U.S. Rep. Susie Lee, Older Adult Advocates Discuss Tackling Phone Scams

U.S. Rep. Susie Lee (D-Nev.) recently hosted an event with her constituents to discuss phone scams with older adult advocates, shortly after voting to pass the Stopping Bad Robocalls Act, reports the Las Vegas Sun . "Nevada and Congressional District 3 is home to a large number of seniors who represent probably the most vulnerable part of our community," she noted. Lori Power with the Nevada Senior Medicare Patrol cited a scam that older adults could fall victim to that reaches beyond robocalls. She said seniors may receive medical equipment deliveries without ordering it, and the sender bills Medicare for them. "In some cases, these providers aren't even giving the back brace; they're just charging Medicare," she pointed out. The Medicare Patrol's Melissa McDonald added that victims may then learn that Medicare will not cover the cost of a device when it is really needed. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) has proposed legislation to punish Telephone Consumer Protection Act violators with up to 12 months in prison, as well as boost the maximum fine for falsifying caller ID numbers to $20,000.