Augusta, Maine - Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills is warning Maine elders to be wary of a phone scam in which the callers lead you to believe they are eligible for a free life alert or medical alert device product and then ask for sensitive, personal financial information. Life Alert is well-known for their tag line of "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up.""Seniors should always be wary of anyone calling them to tell them that they are eligible for free products in exchange for their personal information," said Attorney General Mills. "Legitimate companies do not operate like this. This scam is particularly insidious because it trades on the well-known brand of Life Alert which is intended for very vulnerable senior citizens."
The company that produces the real Life Alert product has filed a lawsuit against those who have been impersonating Life Alert through scam phone calls, and lying and manipulating seniors into providing personal and financial information. The named defendants include LifeWatch Inc. and Connect America. com, LLC (aka Medical Alert), two companies that purport to be legitimate providers of personal emergency response systems.
Attorney General Mills said that the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General's Office has received numerous complaints from Maine seniors about the Life Alert product scam. If any Maine Seniors
believe they have been a target of this scam, they should call the Consumer Protection Division: 1-800-436-2131 or email: consumer.mediation@Maine.gov
Below is a statement issued by the Life Alert company with more details on this scam: Life Alert is fighting imposters who are using robo-calls and Life Alert's trademarks to scam the elderly. Life Alert filed a lawsuit against LifeWatch Inc. and ConnectAmerica.com LLC (aka Medical Alert) for impersonating Life Alert through scam phone calls to the elderly, then lying and manipulating them into providing personal and financial information. May 23, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Life Alert has protected the elderly for over 25 years. As the founder and industry leader in the personal emergency response systems for the elderly, Life Alert saves a life from a catastrophe every 11 minutes. Therefore, Life Alert would like the public to know that it has filed a lawsuit against those involved in impersonating Life Alert through scam phone calls to senior citizens, and then lying and manipulating them into providing personal and financial information. The named defendants include LifeWatch Inc. and Connect America. com, LLC (aka Medical Alert) two companies that purport to be legitimate providers of personal emergency response systems.
The perpetrators of these phone scams were successful because of their use of Life Alert's famous brand name, slogan and reputation. As a result of their actions, thousands of senior citizens were scammed nationwide and tremendous damage was caused to Life Alert. The C.E.O. of LifeWatch, Evan Sirlin, and the Chairman of Connect America, Kenneth Gross, were also named as defendants for their involvement with the scam phone calls.
We hope that this lawsuit will punish the responsible parties and prevent other companies from buying fraudulent contracts. Life Alert will sue any company that impersonates and/or illegally uses its registered trademarks, and hopes that this action will end the nationwide unsolicited, illegal, automated calls that are misleading and scamming our senior citizens. About Life Alert Life Alert Emergency Response, Inc. is the founder and leader in personal emergency response industry and has been providing services to seniors nationwide since 1987. Their trademarked slogan, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up!" is ranked as the most memorable ad over the last 25 years by USA Today. Life Alert is the first personal response service to employ two-way communication for its members and is the only company to invest over $150 million in branding and public education about personal protection. Life Alert is the only company that former U.S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop, M.D. endorsed; Dr. Koop has appeared in Life Alert commercials from 2004 up until his death in 2013. www.lifealert.com
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