A Fremont woman avoided being duped by someone claiming to be from Medicare and Social Security.
Now Juanita Bruhn wants to warn others not to fall for the scam.
“He called and said he was from Medicare,” she said. “He had a lot of information about me that he wanted me to verify.”
That information included not only her name, but her date of birth, place of birth and mother’s maiden name.
“I agreed with the things he was saying at first. He was telling me I was going to receive extra Medicare,” Bruhn said. “My check is direct deposited and he knew where I banked.”
However, the man on the phone didn’t know her banking information and asked her for it.
She refused.
“They told me if I didn’t give them the information, they would cancel my Social Security and Medicare,” Bruhn said. “I knew they were not going to do that. I used to work for Social Security at one time, so I’m really knowledgeable.”
The caller became more and more angry, she said, and she kept asking him where he was from. She eventually got the answer “India” and she said with his accent that would have made sense.
The caller ID told a different story. The 315 area code is from upstate New York.
Calls to the phone number by the Fremont Tribune resulted in hang-ups each time ” before anyone said anything.
“This is really scary. It really upset me,” Bruhn said. “I was on the phone for 10 minutes because I wasn’t giving the information, but there’s a lot of people who would have given it.”
Especially, she said, after the threat of cutting off Medicare and Social Security payments.
“The federal government doesn’t work like that, that’s the bottom line,” said John Garlinger, Social Security Administration spokesperson. “We might call and ask for information, but as a result of something being done with a person that they would know about. Just to authenticate their identity.”
He said if someone uses direct deposit, the government already has their information and wouldn’t need to ask for it.
“Unfortunately way too much of our personal information is available on the Internet, so you have to be very careful,” Garlinger said. “People always need to take some kind of precautions when giving out information.”
When in doubt, he said not to give any information and call your local Social Security office or call 1-800-772-1213 to find out if the call was legitimate or not.
“Our 800 number is not outsourced. It’s in this country,” Garlinger said.
More information also can be found at www.socialsecurity.gov.
“My general advice is just think about what your mother told you way back when,” Garlinger said. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
He said it’s an unfortunate fact that people pick on seniors, but families can help.
“Children need to talk to the parents (about identity theft),” Garlinger said. “It’s not a pleasant situation, but it can help.”
After getting off the phone, Bruhn called the police, the Social Security Administration and her bank. She said her bank will be putting a watch on her account for the next six months.
“She did everything right and that’s how you protect yourself,” said Fremont Detective Joyce Henke. “Over the phone is not the way reputable agencies operate. Don’t give out any personal information over the phone to someone who called you.”
She said she has seen an increase in identity theft locally and said one thing people can do is shred any mail or documents with personal information on them before throwing it away.
“It’s well worth the $20 or so to buy a shredder,” Henke said. “There are people who do go through trash and look for personal information.”
It is unknown how the person who called got Bruhn information.
“All reputable businesses, federal agencies and the federal government will contact you by mail with official documents,” Henke said. “If you’re doubtful, look up the number and call.”
She said not to use any phone number on suspect mail because if the mail is bogus, the contact information is likely bogus, too.
“When in doubt, check it out,” Henke said.
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