Council of Seniors

My aged parents are giving me sometimes two letters per week to mail to these people. I've started throwing them away! The more they give, the more they are coerced into contributing to their "Retirement Protection" petition drive. The letter has statements like "And if I am forced to cancel our petition drive, Felipe ***** will be free to raid our Social Security money all for his illegal Mexicans." This 'organization' is a scam! Sadly, there are about 6 scams just like it, preying on my mom and dad & I don't know what can be done to stop it!

My parents don't understand these are not legitimate. They are spending more money than they would save on that which they might lose! They have even been berated for not giving enough! My mom is questioning, but my dad has Parkinson's and he insists on 'contributing' to the causes that he thinks are threatening their income, rights, etc. There ought to be laws against this piracy.

I am writing on behalf of my 90-year-old mother, who received in the mail today an "extremely time-sensitive" letter contained in a FedEx-like envelope from a Thomas Cromwell, claiming to be president of the "Civic Council" and/or the "Benefit Security Coalition." He was asking for money to support a petition drive for a "Fair COLA Initiative" to benefit senior citizens. This is the latest in a series of letters that these people have sent my mother (and who knows how many other seniors) over a period of months intended to persuade them to send money to support lobbying efforts supposedly carried out by Thomas Cromwell and friends.

When I read the letter, I counted the number of times the author(s) repeated the appeal to send $19, and it was 9 in the space of less than three pages. Sample language is"...I'm praying that you'll also include an Emergency Donation of $19 to help pay for this crucial Petition Drive." This letter, with its endless repetition and manipulative language, seems to be designed with one purpose in mind--to take advantage of trusting and sometimes mentally impaired seniors by tricking them into sending the beggars money.

After I read the letter, I googled "T. Cromwell scam" and came across your article from August 2006 on this organization. It confirmed my suspicions. What really baffles me is how the "Civic Council" can still be in business almost two years after your expose. Where is the FBI or other government regulatory and enforcement organization? Why have they not taken action to put an end to this scam? With some effort, I was able to convince my mother concerning the true intent of Thomas Cromwell and friends, so that she suffered no significant loss. However, I am concerned that other seniors are being robbed by these scammers.

I received one of the scam letters regarding sending a donation to stop Felipe Calderon from stealing my Social Security money. I knew it was bogus, but isn't there anything that can be done to prevent this from being sent out through the US Postal Service? Can the donations be confiscated as they are lying to seniors to alarm them so they will contribute their money.

I received a request to complete a survey and mail a donation. I recognized the name Carl M. Hagen as possibly being a fraud, so I Googled the name. Your website came up with his name related to the Council of Seniors. I thought you would like to know that he is out there under a different organization.

No consequences. I sent no money.

This is a letter/scam aimed at Senior Citizens asking for them to donate $19 to a fund to keep illegal Mexicans from taking their money, including their new president Calderon. They have a similar letter that went out in 2005. (You have an article about this in your website.) My mother just recently got this in the mail, and I was responding with a nasty gram when I researched your site and saw they have done this before.

Same similar wording: scaring folks into thinking that the Mexicans are going to take their social security benefits unless we can raise money to get 42 votes on a petition. Take care of them - they are weasles and leeches. Thanks.

Received a letter directed to seniors with a $1 check enclosed, asking for $19 to keep Mexican President Felipe Calderon from taking our Social Security money. Went on the web. Carl M. Hagen worked the same scam with the business name of Civic Council.

Please alert seniors about this scam.

I received a letter with a $1.00 check drawn on the M & T Bank in Baltimore, MD. The letter signed by Mr. Carl Hagen is telling me that he needs our help in fighting Vicente Fox of Mexico to save our Social Security money from going to illegal immigrants. He also requests that we send the $1.00 check back plus $19.00 more dollars so that he can have petitions signed and mailed to Washington, DC. I feel that this is a hoax and that probably many seniors have received this same scam letter.