“I get complaints all the time,” said Special Agent John Gardner, who was assigned to the case and has been investigating these types of crimes since 2011. He said the perpetrators frequently prey on older people because they tend to be more trusting, financially secure, and lonely. The fraudsters buy and trade “lead lists” on the Internet with senior citizens’ names, phone numbers, and other personal information. Then they start calling, hoping to reach receptive unwary ears.

“They’ll cold-call them. And a lot of them won't fall for it,” Gardner said. “But all it takes is just one.”

Lynda Webster, 63, said she and her husband frequently get suspicious calls, likely because of their demographic.

“This is not only the greatest generation that Bill’s a part of,” she said, referring to people who grew up during the Great Depression and fought during World War II. “It’s also the most trusting generation because they haven’t been exposed to the Internet and all the bad that can come of that.”

Gardner said scammers can be ruthless, squeezing money from their victims and then, when the money runs out, getting their victims to serve as middlemen in illegal transactions. “When the victims are tapped out, they’ll be told, ‘Hey, I know you can't pay the fees anymore. But we have a sponsor that will help pay your fees. So, we’re going to send you a check. We want you to cash it. And we want you to send the cash to another person.’ So, now they’re laundering money. They just think that that’s part of the whole process of claiming their prize.”

Gardner said sweepstakes or lottery winners do not have to pay fees or taxes to claim a prize. “If it looks too good to be true, it’s probably a scam,” he said.

William Webster said the entire experience—getting calls, working with the FBI, and seeing his tormentor in court last month—is a reminder that seniors and the trusted friends and family who look after them need to be vigilant.

“The average older person doesn't get caught in a bind where they think the screws are turning on them,” Webster said. “They think something good is happening. They want to believe it. Whatever it was, they were able to be convinced that they were about to get something good to show they were still in the money.”