Hospitals, nursing homes, or any other medical care facility spends thousands or billions of dollars to get the best medical equipment. These may include wheelchairs, medical device stands, surgical instruments, etc. Many suppliers call to offer their services; while this helps reduce the workload spent looking for medical items, it also gives way to some telemarketers who exploit customers. They do this in an attempt to enrich themselves.
If you have found yourself in a medical equipment scam because you relied on a telemarketer who was out to make money, you may have a claim.
Telemarketing in Medical Supplies
For any offer, someone has to reach customers in some way. In most cases, it’s a call. Some of these calls are unsolicited .Sometimes; it could be someone claiming to have been sent by the host company.
While telemarketing is considered to be a nuisance, not every telemarketer is illegal. If you have relied on unwanted telemarketing calls and such telemarketers stole your personal information to benefit themselves, you may have a claim.
There are many illegal tactics used by unwanted telemarketers who claim to make medical supplies. Below are some examples:
1. A call indicating that a family member has offered payment for a specific medical alert equipment system. Here, the unwanted telemarketer may request your personal information pretending to arrange for delivery.
2. A call requesting for your personal information such as bank details to be paying for your medical supplies. This scam is commonly used to trick elderly people with certain health conditions, as a way to lure them into getting their money drained from their bank accounts.
3. Many doctors complain about aggressive phone calls received from medical suppliers. Such calls are so frequent. Sometimes claiming to offer free medical equipment to be covered up by the insurance companies.
Most telemarketers obtain one name for the mailed solicitations or can even partner with legal medical suppliers companies to have such information.
Such medical equipment are not ‘free’, they cost consumers thousands of dollars before they suspect they have been conned.
Telemarketers Rules
According to the telemarketing sales rules, no telemarketer’s should call you if:
1. You have stated that you don’t want to be called.
2. Your telephone is on the national do not call registry. Note that if you had a previous consent to be called and this has not been canceled, stating that you don’t want any calls, such telemarketers could continue calling you.
No telemarketing calls should be made unless:
1. They are for emergency purposes, such as delivering emergent medical equipments.
2. They are to deliver a specific medical care message.
There are a few things one can do to ensure they are safe, including:
1. Hang up when they are calling; make sure that you don’t press any key. If you press any key, they will keep on calling you as they will know it’s a live number.
2. Don’t give out any information, especially if you doubt the number calling. You cannot find any legitimate medical supplier calling to ask for your social security number or bank details.
3. Make sure to review your Medicare or any other insurance details to see any claims you may have.
4. You can also avoid sharing your number with strangers in the name of the business. You should only share it with trusted medical equipment suppliers.
Most of the legit medical equipment suppliers will have organized with Medicare. And mostly, you get to pay a fraction of the total amount of the equipment you need.
Filing a Claim
While this illegal scheme has been exposed and continues to be, scammers still find their way out to steal information from innocent consumers. The best part is that one harmed by such actions can file a compensation claim.
According to the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), consumers are protected from unwanted calls from telemarketers. If you have suffered harm from illegal telemarketers, you can consult a lawyer who understands laws protecting consumers from telemarketers.
Auto dials and the use of fake caller IDs make it challenging for anyone to track unwanted telemarketers. You can choose to have your number on the Do Not Call Registry; this way; you limit the number of fake medical suppliers who can get you through fake callers. This way, it becomes easier to file a claim.
In most telemarketing involving medical care suppliers, unwanted callers will get to you by claiming to offer free services. Further, they request your personal information to process the free services. In fact, you may have medical items delivered, but the scammer will have phished out your personal information.
If you’re a doctor, caregiver, or other medical staff who has suffered and has a complaint concerning unwanted telemarketers for medical supplies, you may speak to an experienced lawyer. Such a lawyer can guide you on the best way to file for compensation.
