Scams Out There



Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

The Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation works to protect and educate Massachusetts consumers about their rights in the marketplace.   Our efforts range from shopping rights and landlord/tenant rights to concerns regarding identity theft, home improvement, and foreclosures.
The Office has recently launched an educational campaign with a website that contains valuable information about how to protect the consumer public.   There are two components to this website:   the first is a "teaser" page that appears to sell the consumer a work-from-home job that guarantees results no matter the situation of the individual consumer.   It has been modeled to look very much like many of the websites that promise guaranteed results, but in fact deliver nothing in return for the consumer's money, or result in identity theft of consumer's personal information.   On clicking any of the links to find out more information, the consumer is directed to a second page that reveals that the first page is an example of a scam and is brought to the consumer by the Massachusetts Office of Consumer Affairs.   Most importantly, there is information about spotting fake work from home advertisements.   The website also contains valuable information about how to protect yourself as a consumer, and a number of resources to consult if a consumer has become a victim of a scam.
Please help us publicize this website and further educate consumers about false advertising by adding this link to your website:   http://topmassachusettsdeals.com/Work-at-home.html

U.S. Postal Inspection Service


MEDICARE is NOT calling anybody!!

Do NOT give your Medicare # or your social security # to anyone unless YOU have initiated the call!
If you feel that something is "not quite right" with a phone call, simply hang up.
We suggest you contact your local police department or town which may then initiate a 'reverse" 911 call (or internet email setup) that can inform people quickly throughout the community about this scam.
If you have any questions or concerns regarding Medicare, please call 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4223).
Courtesy:   Emmett Schmarsow, Prog. Mgr. COAs & Senior Centers, Elder Affairs

Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit Scam

The Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit last year helped nearly 80,000 state residents receive a refundable tax credit.   Unfortunately, several unscrupulous tax preparers coaxed elderly public housing residents to fraudulently apply for the credit (residents of public or subsidized housing are ineligible for the credit or cash refund).

Medical Card Scam ... 2011 December

Two days ago, my mother received a phone call from a man who said she needed an additional medical card to take to the doctor's office and he could help her get one. He asked her to confirm her name and address. She next needed to tell him the name of her bank. She was about to ask to speak with his supervisor, when he promptly hung up.
Carrie West, carrie.west.lifecoach@gmail.com

SCAM (Very Active) for Debit Card Numbers

This is an automated phone call targeting mostly cell phones.
They will state the name of the institute you bank with which makes it seem more believable.

FinCEN Advisory Warns of Elder Financial Exploitation

Last month, the U.S. Department of the Treasury Financial Crimes Enforcement Network released a new advisory to help financial institutions spot and report activities involving elder financial exploitation.   The advisory, Advisory to Financial Institutions on Filing Suspicious Activity Reports Regarding Elder Financial Exploitation, contains red flags, or indicators that abuse may be occurring and specifically asks financial institutions to include the term "Elder Financial Exploitation" on filings of suspicious activity reports (SARs).
In discussing the Advisory, FinCEN Director James H. Freis, Jr, noted that "Financial institutions care about their customers and in some cases may be uniquely placed to identify when customers are possible victims of elder financial exploitation."   He added that "This new tool is the result of FinCen working with feedback from financial institutions and it is a way for depository institutions in particular to combat elder financial exploitation."
To read the Advisory in its entirety, please go to http://www.fincen.gov/statutes_regs/guidance/html/fin-2011-a003.html
To learn more about FinCen, please go to http://www.fincen.gov/

Donut Hole $250 Check Scam

Please know that "Any Medicare beneficiary who reaches the donut hole is automatically eligible to receive a rebate of $250.   The elder's drug plan will contact CMS directly when this threshold is reached;   CMS will issue the $250 check directly to the senior during the next quarter.
There is NO application process;   there are NO phone calls associated with the issuance of this check!   Any contact/s, or attempted contacts, should be immediately reported to CMS (1-800-MEDICARE: 1-800-633-4227) and local police.   COA staff may feel free to contact their SHINE counselor if you have any question/concern re: this email.   Thank you.
Courtesy of Emmett Schmarsow, Prog. Mgr. COAs & Senior Centers, ELD on behalf of the SHINE program.

"US Airlines" Scam

Courtesy Norma Simons Fitzgerald, LICSW, Executive Director, Sharon Adult Center & Council on Aging

Recent Census Scams

New & Old Disaster Scams in MA

"In the newest scam, con artists pose as insurance specialists or expeditors able to convince FEMA to increase home repair damage aid or the insurer to pay a larger settlement."

Site for Confirming Scams/"Urban Legends"...

A COA recently forwarded a message regarding "unwanted cash back" from WalMart or other stores. The claim appears to be false, but the site notes that people occasionally hit the wrong keys when using the electronic key pad. (Of course, it's not impossible to have a cashier who might commit fraud, but the problem seems vastly overstated. Please see: www.snopes.com/fraud/atm/cashback.asp)
It's never a bad idea to check the receipt before leaving the checkout register area!
Sincerely, Emmett Schmarsow, Prog. Mgr. COAs & Senior Centers, ELD

Using Caution with Email Attachments

While email attachments are a popular and convenient way to send documents, they are also a common source of viruses.   Use caution when opening attachments, even if they appear to have been sent by someone you know.
Why can email attachments be dangerous?
Some of the characteristics that make email attachments convenient and popular are also the ones that make them a common tool for attackers:
    •   Attackers know that most users will automatically trust and open any message that comes from someone they know.   Be wary of unsolicited attachments, even from people you know.   Many viruses can "spoof" the return addresses.   If in doubt, check with the person who supposedly sent the message to make sure it's legitimate before opening any attachments:   this includes email messages that appear to be from your ISP or software vendor and claim to include patches or anti-virus software.   ISPs and software vendors do not send patches or software in email.
What can you do to protect yourself and others in your address book?
    •   Trust your instincts - If an email or email attachment seems suspicious, don't open it, even if your anti-virus software indicates that the message is clean.   Attackers are constantly releasing new viruses, and the anti-virus software might not have the signature.   At the very least, contact the person who supposedly sent the message to make sure it's legitimate before you open the attachment.   Even messages/forwards sent by a legitimate sender might contain a virus.   If something about the email or the attachment makes you uncomfortable, there may be a good reason:   don't let your curiosity put your computer at risk!

Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Scams

Brief Synopsis:   Medicare Prescription Drug Plan Scams
Go to:   http://www.mass.gov/?pageID=cagotopic&L=3&L0=Home&L1=Consumer+Protection&L2=Scams+and+Identity+Theft&sid=Cago

The FDIC has issued several recent scam alerts

Please see this link for details:   http://www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/alerts/index.html

Be Wary of Phone Calls, Emails, and Text Messages
It Could be a Scam!

For more information about fraud and identity theft and how to protect yourself, please call the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation's Consumer Hotline at (617) 973-8787 or (888) 283-3757 (toll free in MA) or visit our website

Canadian Bail Money Scam

Please be advised that the attached pdf contains a scam that recently happened to a senior citizen in Charlton, MA.   Luckily, she felt something was amiss and called her other son, who in turn called his brother and found out it was not real.
The woman who this happened to called me this morning to warn me of what happened to her.   She was very shook up by this event and honestly thought that she would not be the type who would fall for such a scam.   But, because the phone call was so emotional, and the reception was poor, the woman was hooked — thinking she needed to help her son out of a jam.
Please pass it on!   Thanks, ElaineElaine Kingston, Director
Council on Aging/Senior Center
37 Main Street
Charlton, MA 01507
Tel. 508-248-2231
Fax. 508-248-2379




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