He said he'd been arrested for reckless driving and asked her to forward $2,600 for bail. She said she didn't have the money but she'd see what she could do and where did it need to go. She was told "The Bank of Madrid".
Fortunately, she contacted my other uncle about this and was informed that this is a scam where too much information is available on Facebook. The scammers called her back (since she had said she'd see what she could do) and asked her if she was going to send the money. Her response was:
Yes, this exact freud was on the news a week or so ago. Probably it is a good idea to not have any relatives whom you believe might need bail.
The latest fraud is a company called--I can't remember because I'm not in my right mind these days--something like American Retiree Information. They offer to come to your house, and explain the recent "changes" to Medicare. I replied that Medicare always made me aware of its changes, and the woman said, "We mean, the changes to the Medicare supplements." I asked her what supplements she was talking about, and she said that they represent "several different insurance companies."
My elderly friend had these people come over to her house, and they confused her into signing a contract, which she thought was a Plan D. It turned to be a Medicare advantage PPO program which over-rode her previous plan, which she liked, and it also over-rode Medicare. She had to change her doctors and her hospital, and make large co-payments. She couldn't change back for a year, and she had to re-qualify for her original plan. She's still waiting to hear if her old plan will take her back.
I hate people who prey on people who are old, confused, and vulnerable!
Don't let anyone come over to your house, period. If they can't mail you WRITTEN information, then the information is bogus.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/15/2011 12:42AM by motherwhoknows.