Hang Up on “Medical Alert” Calls

Friday, August 23, 2013

Consumer Action is warning consumers about calls from scammers offering medical alarm equipment.  Callers offer medical alert devices that are supposedly “free”—after the consumer turns over bank account or credit card information. In another variation of the scam, callers claim to be from the “shipping department,” the device has already been paid for and they require shipping instructions. Consumers who have divulged their private data have later received recurring charges on their credit card or bank account, and are at high risk for further identity theft.

The scammers may demand a credit card number or bank account over the phone, ask you to call a special number with payment information, or instruct you to buy a prepaid credit card and give them the account number.  Do not engage such callers or provide any payment information.  Never give personal and/or financial information to strangers or people who call you.

Prepaid cards, like wire transfers a generation ago, have become very popular among swindlers because of the lack of consumer protections available to prepaid card users. When you purchase a prepaid card and do not have an opportunity to register the card, it’s just like cash. If you give someone the card number, they can withdraw your money and run off with it, and it’s unlikely that you will ever get your money back. Such funds are difficult to trace, and are usually not recoverable by law enforcement or banking officials, either.

Consumers who believe they are victims of this fraud should contact the local police department, your financial institution, the Federal Trade Commission (www.ftccomplaintassistant.gov), and the state attorney general. Click here to find your attorney general’s contact information.

Consumer Action offers many free multilingual publications on how to protect yourself from frauds and scams, including Just Say No to Senior Scams. Click here to view our online collection.

Consumer Action, founded in 1971, is a national education and advocacy organization based in San Francisco, CA with offices in Los Angeles and Washington, DC. You can get free educational materials on our website or by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope (first class stamp) to Consumer Action, 221 Main St., Suite 480, San Francisco, CA 94105. Write the name of the publication you are interested in on the front of the envelope.