The Rufty-Holmes Senior Center has been receiving numerous phone calls in our Information & Assistance program asking about high pressure insurance calls.
Staff at the center have seen increased calls over the last six weeks in Rowan County. The typical situation is that a senior adult gets a phone call saying that the caller can “help them to receive all the benefits they are entitled to” from either Medicare or Social Security.
The caller insists on making an appointment in the older adult’s home, where they will try to pressure the client into buying some kind of insurance. They may try to collect personal information about the client, including a Social Security number. They often leave a phone number, but it will either be disconnected or will not be answered.
These calls may not be technically illegal, but they are high-pressure and invasive, a press release from the center says. This may not be a scam, but it is definitely a scheme.
The center advises clients to say they are not interested. Do not set up appointments with strangers in your home. If you get any information such as a phone number, name or company name, please report it to the Information & Assistance program at Rufty-Holmes at 704-216-7703 or 7704.
Remember that neither Medicare nor Social Security will call you to sell anything, or to change your benefits. You must always contact them for any changes on your behalf.
Rufty-Holmes Senior Center is the host site for the Rowan County office of the Seniors’ Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP). The SHIIP program offers counseling at no cost to recipients of Medicare. Trained counselors can answer questions and help with signing up for prescription drug plans or supplements. But changes can only be made at certain times of the year, so don’t be fooled by high-pressure phone calls. To schedule a SHIIP appointment at Rufty-Holmes, call 704-216-7703 or 7704.