Medicare Fraud Puts Senior Citizens at Risk
October 31st, 2007 amy
As November quickly approaches, seniors will once again be eligible for enrollment in government-subsidized prescription insurance. For those on Medicare, it’s a difficult decision made even more complicated by scam artists looking to take candy from the purses of the elderly. Phony phone calls, mailed letters and even emails asking for credit card numbers are just a few of the con tactics.
At a New England educational gathering, one senior citizen reported having her credit card number stolen from a telemarketer claiming to be an employee of a company offering Medicare Part D benefits. Another reported a fake door-to-door salesman asking for personal checks.
Senior citizens are being cautioned to avoid financial risk by taking the following precautions:
• Don’t give a telemarketer or salesman your credit card, bank account or social security numbers.
• Don’t sign any document you don’t understand.
• Don’t cash checks from strange companies.
One of the increasingly common Medicare scams is sending senior citizens checks for a small amount of money. The small print on these checks states that cashing the check grants permission for automatic enrollment in their program for an exorbitant monthly fee. The print on these checks is so tiny that even someone with perfect eye sight couldn’t read the type without a magnifying glass.
According to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), seniors are victims of consumer fraud more often than any other age group. Senior citizens and those whose family members are eligible for Part D Medicare should take extra precaution to guard themselves and their loved ones against these scams.
