Maine Attorney General Janet T. Mills is warning elderly Maine to be wary of a phone scam in which the callers lead them to believe they are eligible for a free life alert or medical alert device product. They then ask for sensitive, personal financial information. Life Alert is well-known for their tag line of “Help, I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

“Seniors should always be wary of anyone calling them to tell them that they are eligible for free products in exchange for their personal information,” Mills said. “Legitimate companies do not operate like this. This scam is particularly insidious because it trades on the well-known brand of Life Alert which is intended for very vulnerable senior citizens.”

The company that produces the real Life Alert product has filed a lawsuit against those who have been impersonating Life Alert through scam phone calls, and lying and manipulating seniors into providing personal and financial information.

The named defendants include LifeWatch and Connect America.com (aka Medical Alert), two companies that purport to be legitimate providers of personal emergency response systems.

Attorney General Mills said that the Consumer Protection Division of the Attorney General’s Office has received numerous complaints from Maine seniors about the Life Alert product scam.

If any Maine Seniors believe they have been a target of this scam, they should call the Consumer Protection Division: 1-800-436-2131 or email: consumer.mediation@maine.gov/.