Fong Law Group

Medicare provides tips to protect against fraud

Medicare recently announced several ways in which scammers are attempting to steal numbers or other personal information, using fraudulent offers related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Automated calls, text messages or emails appear to be the preferred method used for these scams. Some claim to offer free face masks, COVID-19 testing kits, cures or other protective equipment.

The catch, however, appears to be that people are asked to provide their Medicare numbers or other personal information in exchange for these supposed offers.

“If anyone reaches out to get your Medicare number or personal information in exchange for something, you can bet it’s a scam,” the agency said in an email PSA.

On its website, www.medicare.gov/fraud, Medicare offers the following tips and guidelines to protect against potential scams and fraud:

• Medicare will never contact you for your Medicare number or other personal information unless you’ve given them permission in advance.
• Medicare will never call you to sell you anything.
• You may get calls from people promising you things if you give them a Medicare number. Don’t do it.
• Medicare will never visit you at your home.
• Medicare can’t enroll you over the phone unless you called first.

Those who experience or suspect fraud related to Medicare can call 1-800-MEDICARE to report it.

Social Security Scams Keep Going 社會保障詐騙仍繼續下去 (中英對照)

“The Social Security scam is circulating once again, and officials want to stop it from claiming more victims.”

It seems like scammers have become more aggressive and a frightening tone has gotten more than one otherwise sensible person embroiled in them. Crooks are calling and telling people that their Social Security numbers have been suspended, and that they need the number and the person’s bank account information to issue a refund, says KKTV’s report “Social Security officials hope to combat scam.”

In addition to the aggressive angry voice, is the fact that the caller ID has been “spoofed” or made to appear that the person is actually calling from the Social Security Administration or another government agency.

Nancy Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, advises people to be very cautious and not to provide anyone with information like their Social Security number or bank account information to unknown people, either on the phone or over the Internet.

The SSA has launched a public service campaign warning about these calls, in the hope that consumers will realize that the SSA never makes threatening phone calls and never asks for gift cards in payment. The campaign is being run in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General.

The scamming calls are nationwide. The message is clear: if you get this kind of a phone call, hang up.

While the SSA does occasionally call people, it’s usually someone who is working with the agency on an on-going matter, so that the call and the agent making the call is not a stranger.

Berryhill advises people that if they are contacted by someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration or the Office of the Inspector General, they should get the person’s name, their phone number and then hang up. If the same person calls again, hang up. It is more than likely to be a thief.

Contact the local Social Security office and find out if a call has been made to you. Never provide a caller with your Social Security number.

Some of the crooks are able to get information about people, including part of their Social Security numbers, and they call stating that they are asking only to verify the entire Social Security number. Again, if someone from Social Security was really calling, they would have that information and would not need it to be verified.

Reference: KKTV (March 22, 2019) “Social Security officials hope to combat scam”

“社會保障騙局再次流傳，官員們希望能阻止以免有更多的受害者。”

騙子似乎變得更進取，而且用恐嚇的語氣令不少精明的人落入陷阱。 KKTV的報告稱“Social Security officials hope to combat scam.”，騙子打電話告訴人們他們的社會安全號碼已被暫停，他們需要號碼和個人的銀行賬戶資料才能退款。

除了咄咄逼人的憤怒語氣之外，來電顯示本身已經是騙局 ,來電顯示顯示該人是從社會安全局或其他政府機構打來的。

社會保障管理局代理專員Nancy Berryhill建議人們要非常謹慎，不要通過電話或互聯網向任何人提供社會安全號碼或銀行賬戶資料等信息給來歷不明的人。

對於這些電話SSA已經發出了公共事務活動警告，希望消費者能明白到SSA從未打過威脅電話，也從不會要求支付禮品卡。而該活動正在與監管局合作進行。

詐騙是全國性的。訊息很明確：如果你接到這種電話，請掛斷電話。

雖然SSA偶爾會打電話給人，但通常是致電給與當局正在打交道的人，因此致電的人並不是陌生人。

Berryhill建議,如果有人聲稱是來自社會保障局或監管局的人，他們應該取得該人的姓名，電話號碼，然後掛斷電話。如果同一個人再次打來，請掛斷電話。它很可能是一個詐騙者。

聯繫當地社會保障局，了解他們是否曾經致電給您。切勿向來電者提供您的社會安全號碼。

一些騙子能夠獲得有關資料，包括社會安全號碼的一部分，他們打電話說他們只要核實整個社會安全號碼。如果來自社會保障部門的人真正打來時，他們已經有您的社會安全號碼，並不需要核實號碼。

參考: KKTV (March 22, 2019) “Social Security officials hope to combat scam”

Social Security Scams Keep Going 社會保障詐騙仍繼續下去 (中英對照)

“The Social Security scam is circulating once again, and officials want to stop it from claiming more victims.”

It seems like scammers have become more aggressive and a frightening tone has gotten more than one otherwise sensible person embroiled in them. Crooks are calling and telling people that their Social Security numbers have been suspended, and that they need the number and the person’s bank account information to issue a refund, says KKTV’s report “Social Security officials hope to combat scam.”

In addition to the aggressive angry voice, is the fact that the caller ID has been “spoofed” or made to appear that the person is actually calling from the Social Security Administration or another government agency.

Nancy Berryhill, Acting Commissioner of the Social Security Administration, advises people to be very cautious and not to provide anyone with information like their Social Security number or bank account information to unknown people, either on the phone or over the Internet.

The SSA has launched a public service campaign warning about these calls, in the hope that consumers will realize that the SSA never makes threatening phone calls and never asks for gift cards in payment. The campaign is being run in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General.

The scamming calls are nationwide. The message is clear: if you get this kind of a phone call, hang up.

While the SSA does occasionally call people, it’s usually someone who is working with the agency on an on-going matter, so that the call and the agent making the call is not a stranger.

Berryhill advises people that if they are contacted by someone claiming to be from the Social Security Administration or the Office of the Inspector General, they should get the person’s name, their phone number and then hang up. If the same person calls again, hang up. It is more than likely to be a thief.

Contact the local Social Security office and find out if a call has been made to you. Never provide a caller with your Social Security number.

Some of the crooks are able to get information about people, including part of their Social Security numbers, and they call stating that they are asking only to verify the entire Social Security number. Again, if someone from Social Security was really calling, they would have that information and would not need it to be verified.

Reference: KKTV (March 22, 2019) “Social Security officials hope to combat scam”

“社會保障騙局再次流傳，官員們希望能阻止以免有更多的受害者。”

騙子似乎變得更進取，而且用恐嚇的語氣令不少精明的人落入陷阱。 KKTV的報告稱“Social Security officials hope to combat scam.”，騙子打電話告訴人們他們的社會安全號碼已被暫停，他們需要號碼和個人的銀行賬戶資料才能退款。

除了咄咄逼人的憤怒語氣之外，來電顯示本身已經是騙局 ,來電顯示顯示該人是從社會安全局或其他政府機構打來的。

社會保障管理局代理專員Nancy Berryhill建議人們要非常謹慎，不要通過電話或互聯網向任何人提供社會安全號碼或銀行賬戶資料等信息給來歷不明的人。

對於這些電話SSA已經發出了公共事務活動警告，希望消費者能明白到SSA從未打過威脅電話，也從不會要求支付禮品卡。而該活動正在與監管局合作進行。

詐騙是全國性的。訊息很明確：如果你接到這種電話，請掛斷電話。

雖然SSA偶爾會打電話給人，但通常是致電給與當局正在打交道的人，因此致電的人並不是陌生人。

Berryhill建議,如果有人聲稱是來自社會保障局或監管局的人，他們應該取得該人的姓名，電話號碼，然後掛斷電話。如果同一個人再次打來，請掛斷電話。它很可能是一個詐騙者。

聯繫當地社會保障局，了解他們是否曾經致電給您。切勿向來電者提供您的社會安全號碼。

一些騙子能夠獲得有關資料，包括社會安全號碼的一部分，他們打電話說他們只要核實整個社會安全號碼。如果來自社會保障部門的人真正打來時，他們已經有您的社會安全號碼，並不需要核實號碼。

參考: KKTV (March 22, 2019) “Social Security officials hope to combat scam”

Social Security Scammers are Good at Scaring Victims 社會保障詐騙者擅長嚇唬受害者 (中英對照)

“The stories being spun by scammers are getting more outlandish. Ketti Bingen discovered this after a recent caller told her there was a warrant out for her arrest.”

No wonder these scams work: the people behind them have just enough information about their victims to put a good scare into them. Last year, complaints about Social Security scams took a giant jump upwards: the Federal Trade Commission reported complaints went up by 1000%, according to Fox 6 Now’s news story “‘The people who are calling have some pretty good tricks up their sleeve:’ Social security scam calls spiking.”

Ketti Bingen received a phone call telling her that someone had found a car by the side of the road somewhere in Texas that was registered in her name. They told her there was blood on the car, and when they went to the address the car was registered to, they found a massive number of illegal drugs.

The caller had the last four digits of her Social Security number. They wanted her to divulge her name and date of birth. The caller advised her to file for a new Social Security number. Lucky for her, she knew enough to hang up.

Not all Americans are that smart. In 2017, the Federal Trade Commission heard from 3,200 people who were taken hook, line, and sinker–to the tune of $210,000 each in this scam. In 2018, 35,000 people were fooled. The total loss: $10 million.

The Wisconsin Consumer Protection agency and agencies across the country repeat the message: the Social Security Administration does not call and demand money from people. It never makes threats, warns of an impending arrest or demands that people send gift cards.

If the Social Security Administration wants to reach out to people, they do so by mail.

Another reason people fall prey to these phone scams is that the caller IDs on their phones appear to be coming from the government agencies. However, that is also a scam. It is not relatively easy to “spoof” a phone number, or make it appear that the number the scammer is calling from has a different caller ID number.

If you are worried about someone calling your home claiming to be from the Social Security Administration, you can call the Social Security Administration’s dedicated fraud bureau. You can request confidentiality when you call, if you are concerned about safety.

Reference: Fox 6 Now (Jan. 27, 2019) “‘The people who are calling have some pretty good tricks up their sleeve:’ Social security scam calls spiking”

“詐騙者編造的故事越來越古怪。Ketti Bingen最近接到一個來電告訴她有逮捕令後才發現這一點。"

難怪這些詐騙工作：在他們背後的人有足夠關於受害者的資料，以便他們能成功地恐嚇受害者。去年，關於社會保障騙局的投訴大幅上升：聯邦貿易委員會報告有關投訴增加了1000％，根據Fox 6 Now新聞報導“‘The people who are calling have some pretty good tricks up their sleeve:’ Social security scam calls spiking”

Ketti Bingen接到一個電話，告訴她有人在德州的某個地方找到了一輛以她名字登記的車。他們告訴她車上有血跡及他們在車上發現了大量非法毒品。

來電者有她的社會安全號碼的最後四位數字。他們希望她透露她的姓名和出生日期。來電者建議她申請一個新的社會安全號碼。幸運的是，她知道這是詐騙所以便掛斷電話。

但並非所有美國人都那麼聰明。 2017年，聯邦貿易委員會收到3,200人完完全全地被騙, 而每個騙局平均騙得210,000美元。 2018年，共有35,000人被騙。總損失為1000萬美元。

威斯康星州消費者保護機構和全國各地的機構再重申：社會保障管理局不會致電並要求任何人提供資金。更永不會威脅，警告將逮捕或要求送禮品卡。

如果社會保障管理局希望與人聯繫，他們會通過郵件聯繫。

這些人成為這些詐騙電話的犧牲品的另一個原因是他們手機上的來電顯示似是來自政府機構。然而，這也是一個騙局。 要識別“詐騙”電話號碼或者看起來是詐騙號碼並不容易。

如果您擔心某人致電您家而自稱是來自社會保障管理局，您可以致電社會保障管理局專門處理詐騙的行政部門。如果您擔心安全問題，可以在打電話時要求保密。

參考: Fox 6 Now (Jan. 27, 2019) “‘The people who are calling have some pretty good tricks up their sleeve:’ Social security scam calls spiking”

Social Security Theft Is on the Rise: Be Prepared and Protected

“Last fall, after the Equifax breach, Jim Borland, acting deputy commissioner for communications at the Social Security Administration wrote a blog post on the agency website headlined ‘Protecting Your Social Security.’”

The advice in the blog post is still applicable today: everyone should go to the Social Security website and create an account. It’s a gateway to many online services from the Social Security Administration, and if you don’t set up your account, there is a greater chance that someone can set one up using your name. By creating your account, says Next Avenue in the article “Protect Yourself Against Social Security Identity Theft,” you can try to preempt this form of Social Security theft.

One woman took this advice, since anyone who is older than 18 and has a Social Security number, and email and a mailing address, is allowed to open an account, even if they are decades away from claiming any benefits. However, within nine months of doing so, she received an email from the Social Security Administration saying they were deactivating her account. What happened?

She hadn’t done anything. No one else, as far as she knew, had access to the account. Therefore, she called the Social Security Administration and requested a direct deposit block on her account. This did two things: it prevented changes to direct deposit information through a financial institution or through the Social Security website. It also stops anyone who might be trying to change a mailing address.

Some further research resulted in information about what might have happened. The U.S. Public Interest Research Group website reports that with a name, birth date and Social Security number, a thief can try to open an account in your name and then change your direct deposit information to their checking account. It’s not that hard to gather that information online.

A 2018 report from the Javelin Strategy and Research firm found that nearly 30% of Americans were notified of a breach of their accounts in 2017. That’s up from 12% in 2016 and cost $16.8 billion dollars.

Scammers have shifted tactics. One consumer helpline reports that there have been fewer complaints about people impersonating IRS agents demanding money and an increase of complaints about people impersonating Social Security Administration representatives.

How can you protect yourself?

If you haven’t already done so, sign up for a “my Social Security” account. Check it on a regular basis to monitor your address information or date of birth. If you see any information that has changed or is wrong, contact the Social Security Administration immediately.

If there’s any fraud or identity theft, you may also want to contact fraud hotlines at the Social Security Administration, Office of the Inspector General, the Federal Trade Commission and the Senate Select Committee on Aging.

If you have a problem logging into your account because the password has changed, call the Social Security and ask for “helpdesk,” when the system asks why you are calling.

Reference: Next Avenue (Jan. 17, 2019) “Protect Yourself Against Social Security Identity Theft”

Ohio Lawmakers Targeting Elder Fraud

“It is really an epidemic of people going after our most frail and fragile citizens. They can convince them they won the lottery and they haven’t bought a ticket.”

Ohio’s just passed a new state law targeting those who defraud and exploit the elderly. The bill increases financial penalties for theft from an older person, defined by state law as anyone over 65 years old. This new law has teeth. It mandates anyone convicted of defrauding an elderly person to pay them back every penny they stole. That’s in addition to a fine that can be as high as $50,000, reports the Dayton Daily News in the article “New Ohio law targets elder fraud as cases on the rise: Here’s how it works.”

The new law was recently signed into law by Governor John Kasich. The bill was sponsored by state Sen. Steve Wilson, who commented that during his years at a local bank, he saw seniors being ripped off every day.

The new law adds certain financial professionals to the list of people who are now obligated to tell authorities, if they have a reasonable cause to suspect that a senior is being either abused, neglected or exploited.

There’s also an educational component to the new law. The Ohio Attorney General is now required, by law, to distribute at least six public awareness publications every year to educate the public on warning signs that elder abuse is taking place, how to report it if they suspect it and what resources are available to either prevent or remedy elder fraud or elder financial abuse.

It is often bank employees who are the first to notice when a regular customer’s patterns have changed. Someone who comes into the bank every week to withdraw a small amount of cash, suddenly makes a big withdrawal. The bank employee is now required to notify the authorities, if they suspect that something is not right.

One smart feature of the new law: the fines will go to county agencies tasked with investigating elder abuse, so the bill is self-funding and will pay for its implementation.

Common schemes now targeting seniors include scammers calling and pretending to be family members needing immediate financial help. Home repair scams often target the elderly. Earlier this year, a man in Ohio targeted seniors, claiming that he owned their homes using fake property deeds, then tried to sell the properties to buyers.

The Ohio Job and Family Services Directors’ Association did a survey in 2017 and found that elder abuse, neglect and exploitation is on the rise in the Buckeye State. Unfortunately, Ohio is far from the only state seeing an increase in elder abuse.

Reference: Dayton Daily News (Dec. 26, 2018) “New Ohio law targets elder fraud as cases on the rise: Here’s how it works”

Push Back on Elder Abuse with Good Estate Planning 通過良好的資產規劃推翻老年人虐待事件 (中英對照)

“A Jamaica man was charged with tricking his 101-year-old neighbor into handing over the deed to his house last week. A trio of Maspeth thieves pleaded guilty to posing as grandchildren and even recruiting kids to rob senior citizens’ homes in July. In Flushing, a man allegedly begged an elderly victim to wire him $41,000 to post non-existent bail in the Dominican Republic.”

These are just three out of many elder abuse cases that have made their way to the Queens (New York) County Criminal Court in recent weeks, reports the Queens Daily Eagle in its article “Nuanced Directives, Power of Attorney Can Stem Elder Abuse.” These cases of elder abuse, fraud, and predation are reflective of a far larger problem.

As this borough of New York ages, the instances of predatory behavior and outright scams are getting worse. Predators often start out as well-intentioned caregivers.  However, they then start to take advantage of the senior under their care. They may start as someone who comes every day to check on the senior, helping with bills and then they see the senior’s assets. Sometimes they begin thinking they are entitled to some or all the senior’s assets.

Other types of abuse include stealing deeds to homes, when younger people establish seemingly caring relationships with elderly people, marrying them and then stealing their money while isolating the victims from their families. This is sometimes called “granny-napping,” where the caregiver manipulates the senior and turns them against other loved ones or former caregivers.

Cases like this turn to heartbreak for genuine, caring family members. The abuser poisons their loving relationship with a parent or grandparents.

One way to stem this abuse, is to ensure that older adults have advanced directives before something occurs. The estate planning or elder law attorney can tailor the document, so the person does not forfeit their rights or property, while putting legal protection in place.

What needs to be understood is this: the person who signs the document and becomes a senior’s representative has a fiduciary duty to act in the best interest of the person. If they breach that duty, there are legal consequences.

Bar associations work with attorneys across the country to help them in identifying and stopping elder abuse. The attorneys work with people in the healthcare field and in real estate, two areas where elder abuse occurs.

When an attorney suspects that elder abuse is taking place, the attorney has an option not to represent the agent and refer a case for guardianship on the grounds that the adult is being abused.

In markets where real estate values have skyrocketed, another real estate scam is for property hunters to go to Surrogate’s Court and find out who has died and who has inherited their estate. They approach heirs they deem to be financially or emotionally vulnerable and coax them into selling their property, usually for far below market value.

Putting an estate plan in place, can protect seniors from elder abuse. Speak with an estate planning attorney, to make sure that you or your loved ones are prepared for these scenarios.

Reference: Queens Daily Eagle (Aug. 8, 2018) “Nuanced Directives, Power of Attorney Can Stem Elder Abuse”

“上週，一名牙買加男子被指控欺騙他的101歲鄰居將房子的契約移交給他。三名Maspeth盜賊承認在7月份冒充孫子孫女甚至招募孩子去搶劫老人的家。據報導，在法拉盛，一名男子懇求一位年長的受害者向他索要41,000美元，為了交多米尼加共和國的不存在的保釋金”

這些只是近幾週來到皇后區（紐約）縣刑事法院的許多虐待案件中的三件。Queens Daily Eagle在文章中報導“Nuanced Directives, Power of Attorney Can Stem Elder Abuse”( Nuanced 指令，授權書可以遏制老人虐待) 這些虐待老人，欺詐和掠奪的案例反映了一個更大的問題。

隨著紐約居民老化，掠奪性行為和公開的騙局越來越嚴重。掠奪者通常從善良的照顧者開始。但是，他們慢慢地變得會利用他們照顧的老人。他們可能從每天來檢查老人，幫助處理賬單，然後他們看到老年人的資產。有時他們開始認為他們有資格獲得部分或全部老人的資產。

其他類型的虐待包括偷竊房子的契約的行為，當年輕人與老人建立看似關懷的關係時，嫁給他們然後偷錢，同時將受害者與家人隔離。這有時被稱為“奶奶小睡”，護理人員操縱老人並讓他跟親人或以前的照顧者反目。

像這樣的案件讓真正關心的親人感到心碎。施虐者害他們與父母或祖父母的感情關係破裂。

阻止這種濫用的一種方法是確保老人在事情發生之前有清楚的指令。資產規劃或老年法律律師可以為您度身定造文件，因此該人不會喪失其權利或財產，同時實施法律保護。

需要理解的是：簽署文件並成為長者代表的人有信託義務以符合長者的最佳利益。如果他們違反了這項義務，就會有法律後果。

律師協會與全國各地的律師合作，幫助他們識別和製止虐待老人。律師與醫療和房地產的行業人士合作，這兩個行業都是虐待老人的重災區。

當律師懷疑虐待老人時，律師可以選擇不代表當事人，並以成人受到虐待為由提起訴訟。

在房地產價格飆升的市場中，另一個房地產騙局是房地產獵人前往遺產法院，找出誰已經死亡，誰繼承了他們的財產。他們接近他們視為是財政或感情上脆弱的繼承人，並誘使他們出售房產，通常遠遠低於市場價值。

制定資產計劃，可以保護老人免受老年人虐待。與資產規劃律師談，以確保您或您的親人為這些情況做好準備。

參考: Queens Daily Eagle (Aug. 8, 2018) “Nuanced Directives, Power of Attorney Can Stem Elder Abuse”