Tag: robocalls

  • Help Protect Our Kūpuna Against Crime

    Every year, Hawai‘i residents are swindled out of money through many forms of crime. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 2.4 billion robocalls made every month. Over 3,500,000 older adults are swindled out of nearly $5 billion in personal savings each year. The average loss is $34,200-plus for every senior who falls victim to a scam. More than $17 million per year are lost to internet crimes (2021) — and cases are expected to rise by 10 percent this year. During the first two years of the pandemic, the US Office of the Inspector General received over 1,500 COVID-related complaints. In addition, Medicare loses $70 billion per year to fraudulent claims.

    Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP) Hawaii aims to mitigate those losses through the help of volunteers who educate and empower kūpuna and their ‘ohana before they become victims of healthcare fraud or another scam.

    You can help protect our kūpuna by becoming a volunteer. You can choose to be a counselor, presenter, information distributor, fair exhibitor or provider of clerical support. Training is available and volunteers learn at their own pace.

    Gaining satisfaction from helping others without ever leaving home is just one of the benefits of becoming an SMP volunteer. Becoming a volunteer also offers the opportunity to stay informed of latest scams, such as phony government agencies, fake tech support, family or friends imposters, online shopping gimmicks,  romance scam artists… the list goes on. Volunteers can also sharpen their computer skills to become a tech savvy senior, and learn about Medicare and community resources while having fun and making new friends who also have an interest in championing a worthy cause.

    SENIOR MEDICARE PATROL (SMP) HAWAII
    Department of Health — Executive Office on Aging
    250 S. Hotel St., Ste. 406, Honolulu, HI 96813
    808-586-7281 | Toll Free: 1-800-296-9422
    info@smphawaii.org | smphawaii.org
    This project was supported in part by grant number 90MPPG0053 from the US Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 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 ACL policy. *Sources: Star Advertiser, March 27, 2022; Consumer Affairs, Nov. 25, 2021; Comparitech, Jan. 11, 2022

    Every year, Hawai‘i residents are swindled out of money through many forms of crime. The Federal Trade Commission estimates that 2.4 billion robocalls made every month. Over 3,500,000 older adults are swindled out of nearly $5 billion in personal savings each year. The average loss is $34,200-plus for every senior who falls victim to a…

  • Robocalls: An Overview

    In the last year, Americans received about 5 billion robocalls per month, up from the 2 billion a month just two years ago. Robocalls are automated calls made by a computer program, enabling the telemarketer or scammer on the other end to call multitudes of phone numbers in a short span of time.

    It took me under five minutes of “Googling” to find a website and fill out a form to order robocalling software that I could use to dial hundreds of telephone numbers an hour.

    These calls are often from unfamiliar phone numbers. Answering the phone will let robocallers know that there is a person associated with this number as opposed to an automated system.

    Ignoring unfamiliar phone numbers, however, might not be enough to counter this problem, as robocallers have begun using technology that enables them to “spoof” or fake an incoming phone number that may appear to be more familiar. In other words, your caller ID device will indicate that the call is coming from an 808 area code when in actuality it could be from anywhere.

    Robocalls are very prevalent today. Nearly 50% of all mobile phone calls are spam. Many of these calls are telemarketers hoping to sell a product, but some of these calls intend to scam money or personal information from the call recipient.

    There are ways to reduce robocalls.

    Android and iPhone users might find success with applications and services such as Robokiller or Nomorobo. Additionally, Google and Apple have been working on implementing anti-robocall features into their software.

    Asking one’s cell phone carrier to block particular numbers is also a good strategy (a monthly fee may be charged).

    Major carriers such as Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all have features that might block or reduce robocalls.

    Joining the National Do Not Call registry (DoNotCall.gov) may also reduce robocalls and also lets you file a formal complaint with the Federal Trade Commission.

    But the most effective way to reduce robocalls is to never answer the phone. Let all phone calls go to voicemail, then assess them before returning the call, if appropriate.

    This may not give you the satisfaction of yelling at the robocaller, but the number of unwanted calls you receive will decline.

    If you have questions about elder abuse, call or email:
    808-768-7536 | ElderAbuse@honolulu.gov

    In the last year, Americans received about 5 billion robocalls per month, up from the 2 billion a month just two years ago. Robocalls are automated calls made by a computer program, enabling the telemarketer or scammer on the other end to call multitudes of phone numbers in a short span of time. It took…