Be a wise consumer:

• Don't buy health products or treatments that include a promise for a quick and dramatic cure, testimonials, imprecise and non-medical language, appeals to emotion instead of reason, or a single product that cures many ills.
• Look closely at offers that come in the mail.  Con artists often use official-looking forms, language and bold graphics to lure victims.  If you receive items in the mail that you didn't order, you are under no obligation to pay for them.  You are free to throw them out, return them, or keep them.
• Beware of cheap home repair work that would otherwise be expensive.  The con artist may do only part of the work, use shoddy materials and untrained workers, or simply take your deposit and never return.  Never pay with cash.  Never accept offers from drive-up workers who "just happen" to be in the neighborhood.  If they're reliable, they'll come back after you check them out.

Some typical cons targeted at older people:

Many cons choose to victimize older people.  Con artists devise complex offers that confuse their targets and eventually persuade them to take up these offers.

Don't let this happen to you:

• The phone rings and the caller tells you that you have just won a new car.  In order to claim the prize you need to mail a check to cover the taxes and delivery of the car.  Weeks later, the phone rings again.  You learn that the original prize company has gone out of business.  But the caller tells you not to worry because his/her company has purchased the assets of the defunct company.  All you need to do now is send another check to the new company to cover the cost of the legal transactions and for immediate delivery of the car.  The check gets mailed, but the prize never arrives. Remember .... if you win something .... it should be totally free!
• A mail offer, newspaper, magazine, or television ad catches your eye.  It promises a quick cure for cancer, arthritis, memory loss, back pain, or other ailments.  "It's an absolute miracle," one testimony reads.  "I feel a million times better."  You mail your check for a six-week supply of this miracle cure and wind up with a jar of Vitamin C, placebos, or even worse, pills or tonics that have not been medically tested and could worsen your condition or react negatively with the prescription medication you regularly take.

Call the National Fraud Information Center at 800-876-7060, or visit their Web site at www.fraud.org for current fraud alerts.