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Health & Fitness

BBB Warns Consumers About Medical Alert Scheme

A medical alarm telemarketing scam that has swept the nation has been making an appearance in the St. Louis area in recent weeks, calling consumers and using untraceable numbers in the 314, 636 and 573 area codes.

The Better Business Bureau is concerned that the scheme is targeting seniors, who may not understand that accepting a "free" alarm could lead to monthly charges of about $35 on their credit card bills or debits from a bank account. The BBB has been unable to determine the source of the calls.

The BBB has received calls indicating that the alarm salespeople say either that the alarm is free or that someone else has paid for the alarm and the alarm company just needs some information for shipping. But giving that information could sign a consumer up for the recurring fees for monitoring the alarm.

BBBs nationwide have reported that the calls come from companies with names like Medical Emergency, Medical Alert Company, First Alert Company, Life Alert USA, Lifewatch or Medical Alarms Hewitt. St. Louis area consumers said the device was described as a "senior medical alarm" or similar personal security advice.

Some senior citizens told BBBs that they never received the devices but were still charged the monthly service fee. Others were unable to obtain refunds or return the items.

Life Alert, the California firm that advertises “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” has sued two businesses that used names similar to its brand in robo-call marketing schemes. Life Alert also has posted a warning about the scammers on its website. The company says it does not employ telemarketers to make cold calls to potential customers.

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“These calls are not made by Life Alert,” the company says on its website. “All of these are telemarketing scammers trying to mislead and defraud consumers by using our trademarked name so they can get your address, credit card number and bank information to charge you.”

The BBB warns consumers to beware of the following red flags:

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  • Free offers: Be wary of “free” offers that require you to pay a handling charge or other fees. In the case of medical alert systems, ask if there are additional monthly service charges. If the telemarketer says a friend or family member bought the unit, ask for the name of the person and verify the payment with that person before agreeing to anything.
  • Scare tactics: Being trapped in your own home with no way to call for help can be a scary situation for anyone, but for many seniors, it can be a realistic scenario.  Don’t fall for scare tactics.
  • Calls for immediate action: If the caller says, “This offer is good for today only,” hang up.
  • Implied endorsement: If a seller claims its product has been endorsed by another reputable organization, check directly with that organization to verify the endorsement.
  • Refusal to answer questions: If the caller is evasive or refuses to provide contact information or complete offer details, tell them you will not provide any information or make any decisions until you get all details in writing.

Before you do business with a charity or company, check its BBB Business Review at www.bbb.org or by calling 314-645-3300.

For more BBB news, go to the BBB website or follow the BBB on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube.




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