NEW ALBANY —
A scammer preying on the elderly is not a new concept, though the methods by which people steal sensitive financial information is always evolving.
New Albany resident Sandra Kime received a phone call recently that made her think of her fellow Medicare recipients.
“This man who had a very foreign voice told me they have a new Medicare card for me, and I needed to get a pen, paper and my checkbook,” she said.
He told her that the card would be sent to her at no cost, that he just needed some numbers, Kime said. When she questioned his motives, Kime said the man told her that “if you don’t do this, you will lose your Medicare.”
Kime didn’t give in, and after she hung up the phone she checked her caller identification machine to no avail. The caller’s number was blocked, but Kime didn’t stop there.
She called Medicare headquarters and confirmed her suspicions — officials told her the federal program was not involved in the scheme.
“There’s other people here in town — some older people that might not realize” that the call is a scam, she said.
Health coverage is vital to Kime, who suffered a stroke in December. The necessity of her Medicare benefits forced her to listen to the proposal, she said.
“When somebody threatens me with the loss of my Medicare, that’s scary,” Kime said.
New Albany Police Capt. Keith Whitlow said that while he hadn’t been alerted to this particular plot, such scams are not uncommon.
“The New Albany Police Department often receives complaints from citizens about persons attempting to obtain their personal information, such as banking information and Social Security number over the telephone while saying they are affiliated with a government agency,” he said. “My best advice to anyone that receives this type of request is to not reveal any personal information to the caller.
“Many of these calls are coming from outside the country, often from Canada, which makes investigation locally almost impossible.”
And once the information has been obtained, the scammers can use it to open bank accounts, get a driver’s license or write bad checks in the victim’s name, Whitlow continued.
The Federal Trade Commission’s website — www.ftc.gov — is a valuable resource for learning about identification theft, Whitlow added.
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