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 Dec. 31, 2008 Grandparent Scam Calls in Iowa
If you receive a call from someone stating they are your grandchild, don’t let them convince you to give out one of your grandchildren’s names. Tell them you are going to check with another relative before your respond to them. Or ask them to verify some information about a special family memory that only your family would know. And if you hang up your phone and immediately press *57 (or 1157 from a rotary phone), your phone company will record the phone number from which the call was placed. This is referred to as “call tracing.” Then, call your local police department or sheriff’s office to report the scam attempt and tell them you used the *57 function to trace the call. You won’t be able to obtain the number from the phone company but law enforcement officers will, if they are able to pursue an investigation. If you wire money and then discover the call was a fraud, contact your local police or sheriff immediately to report the details. Tell your friends and neighbors to be alert for these calls.
December, 2008
Iowa Legal Aid Look-alikes
Iowa Legal Aid encourages older Iowans seeking legal assistance to phone the Legal Hotline for Older Iowans at 1-800-992-8161 instead of using the Internet to search for legal assistance in Iowa. Iowa Legal Aid has notified all Area Agencies on Aging on Iowa to warn seniors about Internet searches that might lead you to legal services that charge an up-front fee to review your inquiry. If you are age 60 or older you can contact the toll free Hotline for Older Iowans to ask for advice about noncriminal legal matters. If you are determined to be qualified for assistance from Iowa Legal Aid, you will NOT be charged any fees.
NEW RULES FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG PLAN & MEDICARE ADVANTAGE SALESPEOPLE - FALL, 2008
Between November 15 and December 31, you can enroll for the first time, or change the current coverage you have in a Prescription Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan (the alternative to Original Medicare).
SMP wants to remind you that the law protects you from unscrupulous sales or marketing activities. There are changes effective October 1, 2008 that give even better protection than before.
Telephone Calls
Salespeople can’t call you to sell you their plan unless you asked them. This means you may have returned a card you received in the mail or you may have attended a meeting and signed a request to receive information or you may have called the company and asked for information.
If you are already enrolled in a Drug Plan or Medicare Advantage Plan, the company can call you to do normal business connected with your plan enrollment.
Visiting You at Your Home
Salespeople can come to your home if you asked them to come. Before your appointment they have to ask you what products you want to receive information about and they are not allowed to try to sell any other products.
Other Rules to Protect You
Salespeople cannot try to sell you other products they offer, for example, annuities or life insurance, at the same time they are marketing Prescription Drug or Medicare Advantage plans. If you want information about other products, they must schedule a separate visit with you.
You Should Report Violations of these Rules
If you receive unwanted calls or visits from salespeople, you can help your friends and neighbors from experiencing the same annoyance, by reporting violations to the Iowa Insurance Division. They can most easily be reached by contacting the SHIIP Office at 1-800-351-4664. Please have as much information as possible, the name of the salesperson, their address and phone, company name and date they contacted you. You can make a difference!
October, 2008
Tips about Do Not Call Requests
SMP urges you to consider registering your phone number on the “Do Not Call” register with the Federal Trade Commission. Call 1-888-382-1222. This is a great way to reduce unwanted sales calls on your phone. However, this register is not allowed to stop fundraising and survey calls, nor calls from places you’ve done business with in the last 18 months.
However, federal telemarketing regulations do allow for you to tell any telemarketer NOT TO CALL AGAIN. It is a violation of federal law for them to call again. If the business calls you after you make this request, you should report this violation. (They can receive a hefty fine.) You should have the name of the individual you told, the date of the call, the name and phone number of the company. This should be reported to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office at 1-888-777-4590 or 1-515-281-5926.
October, 2008
Caution! Signing Up for Drawings and Prizes
There may be statements in small print or on the reverse of sign-up slips for drawings that grant salespeople permission to contact you by phone, mail, personal visit or e-mail. These may be sales calls you do not want to receive.
The fact that you signed up for the FTC Do-Not-Call-Registry will not protect you from businesses calling you to sell products, if you signed one of these entry slips that contains a statement giving them permission to contact you.
Carefully read the front and back of any contest or prize drawing entry that you sign. You’ll find these at fairs, shopping malls, sports shows and even your favorite store.
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