Medical Alert Scam Targets Seniors

Scammers are trying to get Wisconsin seniors to pay for medical
alert systems that they initially indicate are free, officials warn. State
consumer protection officials say they have seen an increase in complaints about
robocalls from "Medical Alert System" and "Senior Safe
Alert." So far, the companies have mainly targeted consumers in the 608
area code and in the Green Bay area. "In each of these robocalls, seniors
were told that a piece of emergency alert equipment was going to be delivered
to them, free of charge," the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade
and Consumer Protection said in an alert. "Most seniors hung up on the
calls (as we advise), but at least one spoke to an operator who told him that
the equipment was free but would cost around $35 per month to operate. The
message told the seniors that they could hit “5” to be removed from their call
list, but taking any action like this may just validate the number for the
company and lead to additional calls to the consumer in the future." State
officials said the scammers use different names. The Better Business Bureau
issued its own alert, saying the company identified itself as "Medical
Alert of Wisconsin" and that no such company appears to exist in Wisconsin.
The state has logged 45 complaints since March against an entity calling itself
"Medical Alert System." The first complaints came in from seniors in
Appleton, Green Bay, and just north of Green Bay, and some of the seniors fell
for the sales pitch. When state officials first issued an alert in mid-April,
they had received at least a dozen calls.

Source/more: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel