Postal worker receives hero award

SPENCERVILLE – United States Postal Service Retail Associate Stacy Jorgensen received the Postmaster General Hero Award recently for helping an elderly man who had fallen victim to a scam.

A regular customer she knew very well purchased two large money orders to send internationally, and she knew this was unusual.

“I took care of him while I worked at a nursing home, and I know he does not have family oversees,” Jorgensen recalled.

Jorgensen called the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the nursing home to alert them about the incident. She confirmed the elderly customer was a victim of an international lottery scheme. She explained to the customer he was being scammed, and the man was very grateful for Jorgensen’s assistance.

“If it was my grandparent, I would want someone to step in and help them,” Jorgensen said. “We have to look out for the elderly and get involved when someone is trying to take advantage of them.”

According to the Better Business Bureau, older Americans are unfortunately an easy target for scammers. The isolation of the coronavirus quarantine and the overall persuasive tactics of scammers are leading to big financial losses recently for elderly individuals.

According to the national Better Business Bureau, an 83-year-old woman lost $295,000 to scammers identifying themselves as representatives with the Atlantic Sweepstakes Company, allegedly based in Rochester, New York. At least three individuals reported losses of well over $100,000 from people stating they were with Publisher’s Clearing House or other impostered sweepstakes-related companies. A majority of them were contacted via Facebook, Google, a direct merchant website, Instagram or pop-up ads on social media.

The Better Business Bureau has tips to help identify sweepstakes scams and well as 29 other types of scams.

In general, there are a few across-the-board measures one can take to prevent a scamming attempt. Consult with someone you trust for advice before making any large purchase or financial decision. Review your credit card and bank statements to ensure that only authorized purchases have been made. Register for the “Do Not Call” list and only pick up the phone if you personally know the caller. Avoid free seminars or webinars where investment schemes and other phony offers are frequently promoted.

Be aware that people who have been scammed are at a higher risk of being targeted again. Even just returning a scammer’s call could put you at risk as scammers can share the personal contact information of respondents.

Spencerville Postmaster Marilyn Mulholland, left, presented Stacy Jorgensen with the Postmaster General Hero Award.

Reach Dean Brown at 567-242-0409