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News Release

October 6, 2005

ICE AGENTS RETURN $7,500 TO IDAHO SCAM VICTIM
Project COLT works to combat U.S.-Canada telemarketing scams

MOUNTAIN HOME, Idaho - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) returned $7,500 to a local resident here, which was money he was bilked out of by telemarketing con artists operating from Canada.

The money was returned following an investigation by a multi-agency joint U.S.-Canada initiative called Project COLT. Formed in the 1990s to combat telemarketing fraud in both countries, Project COLT includes the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, ICE, the FBI and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, among other law enforcement and government agencies.

Jeffrey Copp, special agent-in-charge for the ICE office in Denver, warned that Idaho residents should be vigilant about such scams, which have already bilked people in the United States - especially senior citizens - out of tens of millions of dollars. Copp heads the ICE Office of Investigations which includes the states of: Colorado, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming.

"Don't be fooled by con artists who pass themselves off as trustworthy," said Copp. "These are professionals skilled at bilking every dollar possible from their victims. Before sending a single cent, call the toll-free Project COLT hotline at: 888-495-8501."

In the Mountain Home, Idaho, scam, someone who claimed to be a Canadian lottery official telephoned the victim, a retired Air Force veteran who asked not to be identified. He was told that he had won a significant amount of money. All he needed to do was "pay tax on the winnings." The con artists said they would even send him a check for the owed taxes first, for which he could then reimburse them.

The victim received the check - which looked genuine, he says - deposited it in his bank, and promptly FedExed a reimbursement money order to the supposed Canadian officials. Five days later, the victim's bank notified him that the scammers' check had bounced.

"That old adage is true," says the victim. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

Those who run telemarketing schemes are highly skilled, and even the skeptical can fall victim, said Copp. In August 2003, ICE agents in Tucson returned $14,620 to a retired Army brigadier general. The 86-year-old Tucson resident had been victimized in a version of the long-running telemarketing scam.

"The sad truth is that most people simply lose their money," said Copp. "ICE will do everything it can to stop this criminal enterprise, but the first line of defense is for people to grip their wallets and purses tightly whenever someone calls asking for money."

Telemarketing fraud, which primarily targets elderly victims in the United States, has resulted in the loss of tens of millions of dollars by people who are least able to recover from financial loss. Victims often lose their entire life savings. Fraudulent telemarketers represent themselves to victims as lawyers, government officials, police officers, accountants or lottery company officials. The victims are told that they will receive a sum of money varying from thousands to millions of dollars in lottery winnings.

Since 1998, the Project COLT joint initiative has included agents from the following organizations: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), S–ret‚ du Quebec (Quebec Provincial Police), Montreal City Police Department, Canada Post, and Competition Bureau. The focus of Project COLT is to identify, disrupt, and dismantle telemarketing fraud operations. Project COLT is a unit consisting of law enforcement officers who intercept funds (usually bank drafts and cashiers' checks), so they can be recovered and ultimately returned to victims. Project COLT Officers also work to prevent further victimization both through public education and the prosecution of those who commit the fraud.

Project COLT members also have formed partnerships with Canada Customs and Revenue, Canada Post Corporation, Federal Express, Purolator, United Parcel Service, DHL and other companies to assist with fund interception and return.

Project COLT online: http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/qc/pro_ser/delits_e.htm


-- ICE --


U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement was established in March 2003 as the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security. ICE is comprised of four integrated divisions that form a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities.