescription drug abuse,” said Lynch. “The Prescription Drug Caucus will help raise awareness of this terrible epidemic while developing effective policies to combat abuse. I am proud to be an original member of the Caucus and look forward to working with my colleagues on this important issue.”

“I have seen firsthand how families are impacted by prescription drug abuse. We need to work together to help the victims and their families cope with a problem that has no social, economic or geographic bounds,” stated Mack. “I’m looking forward to working with my colleagues on this Caucus to find solutions and hope for so many Americans struggling with this addiction.”

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, nearly 7 million people are utilizing prescription drugs for non-medical purposes. Nearly one-third of individuals who began abusing drugs in the past year reported their first drug was a prescription drug, and one out of every five new drug abusers is initiating use with potent narcotics, such as oxycodone, hydrocodone and methadone. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) indicates illegal prescription drug diversion is the fastest growing drug threat nationwide.

 The Caucus will conduct periodic events to educate Members of Congress, congressional staff, relevant government officials and the general public about the dangers of prescription drug abuse and policies aimed at reducing the diversion and misuse of these drugs.