Page 1 - qt edition #40

TI MES

QUEENS

Published for the Borough of Queens

VOLUME 27, NO. 39 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 2022 25 CENTS

62 Guns Taken Off The Streets
Government Impostor
Scams on The Rise

Say what you will about Washington politics, but older
Americans generally still trust many of the federal govern-
ment’s agencies and operations. Unfortunately, crooks know
this. The AARP Fraud Watch Network has been inundated
with calls about scams involving someone impersonating an
IRS agent, Medicare official, Social Security Administration
officer, FBI agent or other government worker.
The Federal Trade Commission received more than 2.5
million reports of these scams from 2017 through the middle
of 2022, with losses of more than $2 billion. As a result, the
FTC has just proposed a rule that would help hold the imper-
sonators accountable, and help the commission recover some
of the money stolen from scam victims. Among other things,
the rule would ban the fraudulent use of government logos and
fake .gov email addresses. (The FTC is now seeking public
comments at regulations.gov.)
Here are some of the more common impostor frauds.
1. FTC fakes - The Helpline recently heard from a victim
who lost $150,000 to this scam, where a caller pretends to be
an FTC commissioner and asks for or demands money, in the
form of gift cards, cryptocurrency, or you name it. The FTC
warns that this scam is on the rise, and notes, “Whether the
caller promises you a prize or threatens you with arrest — and
even if they give a (fake) badge number — that’s a scammer.”
It adds that the FTC will never call, email, text or message
you on social media to ask for money, nor will it threaten you
with arrest. The agency asks people who receive these calls Buyback Event Co-Hosted By Queens DA Melinda Katz & NYPD. See story on page 2.
to report them to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
2. Medicare malice - A 90-year-old Maine resident received
a call from someone claiming to be a Medicare official. The JCCRP Rosh Hashana Food Distribution
impostor said that Medicare was sending out new plastic cards

(Continued on page 2)

The Puppet Little Amal’s

Final Visit to Queens

The puppet Little Amal is pictured in a group photo
with the staff of the Queens Museum in Flushing The Jewish Community Council of the Rockaway Peninsula (JCCRP) joined by
Meadow-Corona Park in Corona Heights. Photo by Assemblywoman Stacey Pheffer Amato and NYS Senator Joseph Addabbo as
Photo by Walter Karling. See story on page 2. they distributed food to over 600 families for Rosh Hashana. See story on page 2.

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