By Allan Lengel
ticklethewire.com
Oye!
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in New York announced on Thursday the extradition of seven Israelis, who ran a lottery telemarketing scam that netted about $2 million from elderly victims in the U.S. between 2007 and September 2008.
“The perpetrators of this fraudulent lottery scheme gambled and lost,” said U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara. “They allegedly preyed on the elderly, gained their trust, and exploited their vulnerability, but now they will face American justice. ”
Authorities alleged that the defendants identified elderly victims by purchasing the names and contact information of U.S. residents who subscribed to sweepstakes lotteries from list brokers.
They then contacted the victims and solicited information about their finances, saying they had won a substantial cash prize and would get it once they paid the ncessary fees and taxes, authorities said.
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