April Reynolds, Reporter
12-26-2007
Recently in Lincoln Parish, many senior residents have been the victims of Social Security and Medicare scams.
Ruston Police Lt. Eric Hannah said the department has received several calls in the last few weeks from older residents in the area complaining of various scams.
One of the scams involves Social Security, he said.
“The elderly are called by people claiming to be with the Social Security agency, telling them that their check has to be direct deposited and ask for their Social Security number,” he said. “A lot of people call about this. (The victims) give them their information and they just drain all the money out of their accounts.”
The purpose, Hannah said, is to gain access to the target victim’s bank account, which is a prime indication something is wrong. He warns against giving out any personal information over the telephone if calls like that are received. Instead, tell the caller you’ll call them back.
“At no point will any credible agency call you asking for personal-identifying information numbers,” he said.
According to Mary Abercrombie, Social Security district manager in Ruston, if there is any doubt about someone who claims to be a Social Security representative, it is recommended to contact the local Social Security office or call Social Security’s toll-free number at 800-772-1213 to verify the legitimacy of the call.
Criminals use a variety of scams to target the elderly, Hannah said.
In another scam, the scammers will call seniors pretending to be employees of a supplementary needs program that will assist seniors in paying for costs or services not covered by Medicare.
They then proceed to request personal information, which can include the senior’s credit card number, bank account number, Social Security number and any other personal identification numbers.
“People (are) calling claiming to be with Medicare or an organization that supplements Medicare. And they offer them a free Medicare card,” Hannah said. “It’s a ploy and an attempt to obtain personal information.”
Hannah warns local seniors to be alert to prevent becoming victims of abundant scams.
“At any given moment, there are scams going on,” he said.
For anyone who has been called by scam artists and is victim of a scam, Hannah suggests alerting banks to monitor accounts.
“If they have given this information to someone, they’re welcome to call me, and I’ll help them call their banks to watch their account,” he said.
Anyone with information about these crimes should call Crime Stoppers at 255-1111.
Crime Stoppers will pay up to $1,000 for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects or any other felony crime.
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