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You’re at home, relaxing in your easy chair, when your phone rings. The friendly person on the other end of the line says they are with Alert1 or some other legitimate med alert provider, and they want to talk to you about an amazing offer for a senior life-saving alert system.
In fact, it’s such an amazing offer that all you have to do is pay the shipping and handling fees. Or maybe the caller will ask you to simply verify a few pieces of information to have a medical alert pendant sent to you with no charge at all; they just need to know your address and social security number, to be absolutely sure it’s you. Though it might seem legitimate, and the company name might actually be from a legitimate business, what we’ve just described here is a scam.
This scam has become more popular in recent years, and we’ve heard rumors that it’s happening again today, and it underscores just how easy it could be to fall victim to a well-orchestrated scam—especially when a fraudster is pretending to be from a real, reputable medical alert company.
How can you tell the difference between a legitimate medical alert company like Alert1 and a fraudulent caller? Let’s take a look at how to do that so you are well-prepared if a scammer rings you up.
How Common are Senior Scams?
Scams that target the elderly are on the rise, as they are especially lucrative for criminals. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, elder fraud led to more than $3 billion in losses in 2020.1 That’s over twice the 2019 sum of $1.5 billion.
Unfortunately, scammers have become quite sophisticated in making seniors believe they can get an emergency button alarm and 24/7 monitoring for no cost whatsoever, or that someone else has taken care of the cost for them. Surely it’s a deal too good to pass up if you only have to pay for shipping and handling, right? One of the reasons this can be a successful scam is that the legitimate company Alert1 offers its med alert devices for free to our members; however, there is a low monthly or annual fee for our 24/7 monitoring service. But that little kernel that resembles the truth can be enough to make a person believe in the other things the scammer says.
Alert1 never calls any senior or elderly adult unless that person has called us first to inquire about our medical alert devices and services. We simply do not “cold call” anyone, ever.
The Shipping and Handling Scam
The most common scams of late that target the elderly usually take the form of phone calls. Scammers prefer calls because they can play on your emotions in real time. There is rarely a record of the conversation, as most people don’t record it.
How it works is that you may answer a call from a polite person on the other end of the line, claiming they are from a medical alert company, or your insurance provider, or Medicare, or some other entity that you are familiar with.
They will then tell you that you are eligible for a free product, or that a friend or family member has already purchased the product for you – but you need to pay for shipping and handling. They ask for financial information to pay for those alleged costs. They then steal your credit card and other personal information. Alert1 does not charge for shipping; we send our medical alert systems out via FedEx 2 day priority shipping at no cost to our new members.
The Verification Scam
Another phone scam involves the caller requesting your social security number and other personal information for “verification.” That verification might include identifying information, such as your address, or a credit card number. They might even ask for your banking information to really “prove” that it’s you. This is a common scam if they claim they are from your insurance company or Medicare.
If anyone ever asks you for your social security number and other personal information – and you didn’t call them first – be very wary. You may want to hang up the phone and call your insurance company or Medicare yourself to verify that this request is legitimate. An ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure when it comes to financial scams.
The Automated Call Scam
Can an automated system be part of a scam? Absolutely, it can be. A common ploy is to receive an automated phone call that says your medical alert product is ready for shipping – please press a number to continue to the next steps.
Once you press that number, however, the scammer knows that you are interested in a life-saving personal emergency response system for seniors, and they will store your number for future calls. If you hang up during any part of the initial call, they will reach out to you again soon to tell you that your shipment might be canceled if you don’t act right now and give them the information they want.
No legitimate medical alert company will call you out of the blue, have a machine contact you, or threaten you. If that happens to you, rest assured that those calls are not coming from Alert1 or any other legitimate medical alert company. Alert1 only calls people who have called us first, and we would never use an automated system to reach out.
How to Protect Yourself from Scams
Remember: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Keep that in mind if you get a call that sounds suspicious, and follow these tips:
· Never trust your caller ID. It might look like a legitimate number from a company you are familiar with, but spoofing technology means that a phone number (or email address) can appear to be legitimate but actually come from anywhere. If you choose to answer the call, be wary that it might be spam and proceed with caution.
· Be wary of cold calls. Many of the bad actors engaged in scams will call you with no warning or prompting. These are known as cold calls. It’s important to remember that legitimate companies, like Alert1, will never call you out of the blue. Alert1 will only call you if you have called them first.
· Protect your personal information. You should never be asked for personal information, such as your bank account or credit card numbers, unless you are the one who initiated the call. If someone calls you and asks for those things, hang up. They are trying to get information from you that will allow them to tap into your finances. Alert1 will never ask for your personal information unless you have called them first and chosen the alert system for elderly adults that is right for you.
· Look up the company. Some scammers work by setting up what appears to be a company website but the links take you to places that ask for credit card information right off the bat. Pay close attention to the URL in the address bar to see if it changes to something entirely different when you click a link. Alert-1.com is an excellent example of a legitimate website, with real customer reviews and daily blog posts that prove the site is very active. Alert1 has been in business for over 35 years with customers in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
· Don’t give in to pressure. Many scammers will use high-pressure tactics to get you to give them what they want. They might ask rapid-fire questions to keep you unbalanced. They might try to establish a rapport with you by talking about health problems or family issues. They might even flirt a little and make you feel as though they could be interested in you as a friend or more. These are all tactics that are designed to part you from your cash. Alert1 will never pressure you or engage in any uncomfortable tactics to get your business.
· Never allow disrespect. Though you can catch more flies with honey, some scammers will become frustrated and try the vinegar route – they will berate you, make demands of you, and otherwise verbally attack you, hoping that their pressure will give them the response they want. If anyone disrespects you, hang up the phone right away. Verbal attacks are never okay under any circumstance!
The moment you realize it’s a scam call, hang up. Many scammers keep track of those they have already attempted to trick, and thus they are more likely to write you off of their list of victims if you hang up as soon as you’re onto them.
What to Do if You Fell Victim to a Scam
If you have that sinking feeling that maybe you fell victim to a scam, there is hope – but you have to act fast. If you gave the scammer financial information, immediately contact your credit card company or bank. Explain that you might have fallen victim to a financial scam and you need to protect your accounts.
In most cases, this means that the credit card company will immediately change your account number and send you a new card; any charge attempted on the old card will be rejected. If it’s a bank, the way they safeguard your account depends on the bank’s policies, but a banker can get on the matter right away and make sure you don’t have recurring charges from the scammer coming through.
Report the issue everywhere you can. Start with your state’s Attorney General. You will need to provide as much information as you can on the situation, including the company they claimed to be from, the date and time of the call, and any other pertinent information.
You can then contact the Federal Trade Commission to file claims against the scammer.2 This organization will work hard to solve the issue for you. If it can’t be solved, however – if they determine that the money is gone and there’s no recourse – reporting the issue can help another person who might have otherwise fallen victim to the same scam.
