Elderly Ottawa couple bilked out of $14,000

OTTAWA — An elderly Ottawa couple lost at least $14,000 because of a stock market swindle. The man was offered promises of easy returns from callers identifying themselves as part of a Florida stock brokerage, said Sheriff Jeff Richards. However, they were scammers and it appears unlikely that the couple’s money will be recovered or the scammers prosecuted, he said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true,” Richard said. He issued a warning about scammers who have been busy of late. Scammers have been using a popular end-of-the-year ploy, which is that of an IRS agent calling to threaten penalties or jail if the people called don’t send the money immediately to cover delinquent income tax payments, he said. The IRS doesn’t work that way, he said. However the callers can be especially intimidating to elderly listeners, he said. People should be especially careful of anyone who asks for money over the phone he said.

Saturday, Dec. 12, 3 p.m.

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