Monterey, CA Elder Abuse Alert : FTC shuts down company offering so-called "free" Medical Alert System
by Richard Kuehn on 11/15/14
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced on Thursday that it shut
down a robocalling operation that conned seniors out of roughly $23
million by offering them "free" medical alert systems. The defendants
will surrender their cash, cars and a boat in a settlement with the FTC
and be barred from telemarketing. The scam involved computer-automated
callers telling seniors falsely that a free medical alert system had
been paid for by a friend or a family member. Many of them lived alone,
and were happy to give a credit card number to get the service after
being told falsely that the device was recommended by the American Heart
Association, the American Diabetes Association and
the National Institute on Aging. They were then charged $34.95/month
for the service. The FTC offers tips and videos
to help consumers avoid getting ripped off from these types of calls,
which unfortunately are all too common. Never, ever give someone your
credit card on the phone who is an unsolicited caller, you have no idea
what they are going to do with it once they get the number.
http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/ftc-shuts-down-huge-medical-alert-scam-targeting-seniors/
