Avoid health care scams that arrive in your inbox or on your phone.
I’ve been receiving scam emails lately that are supposedly from one health care service, but really are not. Maybe you have, too.
Life Line Screening is a legitimate health screening service specializing in heart measurements, to reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks.
It gets a decent rating by the Better Business Bureau - two stars out of five based on customer reviews.
Of course, the reviews are better on the Life Line Screening website,
The problem is the phony bogus scam Life Line Screening alerts from phishing and malware sites.
According to the National Council on the Aging, internet scams are one of the Top Ten scams targeting seniors.
In recent weeks, I’ve received the same offer from what looks like Life Line Screening from the following domains -
Somebody @leveleid.com
Somebody @gunpoints.com
Somebody @convoluted.com
Somebody @amahara.com
Somebody @recycle2build.com
All the scam emails have the same graphic, which includes a “special” $149 price instead of the regular $330 price, and the same “pirority code”.
All the scam emails have the same toll-free phone number - which is different than the number on the real Life Line Screening website.
Quite frankly, I’m astounded that Life Line Screening isn’t stopping the scammers.
How to Avoid Being Scammed
If you get an unsolicited email from a health screening service, do not click the link or call the phone the number in the email.
Always check on the “return address” of an email before opening any link or attachment. If the “return address” does not match the product or service it is advertising, do not click on the link or call the phone the number in the email.
Seriously, would anybody in their right mind sign up for a health screening service from recycle2build.com?
It will lead you to an unhealthy site whose sole purpose is to steal your identify by placing malware on your computer, tablet or phone. Or, selling your email address to other scammers. Or, just stealing the money you pay them.
The scam phone number could connect you to another country, and you would be charged sky-high rates without your knowledge, which would show up on your phone bill next month.
If the service interests you, do a website search for the company - as I did - to find the legitimate website and legitimate offer.
If you do that - as I did - you will find that Life Line Screening has several locations in Brooklyn and Bronx where screenings are available, and also in Northern New Jersey, and that the company offers additional types of screening, including for cholesterol and diabetes.
Search for the nearest one by zipcode, for a specific date and time for an appointment.
Ask Your Doctor
Always ask your regular doctor before signing up for any produce or service that arrives in your inbox or your mailbox or over the phone
Evelyn Kanter is a native New Yorker who has written for the NY Times, NY Daily News, NY Post, New York Magazine, and is a former on-air consumer reporter for WCBS Newsradio 88 and WABC-TV Eyewitness News.
NYCOTC Editor Evelyn Kanter also is the author of several NYC and Hudson Valley guidebooks, including my latest, 100 Things to Do in NYC Before You Die.
Purchase autographed copies by emailing [email protected]
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