An 80-year-old Nevada woman, Barbara Trickle, pled guilty on April 28 to running a years-long lottery scam in federal court that defrauded victims of more than $15 million, according to the U.S. Office of Public Affairs (PAO).
Trickle and two others stand accused of one count of conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud, a crime which 8 News Now says carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, plus a minimum fine of $250,000.
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Trickle and her accomplices allegedly mailed millions of fake prize notices to potential victims from 2012 to 2018. Recipients were told that they would receive a large cash prize if they paid a fee between $20 and $50, according to court documents.
The three scammers were accused of their crime in 2023 as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service (USPIS).
“The defendant and her co-conspirators used the promise of sweepstakes winnings to defraud the most vulnerable members in our communities,” said Inspector in Charge Eric Shen of the service’s Criminal Investigations Group during the case, according to PAO.
“[We] will continue to aggressively investigate mass-mailing schemes and other types of fraud to protect older Americans from financial exploitation and bring criminals to justice.”
Targeting older adults and those more vulnerable
While Trickle’s scheme targeted individuals of all ages and backgrounds, prosecutors say that many of the victims were older adults.
Trickle was the owner of a printing and mailing business, and supervised the lasering, printing and mailing of the fraudulent prize notices — even directing her employees to collect and analyze data to improve the response rate of victims.
Once a victim replied to the scheme with the $20 to $50 fee, they received a “report” describing sweepstakes opportunities, or what the PAO report described as “a trinket of minimal value.” Any respondents were “inundated” with additional mailers in the hopes of extracting more money. But none of the victims were ever paid the prize that was promised.
In 2018, the USPIS executed multiple search warrants and the Department of Justice (DOJ) obtained a court order to shut down Trickle’s fraudulent operations.
“The Department of Justice’s Consumer Protection Branch is committed to protecting elderly consumers from fraudulent mass-mailing schemes,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Yaakov Roth of the Justice Department’s Civil Division, according to the PAO press release. “We are grateful to the Postal Inspection Service for their thorough investigation in this matter.”
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Protecting yourself from elder fraud
Believe it or not, scams like this are common, with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) reporting that seniors are losing more than $3 billion annually to elder fraud.
But there are a number of government supports in place to help seniors who have been victims of scams. The Office for Victims of Crime manages a National Elder Fraud Hotline at 1-833-FRAUD-11, open to all Americans aged 60 and older who have been a victim of financial fraud.
Case managers will help victims by recommending appropriate reporting agencies, providing information to victims that will assist them in reporting and connect them directly with appropriate agencies. The service is also available in multiple languages.
The DOJ also maintains an Elder Justice Initiative, and complaints may also be filed online.
Finally, be sure to educate yourself about the types of scams that fraudsters use to target older adults, and check in with friends and family before you reply to any mail-based or online messages that look too good to be true.
If the offer is high-pressure or time-sensitive, that’s often a sign that it’s a scam you’ll want to avoid.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.
