Albuquerque, NM – Today, Attorney General Hector Balderas is issuing an alert, as scammers target senior citizens in New Mexico.

As part of the scam, callers tell seniors they have won a sweepstakes or lottery. Those seniors are told to keep their lottery winnings confidential. The consumers receive checks in the mail, but those checks don't match the company that called. The scammers tell them to deposit the phony checks, and to make a phone call in which they are told to purchase a gift card or to send a check to cover fees.

"In cases like this, if it seems too good to be true, it often is," said Attorney General Hector Balderas. "These scam artists are going out of their way to attack our senior citizens. New Mexicans need to be on guard, as scammers will stop at nothing to get to your wallet."

The Attorney General urges all consumers NOT to cash the check they may receive based on a scam phone call, and NOT to release any personal or financial information to scammers. If a consumer doubts whether a call is legitimate, the caller can contact the Better Business Bureau or the Consumer and Family Advocacy Services Division of the Attorney General's Office.

Callers are also encouraged to contact the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to report the lottery scam. To report to FTC, consumers can file a complaint at ftc.gov/complaint and include "Lottery scam phone call" in the subject line of the complaint.

The Office of Attorney General Hector Balderas offers advocates to help consumers who encounter scams, faulty products and broken promises. The Attorney General advises those who need help to fill out a consumer complaint form on his website at www.nmag.gov or to call 717-3500 in Albuquerque or 490-4060 in Santa Fe and toll-free statewide 1-844-255-9210

Content on the Beat

WARNING: All articles and photos with a byline or photo credit are copyrighted to the author or photographer. You may not use any information found within the articles without asking permission AND giving attribution to the source. Photos can be requested and may incur a nominal fee for use personally or commercially.

Disclaimer: If you find errors in articles not written by the Beat team but sent to us from other content providers, please contact the writer, not the Beat. For example, obituaries are always provided by the funeral home or a family member. We can fix errors, but please give details on where the error is so we can find it. News releases from government and non-profit entities are posted generally without change, except for legal notices, which incur a small charge.

NOTE: If an article does not have a byline, it was written by someone not affiliated with the Beat and then sent to the Beat for posting.

Images: We have received complaints about large images blocking parts of other articles. If you encounter this problem, click on the title of the article you want to read and it will take you to that article's page, which shows only that article without any intruders. 

New Columnists: The Beat continues to bring you new columnists. And check out the old faithfuls who continue to provide content.

Newsletter: If you opt in to the Join GCB Three Times Weekly Updates option above this to the right, you will be subscribed to email notifications with links to recently posted articles.

Submitting to the Beat

Those new to providing news releases to the Beat are asked to please check out submission guidelines at https://www.grantcountybeat.com/about/submissions. They are for your information to make life easier on the readers, as well as for the editor.

Advertising: Don't forget to tell advertisers that you saw their ads on the Beat.

Classifieds: We have changed Classifieds to a simpler option. Check periodically to see if any new ones have popped up. Send your information to editor@grantcountybeat.com and we will post it as soon as we can. Instructions and prices are on the page.

Editor's Notes

It has come to this editor's attention that people are sending information to the Grant County Beat Facebook page. Please be aware that the editor does not regularly monitor the page. If you have items you want to send to the editor, please send them to editor@grantcountybeat.com. Thanks!

Here for YOU: Consider the Beat your DAILY newspaper for up-to-date information about Grant County. It's at your fingertips! One Click to Local News. Thanks for your support for and your readership of Grant County's online news source—www.grantcountybeat.com

Feel free to notify editor@grantcountybeat.com if you notice any technical problems on the site. Your convenience is my desire for the Beat.  The Beat totally appreciates its readers and subscribers!  

Compliance: Because you are an esteemed member of The Grant County Beat readership, be assured that we at the Beat continue to do everything we can to be in full compliance with GDPR and pertinent US law, so that the information you have chosen to give to us cannot be compromised.