EP 26: Behind the Scams: The $15 Million Sweepstakes Scam You Never Saw Coming

In another exciting episode of Behind the Scams, Nick and Sue Henley unveil the shocking $15 million sweepstakes fraud orchestrated by 80-year-old Barbara Trickle. Discover how Trickle and her co-conspirators manipulated thousands of victims, primarily seniors, with deceptive prize notices that promised life-changing sums of money. Learn about the psychological tactics used to exploit trust and urgency, and find out how federal authorities took action to shut down this elaborate scheme. Don’t miss the full story and essential tips to protect yourself from similar scams—visit behindthescams.org/ for more insights! Chapters (00:00:00) - Behind the Scams: The Elder Fraud Case (00:00:47) - Major Elder Fraud Scammer Pleads Guilty (00:03:50) - Nevada Scammer Convicted of Prize Notice Fraud (00:09:57) - Co-conspirators in the Mass Mailing Prize Notice Scheme (00:16:27) - How To Fall for a Sweepstakes Scam (00:23:58) - Phishing Scammer Caught in Six Year Scheme (00:28:27) - How Did They Get Money From Scam Victims? (00:31:37) - The Use of a Victim Database in the (00:34:19) - Barbara Trickle Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Mail and Wire (00:38:00) - Justice Department, Postal Inspection Service Arrests Fraudster (00:41:47) - How Do Scammers Get You to Fall for Their Scams? (00:46:17) - Phishing scams that ask for large cash prizes (00:47:25) - Why Are Older Adults Targeted in Scam? (00:49:37) - How to Avoid Prize Notification & Sweepstakes Scams (00:55:43) - The National Elder Fraud Hotline (00:57:22) - Federal and state resources to protect seniors from financial fraud (01:03:42) - Behind the Scams: The Scammer's Plan