Illegal Medical Alert Phone Scams Target Seniors

PHILADELPHIA, PA--(Marketwired - Jul 2, 2013) - According to the FBI's website, fraud involving medical equipment is one of the most prevalent scams for senior citizens. They go on to note that these scams usually involve "equipment manufacturers offering 'free' products to individuals and then charged for products that were not needed and/or may not have been delivered." In recent weeks, many seniors have reported experiencing this exact scam with robocalls from fraudulent companies claiming to be Medical Guardian.

These scammers use the Medical Guardian name and reputation to trick seniors into signing up for services they either don't need or already have. Medical Guardian customers have reported that the robocallers identify themselves as being Medical Guardian representatives offering to send them free equipment.

"We're very concerned about this scam," said Grant Eckert, Director of Marketing for Medical Guardian. "We don't want this to cast a negative light on a service that helps protect thousands of Americans each year."

One customer reported receiving a second box, supposedly from Medical Guardian, but marked with the logo for another company. After much confusion, they learned that they had fallen for the scam and are attempting to get their money back from the other company. Other customers have called in, angry that they seem to be getting a relentless amount of phone calls from Medical Guardian.

"Our trade association, the Medical Alert Monitoring Association, has been aggressively pursuing these scammers," said Geoff Gross, Medical Guardian CEO. "We're not the only company that these frauds have been using in their scam and we're determined to put an end to this."

Medical Guardian is a leading provider of Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) and has helped provide peace of mind to older Americans and their loved ones for over 30 years. From the beginning, Medical Guardian's mission has been to provide seniors with access to affordable and reliable senior alert systems. Thousands of Americans across the country now enjoy a renewed sense of independence, and their loved ones have the peace of mind knowing that help is always just a push of a button away.