A phone sweepstakes fraud is harassing my dad with calls. How can we get them to stop?

There's is a national do not call list that you can be added to. If they call you within a certain amount of time, the company or whoever is penalized. If you tell them not to call you i forget what happens then, but afterwards its considered harassment.

Thanks Kelly!
They're on the Do Not Call list. And I submitted a complaint to the FTC with all of the phone numbers/call times I found on their caller ID. Not sure what I can do to keep them from calling right now. I'm going to try to get in touch with the phone company today.

You can go to the postmaster general at the post office and also put a block on those letters coming through the mail. The same thing happened with my folks. You may also be able to find the form you need to fill out online at www.usps.com. It's been a while since I've done it but that will give you a start.

I have found that the minute a senior replies to something in the mail or, as your father did, send money, those companies flag them and become ruthless (there should be a hot rock waiting for them in h*ll.)
Another scam to be aware of: My mother odered something from a catalog. They sent her the item and a few months later a small "refund" check which she cashed. Then she got another one so I read the fine print. It said, "by cashing this check you are now enrolled in a entertainment program." Nothing happened for a long time, then, six months later, her credit card was charged $160.00!! I called the company that made the charge and they referred me to the catalog co. I called and gave them a piece of my mind for targeting seniors - then I called the credit card co. and had them suspend the charge.
Another related thing you can do (especially if your parent cannot take care of their own finances - or you have a pilfering relative) is to place a "fraud alert" on their credit report. I think it lasts for 90 days. In that time no one can access the report or take out any loans etc. in your parent's name. The lending institution has to see picture ID before processing the loan, etc.
Third: Good luck getting rid of these leaches. To save your sanity and time, you may have to have your father's number changed to unlisted. Also, is it possible to have all his mail go to you or to a PO box so you can screen?
I have learned over the years that there are millions of scam artists out there who are just waiting to pick the pockets of seniors.

Have a attorney write up a letter and send it certified indicating this is the last effort to stop the harrassment, (which has been repeatedly been previously asked and not adhered to) next step will be prosecution. It might scare them.

Call your state Attorney Generals Office, Consumer Div. They can help also.

ThirdCoastGirl: Could you just have his phone number changed? I know that it might cost some money, but it might save you guys a lot of money and trouble in the long run.

Good luck! :)

As already mentioned getting on the 'do not call list' is a wise idea. If these are not 'robo calls' you can also tell whomever it may be of these intentions to do so, and they will be fined. You can also contact the media of this--and they will cut thru any possible red tape for you-and get this problem resolved.

As for the mail---I do not know if they can decide what may be a scam or not...but again you can run this by your postal department.

You may also want to discuss matter with your local chapter of AARP or senior service organization.

Good luck-

Hap

Contact the District Attorney in your county and provide the details you gave here including the mail pieces and the phone log. He/she will handle it and you will not have to waste money on an attorney. Trust me on this. The DA will act fast and be effective. Why? There is no better publicity in the local paper than "DA twarts foreign scam artists preying on local elderly"

our phone service has a service that blocks up to 20 phone numbers. We use it quite often and update it every once in a while since most numbers come up on the caller ID. So far has helped a lot. Good Luck!