In recent months, the Hawaii Better Business Bureau has received numerous complaints about representatives pretending to be calling from medicaid and medicare providers.
"They're asking questions like do you have back pains some general pains do you have arthritis? so general things that the seniors may have. If they say yes, they say well you qualify for these kind of services and they'll go into some great product or some great service that will alleviate the pain," says Timothy Caminos, Hawaii Better Business Bureau.
Caminos says the senior on the phone is then transferred to another person who asks them for their personal information.
"Medicare medicaid they'll never ever have someone ask for your information over the phone if they solicit you the only time they will ever ask for your information is if you call them," says Caminos.
Experts say never give our your personal information over the phone.
"A lot of times public information is a big tool that thieves use if a senior is a homeowner for example public records would show that," says Caminos.
"Sometimes seniors do things put their information out there mailing lists," says Caminos.
The Hawaii BBB advises seniors who receive calls like this to hang up immediately.
"They're opening the door for i.d. theft because they've given away their date of birth their social security number their address so all the pertinent information that a thief would need to take their identity from them," says Caminos.
If you've become a victim of this scam you can contact the Hawaii BBB for help.
For a link to the Hawaii BBB visit the action line section on our website, khon2.com.
Or call our action line volunteers about your consumer concerns at 591-0222 Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.
