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Dan Olson
St. Paul, Minn.

Minn. man faces charges in scam targeting elderly

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A southern Minnesota man faces felony racketeering charges for allegedly helping swindle elderly people.

Thomas Murphy, 68, of Henderson, is accused of collecting and sending money overseas to operators of a lottery scam.

Department of Public Safety special agent William White said the swindlers call elderly people who've recently had a death in the family telling them they've won a lottery, but need to send in cash to claim their winnings.

"They talk and be nice to them, and then they say, 'Well let's get this done for you...' And then they go into the 'fees,'" White said.

White said the scams originate in various countries, including Nigeria, Jamaica and Canada. He says they victimize millions of Americans, and authorities are losing ground in controlling their growth.