CEDAR, MI -- The Leelanau County Sheriff’s Department wants seniors to be aware of a scam that is targeting seniors over the phone.
Pamela, 71, received a call last week. The caller, posing as an employee for a pharmaceutical company, offered her a free prescription drug card. They simply needed her bank account number in return.
“There was a girl on the phone to tell me that they were going to be giving all Michigan seniors a free prescription card. She had my name, my phone number, my address and all they needed was my bank account number,” said Pamela.
Fortunately, she was not fooled. She hung up and tried to call the scam artist back. However, her call could not be connected. Leelanau County Detective Sgt. Clint Kerr said that can be a dead giveaway that you are dealing with a scam artist.
”If they are legitimate, there will be a way to re-contact them and then that will enable the senior to call their doctor, call family members, contact police or call a governmental agency just to verify if that opportunity is real,” said Kerr.
Detective Kerr said this was the first scam he has heard offering free prescription drug cards to seniors. He also thinks it won't be the last. The Leelanau County Sheriff's Department gets new scam reports every few days, Kerr said. Seniors can protect themselves and their identity by refusing to give out personal information over the phone.
