“In these tough economic times,” writes a reporter for The Wall Street Journal (6/17/2009), “Internet, telemarketing and direct-mail con artists know that people of all ages are especially in need of a financial victory. Foreign lottery and sweepstakes scams are particularly effective with the elderly, especially those who have lost some mental capacity.”

According to the FTC, the most common marketing frauds a few years ago involved bogus weight-loss products, followed by fraudulent foreign lottery schemes (e-mails inform the gullible that they’ve won a substantial sum, but they need to send money to cover “transaction and transfer costs, attorney’s fees, taxes and express delivery”).

More recently, TWSJ noted, crooks send fake (but realistic-looking) checks as “advance payments” on purported winnings to come. The intended victims are directed to deposit the checks and then wire most of the money back to the scammers. When the fake checks bounce a few days later, the victims are out the money they sent and also the resulting bank fees.

Among the scam stoppers suggested by the national newspaper: “Sign up cellphones and landlines on the FTC’s Do Not Call registry (go to DoNotCall.gov)

• Put a short script by each phone for answering telemarketers, such as: “I’m very busy right now and cannot talk. Thank you for your call.” Then hang up.

• Ask telemarketers to mail their information. (They never do.)

• Help the elderly or gullible find activities to fill the time that was spent talking to telephone scammers or reading unsolicited mail.