We Are Not Calling You
We want to let everyone know that there is a telemarketing group that is identifying themselves as Senior Benefits.
First, and foremost, we want you to know that this is Not our company, nor are they affiliated with us in any form.
Always know that our advisors do not ‘Cold Call’ consumers.
Our advisors only contact those individuals by phone who have either been referred to us personally or sent a request to be contacted.
Senior Benefit Services, Inc is aware that this group is using a variation of our name and due to our top internet rankings, many folks are contacting our office in error, thinking it is our company calling them.
It appears that the numbers that are showing up on individual Caller ID displays are in fact ‘false’ numbers that are being used to trick people into answering the call (many times showing a local area code along with a familiar 3-digit central office number).
Our company would never use this type of deceptive technology and does not condone anyone’s use of it. Keep in mind that our company does not employ or contract with any telemarketing groups.
What we have been able to determine based on all the calls that we are receiving from consumers is that this telemarketing group is calling for multiple products that include burial plots, medical alert equipment, final expense life insurance and even term insurance.
Our company does NOT use telemarketing services to set appointments nor try and sell any products such as final expense life insurance or other types of life insurance. We have never do we currently sell burial plots or medical alert equipment. Our primary focus is working with retirees on their Medicare needs, income planning, and legacy planning.
While our advisors have fulfilled client’s requests for final expense life insurance on a limited basis, this is once again not done by telemarketing but rather in existing client annual reviews.
Need Medsup or Medigap Coverage?
We absolutely hate that you are being cold called by someone using our company name or a variation of it.
However, if you find yourself in-need of health coverage, you can read our guide to Medicare Supplement Plans and get a few quotes if you have any additional questions. As we stated earlier, our primary focus is helping guide retirees in regards to their health insurance.
What To Do Next
If anyone is ever able to get us information regarding who this telemarketing group actually is or who they are contracted by, then we would appreciate this information so that we can file a formal complaint against them with the Attorney General’s Office.
UPDATE
We have been able to theorize that most of these calls are coming from out of Pakistan and other areas of the Middle East. There are numerous call centers in these countries who are trying to connect with insurance agents on LinkedIn to use their services. Most appear to specialize in telemarketing leads for final expense agents. From what we can tell, these telemarketers are not trying to necessarily make a phone sale but rather schedule an appointment for an insurance agent or insurance agency here in the United States. While the FCC or Attorney General Office do not have jurisdiction in foreign countries, they can hold the insurance agent/agency liable for hiring of these groups who knowingly contact folks who are registered with the Do Not Call registry. One agent in the state of Florida has been identified as having hired one of these telemarketing groups or his agency has. As of this date and time, we do not know how the state Department of Insurance has handled the situation.
2022 Updates
- Recently we received audio files from a consumer in which the caller claiming to be with ‘Senior Benefits’ could not provide her with the actual office location nor phone number. He told her to ‘Google’ it. After she kept pressing him on the matter, you could hear in the background where he was typing and then read off our independent broker support website (which is not our consumer website…big mistake on his part). Next he could not pronounce the city/town location of where our corporate office is located (another major red flag). By the end of the call he divulged to the consumer that the insurance company that he was wanting to get her coverage with was Lumico. Our company has reached out to Lumico requesting them to investigate what call centers are selling their final expense life insurance products.
- Please be aware that several call centers are using a female A.I. voice (think of a robo-call with American accent, not foreign) named Karen which will ask you several questions and then transfer you to the next available person in the call center.
- In a recently published statement by the FCC Chairwoman, Jessica Rosenworcel she acknowledges that the majority of robocalls are now coming from overseas (estimating two-thirds originates out of the USA). The full statement can be read here.
- Here is a very good infographic from the State of South Carolina Department of Consumer Affairs that goes into why you should no longer trust your Caller ID system (whether it be a landline or cell phone).
2020 Updates
- Our company has corresponded with the Department of Insurance in each state making them aware of the fraudulent use of our name and variations of our name.
- Our company has corresponded with the Attorney General’s Office in each state as well to report the ongoing issues.
- One of our clients received a call from an agent identifying herself as Linda McG*** claiming to be from Senior Benefits and provided an agency phone number of (410)729-6715. She also provided a phone number of (443)520-8196 as a direct line. The phone number given as the agency has numerous complaints listed online for it. Since this person focused in on questions regarding Medicare Supplements, we do not believe that they are part of the call centers that have been calling for life insurance. This appears to possibly be an agency or someone that is cold calling consumers.
Ways To Help Limit Unwanted Calls
One option that you might have would be to sign up for a robocall blocking service that may even be free of charge from your provider. While we cannot endorse any particular platform, some of our employees use Nomorobo for their home phones that use VoIP. For your cell phones, AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon offer FREE services that you can sign up for to help reduce unwanted calls. Rumor has it with iOS 13 (if you have an iPhone) you will be able to automatically have calls sent to voicemail that are not in your contact list, found in email, or in messages. If you have a cell phone that uses the Android operating system, a popular download is the Calls Blacklist – Call Blocker app. This app is supposed to block all calls except those in your contacts list. While many people are afraid that they will miss an important call, keep in mind that if the call is important, then they should be leaving a message that you can immediately retrieve and return. An article that is a few months old but provides some great information on how to reduce unwanted calls can be found by clicking HERE.
To read more about what the FCC is currently doing to combat Robocalls read the bulletin here on SHAKEN/STIR HERE.
A more simplified translation of SHAKEN/STIR can be found in the CNET article HERE.