A pamphlet about scams isn't going help anyone who believes he can make some easy money by buying a lottery ticket worth $553,000 from someone for $25,000.  I wouldn't fall for that even if I knew the person. 

On Judge Judy show, I've seen several people who got scammed by people they knew(so called friends) who asked them to cash and share a lottery check they received through the mail.  In every case the victims thought they were going to make some easy money and help someone.

I agree with you, RJOh.  At first I was going to write that the government should include a warning with social security checks, but I also think seniors get a bad rap. Most people I know over 65 are still working and are very sharp.  We all get forgetful and have our blonde moments.  However, someone who thinks "Wow. This is a great deal!" without using common sense, can be 25 or 85. 

Statistics show that most of the net worth in this country belongs to people in the over 60 bracket, so this could also make them a target. I'm not saying there aren't many elderly people struggling to make ends meet.  However, this indicates that younger people, even those with good jobs, are starting out buying homes, paying college loans, having babies, etc.  Money they are putting away for retirement is usually tied up in a CD or a qualified retirement plan like an IRA, which means it's not easily accessible. Many people who are retired have a small nestegg they are living on to supplement social security.  Just a thought.

BTW - I had a neighbor who was (and still is) an idiot. I usually don't say that about someone, but he'd knock on my door almost every night to tell me some outrageous story about his life.  He finally bought a home and moved. I was thrilled.  But now he's sharing a small 2 room apartment around the corner.  According to him, he purchased a townhouse that was was condemned. When I asked "Did you use a real estate attorney?" and "Did you have it inspected? Who represented you?" his answer was "The real estate agent who had the ad in the paper worked for Century 21. I see their ads on TV so I figured he's okay."  He recently knocked on my door to ask me how to get back his repossessed car. How would I know?  (pay your bill? duh?) He claims he gave $350 cash to his live-in girlfriend every month to send in the payment, which she apparently wasn't doing.  I never know if any of this is true, but he's only in his 40s.  A couple of weeks ago they got engaged. When I read about these scams, I always expect to see his name as the victim.  Yup, Ron, you can't fix stupid.