Illinois Financial Scam Artists

The Illinois Attorney General is warning Medicare beneficiaries in our state that fraud artists are contacting Illinois older residents and pretending to offer assistance with the new Medicare Part D prescription drug benefit. During the calls the scam artists are requesting and often getting financial information, such as bank account numbers and balances, along with the locations of safe deposit boxes. The elderly who respond to such inquiries are exposing themselves to identity theft and face the possible loss of thousands of dollars. These same fraud artists are also obtaining medical information during these calls, including the prescription drugs taken. This part of the scam seems innocent enough or at least not fraud, but by disclosing prescription information, the elderly respondents will probably end up on lists being sold to other scam artists and marked as especially vulnerable. The prescriptions used give the scam artists knowledge of what types of illnesses the elderly have. Medicine for diminished mental capacity marks the senior for all types of fraud. Those with specific illnesses will be targeted by playing upon their fears of the illness.

The Illinois Attorney General reports that these scam artists usually make the unsolicited call to the elderly by posing as insurance agents. Any real application for medicare drug benefits does not require specific bank information. Either does any real insurance agent need that information. No one needs the location of your safety deposit box except your lawyer and next of kin. Any correspondence from the Social Security Administration will be by mail. The application forms for the drug benefits program in question are mailed to low-income Medicare beneficiaries.