WEBVTT
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This program is designed to provide general information with regards
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to the subject matters covered. This information is given with
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the understanding that neither the hosts, guests, sponsors, or station
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are engaged in rendering any specific and personal medical, financial,
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legal counseling, professional service, or any advice. You should seek
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the services of competent professionals before applying or trying any
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suggested ideas in The information contained in this podcast is
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intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute
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for individual professional legal advice. The podcast information was carefully
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compiled from vetted sources and references. However, Rose resources outreach
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to safeguard the elderly cannot guarantee that you will not
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fall victim.
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To a scam.
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Let's talk about scams. It's the must listen show for
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anyone who wants to protect themselves and their loved ones
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from scams. Every Tuesday am Pacific time on K four
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HD Radio, Joyce Petrowski, founder of Rose, and her guests
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will provide valuable insights and practical tips on how to
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recognize and protect yourself from scams. And now here is
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your host, Joyce Petrowski.
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Welcome back everyone to let's talk about scams. I'm Joyce Petrowski,
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founder and board president of Rose Resources Outreach to safeguard
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the elderly. You can find more information on our website
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at Roseadvocacy dot org. You'll find our events listed there.
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You can schedule are schedule a presentation tab. You'll also
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find our social media links there at the top of
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the homepage, and if you scroll down to the bottom,
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you can see where you can sign up for our
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emailed newsletter and we also send one out in the mail.
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You can sign up for one or both, and you
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can also download our safety checklist as well. So today
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I want to talk about senior benefits that scammers are
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always looking to.
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Take from us.
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Unfortunately, I found an article that was written just a
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couple of days ago by Katie Willis. It's on through
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WSM on the MSN site and it's titled Senior Benefits
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Fraud is up sharply in twenty twenty six and this
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all deals with government scams. So the Social Security and
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Medicare are two of the top ones that scammers will
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impersonate do government imposter scams targeting people on Medicare and
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Social Security. The government impersonation complaints to the Federal Trade
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Commission rose twenty five percent in twenty twenty five. I
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believe that's taken from the fiscal year ending June of
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two thousand and twenty five to there were more than
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three hundred and thirty thousand complaints, with the Social Security
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Office being the most impersonated federal agency. And remember these
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stats that I'm going to give you today from this
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article or from the Federal Trade Commission. I know we
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always take our stats from the FBI, but you can
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report to the Federal Trade Commission as well, and that's
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where these stats today are coming from. So let's get
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into a few of them. But just keep in mind
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that the government personation scams, yes, they go out to
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millions of people, but through a variety of different ways
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scammers figure out your information. So the first one we're
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going to talk about is Medicare card phishing call. So
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just know that, for instance, like if a health insurance
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or not specifically health insurance, but a health related company
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were to get hacked or breached, how much of your
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medical information then could be out there being sold to
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scammers And now they can use that information to have
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even more targeted calls towards you. So the Medicare card
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phishing call, So the script usually goes like this. The
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caller tells you that Medicare is issuing updated cards with
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new security features. Yeah, that doesn't seem too far fetched, right,
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there are certain instances where Medicare would issue new cards.
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And with all of the fraudulent activity going on in
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a wide variety of areas today and all the scams,
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a lot of companies are increasing their security features, so
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why wouldn't you know government offices do the same, So
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this isn't far fetched. But they're saying you need to
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verify your identity before years can be mailed, and so
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you know, they want you to give your data, birth,
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your SOLF security, your Medicare, you know, identify your number,
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a bunch of different things, just to confirm that it
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is you that we're actually talking to. Sometimes the scammer's
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going to say your current card has been compromised and
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a replacement card is being processed. Again, they need to
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verify you with this personal identifiable information. So, as of
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the writing of this article a few days ago, there
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are no plans to issue new Medicare cards to all members.
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This year, you'll get a new card if you ask
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for a new card. For instance, maybe you lost yours
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and you've requested a replacement card. Or if someone is
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committed fraud using your name in Medicare information and you've
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reported it, then they're going to issue you a new card,
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but they don't call you to verify your identity before
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mailing anything. Medicare does not do that. And what damage
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can be done? You know, if a scammer gets your
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Medicare number and we always tell people your Medicare number
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is personal identifiable information, well they can build Medicare for
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fake surgeries, prescriptions, medical equipment, doctor's visits, all kinds of
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things in your name in Medicare number.
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And yet it.
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Drains the system because it's fraudulent charges. But it also
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can have a major effect on your medical records that
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might affect something down the road, and you might not
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find out for months until you get your explanation of benefits.
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And that's if you then.
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Look at your explanation of benefits. Some people just get them.
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They know what it is, and they just open it
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and they're like, Okay, I know what it is. You know,
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I'm going to just file it away and they don't
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even look at it. But this is another reason why
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you should always look at your explanation of benefits and
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make sure that the charges that are on there are
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actually yours. And if they're not, you want to go
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directly to Medicare, the one eight hundred Medicare and call
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them and report that there's been fraudulent activity on your account.
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And you also, you know, say you get that phishing
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phone call saying that they're from Medicare, just because the
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caller ID shows up Medicare or shows up one eight
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hundred Medicare on your phone, that does not mean it's
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actually Medicares. Scammers have been able to spoof caller ID
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for years and now they're able to spoof the phone
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number as well to make it all the more legitimates.
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So don't answer. You can if you have an online
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account with Medicare, you can go on and you can
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check things out that way. You can call Medicare yourself.
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Just pull your card out the phone numbers right there
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and call the phone number on there.
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And yes you are.
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You know, you're going to have to give them your
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information to verify yourself, but then they can tell you
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what's going on. But the other thing is, this is
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why it's always good to have a Medicare agent, because
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you can then always talk to your Medicare agent.
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They know, you know, not only the new.
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Policies that come out, the new plans that come out,
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any changes that are made. Medicare agents are required to
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learn all of this stuff every year, and they're in
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the process us of learning, probably learning it right now
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or soon, you know, I'm not exactly sure when they
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get all this information, but they will have all of
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it and they will know all of the new plans
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and the changes by the time annual enrollment comes up
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in October, which I believe it's October fifteenth to December seventh. Now, yes,
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you you know, can call them, and you know because
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you might have friends or family say hey, I got
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this new plan and I'm saving all this money.
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You should change.
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Please don't change just because someone told you that it's
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the greatest thing since slice spread.
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Just always talk to your agent.
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They know your situation, they know your health history, and
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they are the ones that are going to be able
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to tell you whether that new plan or what changes
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in a plan are going to actually work for you.
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So you know don't have a Medicare agent. Talk to
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your friends and family and find out who they use
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and who they trust, and then talk to that to agent.
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So just know that Medicare does not issue new Medicare
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cards on a whim. If you've requested a new one,
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then they'll a replacement one.
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They'll send it to you.
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If there's been medical a fraud on your account, then
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they'll send you a new Medicare card. But they're not
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going to call you and ask you to verify your
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information in order to get your new card. Another scam,
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the government scam that has increased a lot, is the
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Social Security And every year we have what's called it's
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COLA for shorts coo LA, it's the cost of living
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adjustment and this one is called the fake cost of
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living activation message. So every year Social Security announces its
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annual cost of living adjustment and when that comes out,
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scammers are going to build those campaigns within days.
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There.
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You know, you get a text message, you get an email,
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You very well could get a fake letter in the mail.
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I know they don't do.
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So much in the mail these days, but I wouldn't
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put it past them. You know, they could send you
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that email with a fake Social Security letter attached to that,
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you know, copying their logo from the real Soil Security website.
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They probably already have fake Social Security websites.
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Is where these links are going to take you. So
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they're going to want you.
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To log in to confirm your account to receive the increase. Again,
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Social Security is not going to ask you to log
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into your account to confirm the increase.
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It's automatic.
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They have their process that they go through, they have
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some software that they use. It's automatically calculated, and they
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send you a letter in the mail telling you what
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your new what your cost of living adjustment is, and
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what your new Soil Security monthly benefit is going to be.
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So they.
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Let's see what else it. They also could have information,
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you know, like your doctor's name and stuff like that
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because they, uh, they get it from healthcare breaches like
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we talked about before. So the Social Security Office of
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Inspector General has warned explicitly that criminals are sending fake
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text and emails directing people to fake Social Security websites
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because they're trying to harvest your personal and financial information.
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Just know that Social Security is not going to text
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or email you links to click.
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On and they're not going to call you.
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If you want to know what your cost of living increases,
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and you have your online accounts set up with Social Security,
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go to the Social Security website the s SA for
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Social Security Administration dot gov and that dot gov is
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a government office and get into your account that way,
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and it will have your cost of living adjustment and
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you can check things out. It's going to have all
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your information about your Social Security in that account. Another
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one that they reference that's gone up substantially is impersonating
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the Social Security office with a phone call, and this
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one has.
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Produced the highest losses per.
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Victim, and that's because this is where your emotions are in.
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They get you in a state of fear right away.
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They combine the fear with the urgency, which makes it
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more difficult to think through, to think calmly through the situation.
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So you could have a live person.
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When if you answer the phone call and it's this
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fake Social Security impersonation call, it could be an actual
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person or it could be recorded message. But basically what
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they're saying is that your Social Security number has been
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linked to fraudulent criminal activity. Well, that's going to scare
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people right away.
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Right.
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Fraudulent, yes, but then adding criminal to it that scares people, right.
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They might say it could be drug trafficking, money laundering,
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whatever they come up with. But they say your Social
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Security number has been suspended and there's a warrant out
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for your arrest. That adds to the fear that they're
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trying to instill in you, so you don't think calmly
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and rationally about the situation. But they have a way
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out of this mess. If you cooperate, immediately provide the
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information they ask, or make a payment, it will resolve
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the matter before they send out law enforcement. So just
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know that you know social Security numbers cannot be suspended.
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They won't just automatically suspend your number. They will not
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threaten legal action if you don't pay, say that they
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need money to activate a benefit, pressure you to share
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sensitive information, contact you through social media, or demand that
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you keep the conversation secret. They will not do any
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of that if it is the legitimate government communication. And