Elderly are target of phone scam

(McAlester-AP) -- Social Security officials are warning of phone scams targeting the elderly in Oklahoma and New Mexico. <br><br>Spokesman Larry Jones says a caller tells the would-be victims they'll

Thursday, February 19th 2004, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

(McAlester-AP) -- Social Security officials are warning of phone scams targeting the elderly in Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Spokesman Larry Jones says a caller tells the would-be victims they'll get an additional 400-dollars a month from Social Security. The caller then asks for a bank account number.

Jones says another scam promises a 25-thousand dollar payment if the account number is provided.

A McAlester woman was a recent target, but wasn't fooled.

Thelma Winlock says she figured the man who called her was up to no good when he said she'd been picked to get 400-dollars a month extra from Social Security.

Winlock says she refused to go along and the man became irate, so she hung up on him.