This year’s theme, “Make Your Mark,” is to encourage and celebrate the countless contributions that Older Americans make to their communities.

Why not make you mark and become an SPM volunteer? If you like meeting new people and public speaking, we could use you on our team! The SMP program hands out information at community events and/or speaks to other community groups about Medicare Fraud. If you are interested in becoming a SMP volunteer, please give our office a call at 1-800-333-4374.

Recently, our office received a phone call from the daughter of a woman who was being interviewed in her home. The daughter was concerned that this was a scam, as her mom gave out a lot of personal information. The daughter was able to take pictures, on her phone, of the paperwork that explained the survey that her mom was participating in. She then contacted our office and with the help of our partner organizations, we were able to determine that the survey was legitimate, and it was not a scam.

With so many scams going on: Genetic testing, back braces, getting billed for services not provided. It is better to be safe than sorry. Please feel free to call our office to make sure that the phone call you have received, or the post card you received in the mail, or the advertisement you saw on TV is legitimate.

Remember to check out our website for the latest information on senior issues, Medicare Fraud updates and about our free patients’ rights phone teach ins. Our website is nysenior.org.