| Fraud Facts, News,

Care Connection for Aging Services is focusing on Fraud Prevention Month in March, especially this week, dubbed National Consumer Protection Week by the Federal Trade Commission.
Providing seniors with practical information to keep them from becoming victims of fraud is part of fulfilling Care Connection’s mission to “provide resources and services that empower people to create healthy aging experiences.”
According to the new 2018 Consumer Sentinel Data Book, imposter scams, debt collection, and identity theft are the top issues reported to federal officials.
Year round, Care Connection operates the Missouri SMP (Senior Medicare Patrol) to make sure that seniors know about the latest Medicare scams. Medicare fraud costs the government (and thus consumers) an estimated $6.8 million each hour.
Rona McNally, Care Connection’s Director of Special Projects, directs the statewide SMP program. The SMP consists of a network of volunteers trained to help seniors prevent, detect and protect against fraud, especially Medicare fraud.
While the main focus is on Medicare fraud, Care Connection’s senior advocates also want to make consumers aware of the many other ways in which scammers are trying to steal from bank accounts and credit card accounts, as well as to trick consumers into giving them private information. The SMP also operates a hotline at 1-888-515-6565 for seniors to report suspected Medicare Fraud.
The NCPW.gov is a free website to help consumers spot, stop and report scams. The site hosts a network of more than 200 federal, state and local partners that are devoted to protecting consumers. The site’s free tools and resources can help consumers understand rights and make better-informed decisions about money, according to the FTC.
To see latest tips and tools, visit Consumer.FTC.gov, IdentityTheft.gov, and Consumer.gov.
Care Connection for Aging Services, a non-profit area agency on aging serving West Central Missouri, operates 23 locations in 13 counties — including Bates, Benton, Carroll, Cedar, Chariton, Henry, Hickory, Johnson, Lafayette, Pettis, Saline, St. Clair and Vernon. Its mission is to provide resources and services that empower people to create healthy aging experiences. For more information, call 1-800-748-7826 or email us at information@goaging.org.

The Missouri SMP project was supported, in part by grant number 90MP0204, from the U.S. Administration for Community Living, Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, D.C. 20201. Grantees undertaking projects under government sponsorship are encouraged to express freely their findings and conclusions. Points of view or opinions do not, therefore, necessarily represent official Administration for Community Living policy.