Iowa patrol warns of callers seeking personal info
Read more: Health, Crime, Scam, Iowa, Medicare, Patrol, Personal Information
The senior Medicare patrol office in Waterloo, Iowa, has alerted the southeast Iowa Area Agency on Aging in Burlington of a recent scam focusing on seniors in Van Buren County over the past weekend. Those living in southeast Iowa and the bordering communities in Illinois may want to take notice and be cautious, the patrol reports, when receiving calls offering "free'' services and seeking personal information.
The scam worked like this: a caller stated that he was from Medicare and was offering aa free lift chair and free walker. The caller managed to get two women's Medicare number. One woman gave her bank account information and the other surrendered her Social Security number. "These two women just helped someone steal their identity,'' said the patrol office. One of the victims was from Farmington, the other from the Bonaparte area of Van Buren County.
the senior Medicare patrol says seniors should remember that Medicare doesn't need to ask you information about numbers; they alrealready have the information they need. Besides, they are "not going to call people up offering free products in exchange for personal information.''
The senior Medicare patrol offers the following tips to remember:
*When people call like this wanting information, just hang up. These callers can sound convincing that they are who they say they are.
*It is against Medicare rules for their staff to ask for bank account information or other personal information over the telephone.
*Be wary of callers that say, "You must act now or lose your benefits.''
*Do not give out personal information, such as Social Security number, bank account numbers or credit card numbers to anyone you do not know.
*If you receive a call from someone who claims to represent Medicare, ask the person for an address and phone number that you can verify with Medicare.
*Please report any suspicious calls to the local police. You can also call the senior Medicare patrol office at 1-800-423-2449 or visit their website at www.StopMedicareScams.org
