Grandpa,
Last March I filled out the census form and sent it in as required. Last week I got a telephone call informing me that I was in violation because the information I gave was not in accord with the information the government had on file. The caller said that I will have to pay to have an inspector come out and verify my information visually. I can pay when they get here or save $50 off the cost by prepaying with a credit or debit card. The amount of pressure the caller put on me to prepay screamed out the “scam alert” warning in my head. So, I told them they are wrong because I never filled out a census report. That was a mistake! Now I am getting calls every day threatening me that I will go to jail for failing to file the report. I know it is just a high pressure rip off, but I can’t get them to stop calling.
Grandpa says: Pigs wallow in the mud. You get mud on you whether you hug the pig or push him away. To stay clean, don’t touch the pig. You will continue to get these calls for a while. Never engage them in conversation. As soon as you know it is the scammers, hang up. Eventually the scammers will move on to other prey. Until then, when you get a call and hang up, tell yourself, “I wish I had heeded Grandpa’s advice to just hang up.”
Grandpa,
I am on Medicare and Medicaid. I am wheelchair-bound. I use a bus service paid by the county to get to and from my medical appointments. I do pay a co-pay for the service. There is one driver that refuses to help me, or anyone else on the bus, get in or out of the house. She just sits in her seat and watches people try to get up and down the ramps. All of the other drivers help the passengers. I have complained to the bus company and asked that this lady never be assigned to me. Well, I still get her as my driver on occasion. And the bus company still tells me that I have no choice in who they can send to me. Now what?
Grandpa says: Have you called your caseworker at the county office? Have you contacted you’re your representative on the County Board? Have you complained to the people at Medicare? Do you have private insurance that pays part of the bill? If so, talk to them. Keep a journal of every trip you take with the bus company. Record everything in your journal, good and bad experiences, names, dates, times, everything. Be vigilant. Mention the problem to your health-care providers. Name names. As my Grandpa used to tell me, “If you want to stay on top of the heap, you have to stay on top of the problems.”
Grandpa says: Spring is here! It is time for the birds to sing, the flowers to bloom, and the scammers to pounce. Two out of three isn’t bad.
Got something stuck in your craw? Ask Grandpa. Address your letters to Ask Grandpa c/o The Voice, PO Box 123,
Aurora, IL 60507 or send an E-mail to askgrandpa@thevoice.us.