Beware- New Scam in NC

Crimes are, by their very nature, cruel acts performed at the expense of other people. As a society, we have found ways to excuse certain crimes by pairing them with defensible motivations; crimes of desperation, crimes of passion. Yet there are certain crimes for which no defense can be made. Crimes which victimize the elderly are among those.

Recently, a new wave of scams designed to defraud senior citizens has swept across the nation. The "Med Alert Scam" is nothing incredibly creative yet seniors in Texas, Michigan, Kentucky, New York and North Carolina have been the targets of this most recent con. The Attorney General's office in NC says that they have already fielded more than 100 calls reporting this scam. Imagine how many more are victimized in silence.

The basis of the con operates in two primary fashions. The most common form which has been observed begins with an automated phone call. The call informs its recipient that either they have won a free med alert system or that someone has purchased a med alert system for them.The call then requests that they enter their credit or debit card information to pay for shipping. The second form that the con is known to have taken is that of free merchandise being delivered. The merchandise is delivered with little to no explanation of where it is from or what it entails. The return instructions and conditions of receipt are confusing and shrouded by legal jargon and fine print. Sooner rather than later, large invoices being to arrive accompanied by letters threatening legal action or worse. Many seniors simply pay the invoices rather than asking for help or attempting to confront the scumbag operation.

Home Instead Senior Care has put together some fantastic and free resources on the topic of senior fraud prevention. While it would definitely behoove everyone to read through the principles of the program, an easy rule of thumb to remember regarding telephone fraud is that you should never give any information out during a phone call that you did not initiate. While the financial toll that this scam may take on many seniors is devastating, the emotional toll is equally as brutal. Seniors who are already struggling to maintain a connection to the rapidly changing world around them, now retreat even further, afraid to even pick up the phone.

Check out the free resources at www.protectseniorsfromfraud.com