When someone falls victim to a scam, we always warn them about the high likelihood they will be targeted for more scams.
Scammers figure if they tricked and cheated someone once, that person is more susceptible to more trickery. Maybe not the exact same fraud, but some other hoax. And if the crooks continue to succeed with new scams that repeatedly target the same victims, this can go on for a very long time.
A recent case reported by a Clinton man, Daniel, reached back to 2016 for the start of his misfortune. Daniel received calls that year from telemarketers pitching him to buy vacation packages. They offered stays at resorts across the U.S., including airfare.
It sounded attractive, so Daniel signed up. And paid up. But whenever Daniel tried to use these plans to travel, it never worked out. The resorts were never available when he wanted to travel. Daniel concluded it was a fraud and reported this to authorities.
The scammers who sold the bogus vacations were not finished with Daniel. In 2022, they contacted him and threatened to send him to collections if he did not pay more money. They claimed he owed the money because he failed to ever use his vacations. Daniel sent a check to Florida to get these people off his back.
In late 2025, the scammers made another run at Daniel. He received a series of phone calls from people claiming to work for the “settlement division” of a clerk of court. These callers told Daniel that federal prosecutors charged the crooks who sold him the bogus vacations and convicted them of fraud.
The fraudsters agreed to make restitution, with interest, to their victims. Some of this was true, but not the restitution part. The callers steered Daniel to online news articles, which reported on the arrest in New Jersey in 2023 of the company and its owners who sold those phony vacations in 2016 and to whom he mailed his check in 2022.
Daniel saw an opportunity to recover his losses. He agreed to pay “the taxes” these people demanded before they processed his restitution claim. He mailed more checks to Florida. He wired money using Western Union. With every payment came another demand for more payments. Eighteen thousand dollars later, Daniel’s bank persuaded him to ask for help from law enforcement.
Daniel was the victim of clever criminals who never forgot his phone number. There’s a whole industry of these “recovery scams” promising to get your stolen money back, and maybe more money than you lost. This industry poses as law firms, law enforcement or other government agencies.
If you’re contacted by someone pushing you to sign up for “recovery.” talk to someone you trust before you do anything. Talk to your bank or credit union. Talk to police. Talk to someone you know.
Contact Seniors vs. Crime
Let me know about scams, fraud or other crookedness you run across. Most of what I learn, I learn from you. Contact me at Seniors vs. Crime, Clinton County Sheriff’s Office, 563-242-9211, ext. 4433, or email me at randymeier@gapa911.us.
• Randy Meier is the director of Seniors vs. Crime.