Posted by 101livescan on 11/22/13 9:03am Msg #493663
Senior Scams
Here's one, one senior alerting community about this latest scam.
Senior Scam Alert updated: Nov 21, 2013, 8:36 AM
By Edhat Subscriber
I received a slick telemarketing call directed at seniors at 7:30 last night from 718-764-3185. I let it go to voice mail. It started, "Hi, this is John." It was casual and conversational. He acted as if he were going through paperwork. Supposedly, someone has paid for an emergency alert system for me, and, oh yes, has paid for the shipping. Toward the end of the call, he said to press 1 to accept the system, to press 5 to refuse the shipment, and (repeated twice) to ignore the message if I already have a system. My name and address were not used in this call.
An unwary senior responding to this call would give their name, address and, most likely, credit card information. If the telemarketer isn't engaged in identity theft, then, most likely, there is a monthly monitoring fee (usually around $30 a month).
This is another "wake-up call" for the elderly. Scammers are getting more sophisticated. Never give out your information on the phone unless you, personally, have initiated the call. And there's no such thing as a free lunch.
(I looked up this phone number, from the Bronx in NY).
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