Phone Scammers Return

UPI.com reports that local phone scam artists have returned to their old fraudulent ways recently, but with a new wrinkle: They leave their telephone numbers. Previous con artists have done their best to conceal their identifies and location.

This time, the Make-A-Wish Foundation is a victim of misrepresentation, reported ABC News in late October. "Unlike the standard telemarketing fraud, these weren't people hiding behind a phone number you couldn't call, a voice you couldn't recreate," said the charity's vice president, Paul Allvin.

This is not the first time for such crooks. Back in 2006, a combined U.S. and Costa Rican police task force raided 16 boiler room operations, catching 37 people in their dragnet, although many escaped, ABC news said.

In the past, Interpol-sought scammers like Andy Leimer have used Internet phone technology to disguise their location and identity while calling marks in the U.S., pretending they are from the Internal Revenue Service or the Federal Trade Commission, UPI reported.

We wonder how many North Americans are still waiting for their million-dollar sweepstakes to send them their check.