Scam Season

Imagine you are a senior who, like many of us, takes prescription drugs. A person calls you and asks about your prescriptions. When you indicate that you’re enrolled in the State’s prescription drug insurance plan, Prescription Advantage, the caller explains that his or her company works with Prescription Advantage. The caller is pleasant but firm when he or she asks for your Social Security number to verify your enrollment. He or she assures you that your coverage will continue, but needs your banking account number to check on a recent co-payment. The caller thanks you for your assistance and wishes you a nice day.

Unfortunately, you won’t have a nice day. You’ve just given a stranger enough information to steal your money.

This is just one scenario that depicts current scams that are targeting elders in area communities. There are other methods, but the common objective is to exploit elders. Other related scams have callers offering Medicare-endorsed discount drug cards. Legitimate providers of these cards will not even be announced until April 1, 2004. No cards are available at this time.

Yet another scam involves people, claiming they are from Medicare, going door-to-door to ask elders for help with a survey. Neither Medicare nor Prescription Advantage is conducting surveys currently.

Please remember never to reveal your Social Security number or banking information to strangers. Elders are encouraged to:

• Not give out their Social Security number or bank account number over the phone
• Not allow their Social Security number to be written on a check
• Not provide their Social Security number on contest entry forms
• Not carry their Social Security cards in their wallets

All elders are encouraged to use caution when revealing any personal information. If elders think they have been victims of a scam, they should call MVES and talk with a SHINE (Serving Health Insurance Needs of Elders) counselor.