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Scam widens; another victim reported |
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Friday, 11 July 2008 |
Calls allegedly from Medicare are false
While the total number of targets is unknown, it seems a Medicare scam has hit Saline County.
At least two women have reported receiving phone calls from an alleged Medicare representative in North Dakota claiming that he needs their credit card information so that they can receive updated Medicare cards.
“The man told me my doctor bill wouldn’t be paid unless I gave him my Visa number,” Donna Mobley of Bryant said. “I told him I don’t pay my bills that way and told him I would not give him my number.”
Similar to a Benton woman who was written about in the Wednesday edition of the Courier, Mobley said she asked the man where he was located.
“He said North Dakota. After I hung up with him, I called the Social Security office in Little Rock and they said no one from their office would ever call like that,” Mobley said.
She noted that when she became inquisitive the man became argumentative and defensive, denying his call was a scam.
“The fact that he knew my name and my husband’s name and that I have direct banking from Social Security is scary,” she said. “When I read about what happened to the woman in Benton, I knew it was the same scam. I just want people to be aware and stay alert. Don’t take people at their word and never give away personal information.”
Mobley didn’t report the incident to Bryant police, but Bryant Police Chief Tony Coffman said it’s important for residents to remember: “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
To people who receive such suspicious calls, Coffman suggests to ask the caller for his number and hang up. “Call it right back and see if they answer. Scammers don’t normally expect potential victims to do that.”
He added, “Ask a lot of questions because most people like that don’t want to answer questions.” And like Benton police, Mobley and others have advised, “Don’t ever ever ever give your Social Security or credit card numbers out over the phone,” Coffman said. “Basically, be weary and ask a lot of questions.”
Coffman said in this technology-driven age, it’s much easier to obtain personal information. “Back when I started in the police force in 1989, the Internet was just starting. Now the Internet is up and running and people can sit as far away as China and come up with things that look legit. The age of technology has changed things.”
Scammers make stealing from people their full-time jobs, Coffman said. “They know what didn’t work in the past and how to overcome things. And they use what they learn to scam people. They use people who are in a hurry and on fixed incomes.”
Coffman encourages residents to call the non-emergency police phone number if they suspect a scam. “They also should call the attorney general’s office,” he said. “We’d like to know it and have a paper trail.”
Also, he said, if enough interested people let him know, Coffman can arrange an identity-theft class at the police department. The classes are led by a representative of the AG’s office. “I can set it up and help citizens learn what to look at for.”
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Razorbacks
