Even when the armored truck didn't show up with her prize money, the elderly woman still refused to believe that she'd been scammed.

The first too-good-to-be-true phone call came in June. The 83-year-old woman, who lives in a local retirement community, was told she had won thousands in a foreign lottery. Her prize would arrive as soon as she sent money for "taxes."

The woman wired $2,500 to the Dominican Republic at least three times. Someone picked up the money within minutes each time.

Soon calls from Canada and the Caribbean flooded her phone line. A letter from "Publishers Clearing House" promised a $3 million prize once she paid the taxes.

The woman sent a package of cash to Vancouver. Then she went home to meet the truck that would deliver her prize.

But the truck never showed up. Only then did the woman's family find out she'd lost $20,000 in a series of scams.

Her son, who asked not to be named, knows his mother's money is gone for good. Even worse, he fears she could get caught up in another scam.

"She doesn't get how it's a scam," he said. "She got a letter in the mail. Why would she get it, if she hadn't won?"

Phone and mail scams that target senior citizens are equally frustrating for victims and law enforcement. Lost money is recovered about as often as the scammers are caught.

"If you've lost money, you've lost it," AARP consumer advocate Mary Bach said. "It's over."

The con artists behind many scams operate from other countries, such as Canada, Somalia or Jamaica. Local investigators lack resources and jurisdiction to pursue them.

"The tough thing for police is when someone says, 'Please help me,' and we can't," New Holland police Lt. Jonathan Heisse said.

"There's nothing we can do."

Local seniors have lost at least $200,000 in phone and mail scams since 2003. Commonly reported scams include foreign lotteries, fake sweepstakes and callers masquerading as a grandchild in trouble.

Scam attempts appear widespread throughout the county, where seniors report a barrage of phone calls and 2-inch-high stacks of junk mail in a matter of days.

Jacqueline Burch, executive director of the Lancaster County Office of Aging, said she believes an increase in scams targeting seniors is directly related to the troubled economy.

More down-on-their-luck would-be cons are motivated to try pulling a scam. And seniors are eager to recoup direct hits to their savings accounts and investment portfolios.

"(People) say, 'That would never happen to me,' " Burch said. "It happens a lot. It happens more than you think."

Barry Miller, director of retail banking for Susquehanna Bank, said the economy has devastated seniors with low fixed incomes. Employees at the bank's 32 county branches see at least a couple of potential scam victims every day.

"They think, 'This is a way I can overcome my difficulty. I want it to be true,' " Miller said.

The good news is that most phone and mail scams reported to local police are unsuccessful, perhaps due in part to increased education and awareness.

But another troubling possibility exists: Many senior scam victims are too ashamed to ask for help, no matter how desperate their situation, said Sgt. Timothy Frey, Lancaster city police crime prevention officer.

"They don't want to report it to the police. They don't want their kids to find out," he said. "They never say a word. They're just living in their own misery."

From 'grandkids' to 'jury duty'
Most grandparents would do anything for their grandchildren. Scammers know this all too well.

Victims of the "grandparent scam" include a Penn Township couple, ages 78 and 81, who lost $6,100 in 2009.

In this scam scenario, a "grandson" calls from another country — usually Canada — and claims to need money for car repairs or bail.

"They are pretty convincing," East Cocalico police Sgt. Larry Martin said. "One lady especially was convinced it was her grandson."

Other common phone scams can seem equally realistic. In 2008, an 81-year-old Lititz widow, who believed she'd won $1.5 million from Publishers Clearing House, wired $165,000 for "taxes" to Israel and Cyprus.

Publishers Clearing House, for its part, says it never would ask a "winner" for money before sending out its famous Prize Patrol.

In 2003, an 89-year-old East Donegal Township man lost $8,100 in an elaborate "Australian lottery" scheme.

In this scenario, the "winner" must send money to claim a big prize. Other seniors have reported "lotteries" from Canada, Jamaica and Spain to local police, and they are always scams.

It's illegal to buy foreign lottery tickets over the phone or through the mail. But scammers count on their targets getting caught up in the excitement of the moment, Bach said.

"How did you win a foreign lottery without buying a ticket?" she said. "Isn't that the most basic question?"

Bach, who lives near Pittsburgh and serves on the state AARP's executive council, said the "jury duty scam" also has hit recently.

In this scam, a caller from the "county courthouse" or "sheriff's department" claims the target missed jury duty. The warrant for his arrest will be canceled if he pays a $500 fine.

"The person is now terrified," Bach said. "Seniors take jury duty very seriously."

Falling victim to a scam can be just the beginning. Scammers buy and sell "sucker lists" of names, addresses and phone numbers, based on the theory that someone who falls for one scam is easy prey for another.

One local scam victim got a follow-up call from the "FBI." The caller instructed her to send money for an investigation to recover what she'd lost.

The woman sent the money, then realized too late that she'd fallen for another scam.

How scammers open wallets
People often snicker about scams, supremely confident that they would never be gullible enough to fall for one.

But all kinds of people do just that, said Heisse, of New Holland police, and it's easy to explain why.

"We all want money," he said.

Scammers target all age groups, but seniors, with their nest eggs, good credit and paid-for homes, can make especially appealing marks.

Retirees are more likely to be home during the day, when scammers tend to call, Bach said. Some seniors will talk to anyone and might be more willing to give callers the benefit of the doubt.

"When somebody's calling you on the phone who's very smooth-talking ... it's hard to envision that person as a criminal," she said.

Seniors may be too polite to say no or hang up, said Martin, of East Cocalico police.

"I think they're too trusting," he said. "They grew up being nice, honest, trusting people, and they expect everyone else to be that way too."

With the Internet, scammers have even more avenues to reach potential victims. Con artists often use high-pressure tactics to get people to part with their money quickly.

"Good salespeople really are very convincing," Bach said. "So are crooks. They use many of the same tactics."

Scammers prefer wiring money because it's fast and just like sending cash. There's usually no way to reverse the transfer or trace the money.

(Not all scammers ask for money. Some want personal information, like a bank account or credit card number, which they then use to get money.)

Vision and hearing issues that come with age can make it easier for a schmoozer to get his hand in a senior's wallet, Bach said.

Scams can take an especially heavy toll on seniors with memory problems. Earlier this year, a Masonic Village resident with dementia lost an unknown amount of money in a scam.

"Luckily, the bank stopped her account, or she might have lost up to $100,000," said Mark Eyer, the Elizabethtown community's director of retirement living.

Scammers also exploit seniors' sense of altruism, Bach said. Targets immediately start to think about using their windfall for a grandchild's college tuition or a donation to the food bank.

Skilled scammers know local banks' addresses and hours. Some spout off easily accessible personal information to raise legitimacy in targets' eyes.

"I don't think a lot of [seniors] understand technology and how easy it is to get that type of information," Lancaster police Sgt. Frey said.

Logos that resemble a well-known organization's also get attention, said Karen Horning, director of social services at Garden Spot Village Retirement Community, New Holland.

"They'll even use symbols and logos from agencies like Social Security, just tweaked a little bit," she said. "They look legitimate, but they're not."

Lottery notices that come in the mail might even have real foreign postage.

Seeing through a 'massive con'
Last month, "Steven" from the "Federal Trade Commission" called the Harsh household in New Providence with some incredible news: They'd just won $475,000 in a sweepstakes.

"Steven" told the Harshes to expect a check any day. They would simply have to make a few phone calls first. And they shouldn't tell anyone.

Patsy Harsh, who is 80, saw through "Steven's" sincerity — she hadn't entered any sweepstakes. But she can see why others might get sucked in.

"It was truly a massive con, and the average person would have gone for it," she said. "I'm not as old mentally as I am physically."

For seniors who don't share Mrs. Harsh's scam savvy, education is the best defense.

Heisse began speaking annually at Garden Spot Village several years ago, after a resident lost a significant amount of money in a scam.

The residents are inundated with mail and phone calls pushing fake sweepstakes and lotteries, said Horning, the social services director.

But since the education campaign began, she has seen more general awareness, as well as residents buying Caller ID devices and just being willing to hang up the phone.

"You can't hear it too often," she said. "[Scammers] catch you off-guard."

New Holland police and many other departments contacted by the Sunday News still get frequent calls about attempted scams. But police and others interviewed for this story report just two seniors who fell victim so far this year.

Masonic Village's Eyer attends frequent coffee meetings with residents, and the topic of scams comes up every time. He estimates that he hears about 30 scam attempts per year.

Many local retirement communities host presentations by scam experts, including representatives of the state attorney general's office. Communities also warn residents in newsletters or TV announcements.

Frey, of the Lancaster police, speaks regularly to seniors, but he's not sure everyone gets the message.

Sometimes as few as two people show up. Frey said some retirement communities have rebuffed his efforts to schedule presentations.

He speculates that they don't want to appear unsafe.

"The last thing you want is a uniformed cop telling you gloom and doom about scams," he said.

Catch me if you can
Scammers evade authorities by moving around, calling on disposable cellphones and using fake names to rent mailboxes. Most victims send cash, which is nearly impossible to trace.

Even though recovering lost money is unlikely, victims should still report a scam to their local police, East Cocalico's Martin said.

Newspaper records show just one case in which a scammer was caught. In 1995, an alert bank teller helped police nab a man suspected of cheating a 72-year-old Leola woman out of $8,000 in a fake sweepstakes scam.

The man was arrested as he attempted to pick up a package of cash from an Oklahoma City post office box.

When scams originate outside the country, local police and the state attorney general's office refer cases to the FBI and Federal Trade Commission.

The FTC's secure online database, Consumer Sentinel Network, allows law enforcement to share information about scams reported worldwide.

The FBI says it aggressively investigates scams. In 1995, Operation Senior Sentinel led to 1,200 arrests and hundreds of convictions nationwide, according to an FBI press release.

But New Holland's Heisse said that in 21 years on the job, he's never gotten a follow-up call from the feds on a scam case.

In the unlikely event that a scammer is caught, he would most likely face only probation or restitution, Frey said.

"Unfortunately, our jails are full of violent offenders, and this is not a violent crime," he said.

"All you can do is try to keep it from happening to someone else."

Scared by a scammer
A New Holland woman in her late 80s had a frightening experience earlier this year, when she hung up on a scammer.

When the man called back, "I let him know he was a scam artist, and I was on to him," she said.

The man called four more times.

"The sixth telephone call, he left a very, very mean, nasty, mean message. He threatened to cut my throat," the woman said. He also used language unfit to print in the newspaper, she said.

The terrified woman called a friend, then police, who thought the calls might have come from Toronto.

The woman felt sick and lost her appetite for a couple of days. She still keeps a light on at night.

She now uses Caller ID and doesn't pick up the phone unless she recognizes the number.

She offers this advice to seniors who suspect a scammer is calling: "You shouldn't speak. You shouldn't give any information. You should hang up."

TIPS TO AVOID SCAMS
• Safeguard your mail — and your identity — with a locking mailbox. Shred all documents that contain sensitive personal information.

• Sign up for the Do Not Call List. Get Caller ID, and answer the phone only if you recognize the number. Large-print attachments for your phone can make it easier to read the numbers that appear on Caller ID.

• Be skeptical of a caller who claims to be a "grandchild" in need of money. Ask questions to verify the caller's identity, such as his parents' names, what school he attends and where he lives. Call family members to confirm your grandchild's whereabouts before sending money.

• Don't be fooled by a smooth talker. Someone who is trying to scam you will sound very nice on the phone.

• Think you won a foreign lottery? Forget it. Buying foreign lottery tickets over the phone or through the mail is against federal law. And you can't win if you don't play.

• You shouldn't have to pay to claim a "prize" or "free" gift. You might get a cheap gift worth far less than what you paid, or you may get nothing at all.

• Don't feel pressured into making a quick decision or buying something you don't want. That "amazing" offer will be there tomorrow. Ask for information in writing. If it's a scam, there won't be any.

• Step back and take a realistic look at the situation. How many times in your life have you been asked to wire money? Never send money to someone you don't know.

• If you doubt a scenario, run it by a friend or family member. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Do a Google search on the phone number or organization.

• If all else fails, try this: One local woman blows a whistle into the phone whenever she senses a scam. Her phone doesn't ring nearly as often.

Sources: Local police, Lancaster County Office of Aging and AARP consumer advocate Mary Bach.

mschweigert@lnpnews.com