The Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) has received scam reports from Vermonters who have reported receiving calls from scammers claiming to be grandchildren or lawyers representing loved ones in an emergency and that money is needed. When contacted by someone who asks for money, a gift card to be purchased, funds to be wired, or for any other financial transaction, take steps to verify the identity of your loved one in distress.
Tag: Consumer Assistance Program
Feeding Baby During the Formula Shortage
There are only two kinds of food a newborn baby can eat: breastmilk and simulated breastmilk, otherwise known as baby formula. months. The parents that have been navigating this well know best, but perhaps I can help simplify some of the information that has been circulating.
Legal Authority Imposters
The legal authority imposter scam has presented itself as one of the more common scams state-wide. In 2021, CAP recorded 277 reports of the Legal Authority Imposter Scam and nearly $200,000 in cumulative loss by six Vermonters. In this scam, a call comes in unexpectedly, claiming to be someone of legal authority: a sheriff, police officer, law office, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, for example. The caller expresses an urgent distressing problem, often threatening arrest, and eventually requests payment for the problem to go away. Stop all scams by following the SLOW Method.
2021 Scams with Loss Reported to the Consumer Assistance Program
Reports of scams to the Attorney General’s Consumer Assistance Program (CAP) totaled 5,154 in 2021, up just slightly from the previous year’s 5,021 reports. As imposter scams are of ongoing concern in Vermont, CAP recently distributed a video imposter scam prevention project, highlighting three concerning imposter scams with high dollar loss: the Romance Imposter scam, the Family Emergency/Imposter Scam, and the Business Imposter Email Scam. As highlighted in the prevention project, taking steps to verify can help individuals avoid scams. A simple verification process to follow for all scams is the SLOW Method.
No More Surprise Out-of-Network Medical Bills
there are several resources available to consumers to resolve medical billing disputes, particularly if a regulated business, such as an insurance provider is involved. In the medical billing realm, consumers have earned more protections just this January through the Federal No Surprises Act, aka the “No Surprises Act” or the “No Surprise Billing Act.” The No Surprises Act prevents surprise medical bills and has changed how unanticipated out-of-network bills can be assessed. The intention of the act is to remove the surprise that accompanies receiving large unanticipated bills after receiving health care services. There is a lot to know and there are already a number of resources to help you understand the act and your rights more thoroughly, including information on Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services websites.