If it’s too good to be true, it probably isn’t – like cards claiming money-saving benefits that have been mailed to senior citizens in the Colorado Springs area.Carol Odell, executive director of the Better Business Bureau of Southern Colorado, said seniors have been receiving cards that claim to be an “important elderly law update” on congressional legislation that “standardizes entitlement provisions for persons over 60.”A group called National Processing Center is sending cards making claims about saving money, Odell said. They claim that seniors can avoid all probate and estate taxes, could exempt their assets from collection by government or nursing homes and avoid income taxes on investments or social security; plus, earn double or triple interest on CDs with no risk to principal.According to an article posted last December at www.aarp.com, the card is a scheme to sell annuities – long-term investments generating high commissions for the sellers but usually unsuitable for older retirees.The cards look like legitimate government mailings, with a return address listed as Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C.Odell said National Processing Center is an alias for America’s Recommended Mailers Inc.In 2006, the attorney general of Texas successfully sued America’s Recommended Mailers for violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices-Consumer Protection Act, she said.The Texas suit against America’s Recommended Mailers states that the company “solicits and obtains the personal information of elderly persons without disclosing the true purpose,” Odell said.In addition to National Processing Center, the mailings could come under the names “Federal Processing Center” or “American Seniors Alliance.”National Processing Center is involved in another scam, according to www.complaintsboard.com. The company mails cards that look like official government mailings, telling people they qualify for a grant.Anyone who responds gets a high-pressure phone call promising that for just $385 the company will do research to find out which grant an applicant might qualify for. Once the money is forked over, the scam is complete.The BBB warns people who receive a card from the National Processing Center not to respond to it.There’s another type of scammer – and this one could show up in person.Odell said she recently talked with a 91-year-old woman who said she has had a lot of men knocking on her door asking if they could inspect her roof for hail damage, when there hasn’t been any hail.”These people are ‘travelers’ and they’re around here every year,” Odell said. “It’s not just roofing. It’s asphalt, landscaping; you name it and they can do it for you for the best price.”Odell recommended only doing business with people or companies that can be contacted.Scammers are always ready to take advantage of the latest consumer issue.Now that the health insurance reform bill has passed, people need to check out any health care related offer thoroughly because there will be scams about that, too, Odell said.”A company doesn’t have to be a BBB member for the BBB to have information on it,” she said. “If we don’t have any information on how long they’ve been in business or what their address is, that’s a red flag.”Check out the BBB’s Web site at www.southerncolorado.bbb.org to research businesses, or call the BBB at 719-636-5076.
